Don't let fat settle accounts after the New Year. These three teas can remove oil and relieve greasiness.

Are you worried about gaining weight during the Chinese New Year? According to data from the National Health Administration, during the Spring Festival of 2014, more than 30% of the public gained an average of 1.7 kilograms. If you don't want to repeat the same mistakes this year and face the dilemma of settling accounts for fat after the New Year, you might as well observe whether you are obese due to fat, edema, or insomnia. Taking appropriate post-meal health tea can not only help reduce the greasiness of New Year's dishes, but also reduce the accumulation of fat.

The causes of obesity are different for each person. Before drinking slimming tea, you should consult a Chinese medicine practitioner to confirm whether it is suitable for your physical condition.

Dong Yirong, attending physician of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Lukang Christian Hospital, said that due to differences in personal physique and lifestyle, the causes of obesity are different for each person, which can be roughly divided into solid type, edema type and local obesity. Conditioning and improvement should be based on symptomatic prescriptions, but during the Chinese New Year period, depending on personal diet and symptoms, drinking appropriate tea after meals can relieve the greasy feeling in the mouth, regulate the spleen and stomach, and avoid excess fat accumulation that leads to obesity.

【Solid obesity】

• Method: Rinse 3 qian of Cassia Seed, 3 qian of Hawthorn, 5 qian of Coix Seed and 3 qian of Artemisia Capillaris, put into 800cc of cold water, heat and boil until the water becomes 600cc, let it cool and drink.

• Description: Cassia seed clears away heat, improves eyesight, promotes diuresis and relieves constipation; Hawthorn can help digestion and eliminate accumulation, and activate blood circulation; Coix seed strengthens the spleen and stomach; Artemisia capillaris clears heat and removes dampness. This tea is suitable for people who like to eat and drink a lot during the Chinese New Year or for those who like to eat greasy and heavy food on a normal day. People with this physique usually have stronger muscles, are more afraid of heat, are prone to dry mouth, are very active, and sometimes suffer from constipation.

【Edematous obesity】

• Preparation: Rinse 3 qian of Poria cocos, 5 qian of Astragalus membranaceus, 3 qian of lotus leaf and 3 qian of Codonopsis pilosula, put into 800c.c. of cold water, heat and boil until the water becomes 600c.c., then let it cool before drinking.

• Note: If your face becomes swollen the next day after eating salty or heavy-flavored New Year's dishes, you can boil this tea and drink it to promote blood circulation, speed up the elimination of excess water, and avoid retention and edema. In addition, it is also suitable for people who often feel tired or are prone to edema in the lower body.

Although health tea can help relieve greasiness and reduce fat, and reduce the accumulation of excess fat, it is not a single panacea for weight loss.

【Local obesity】

• Method: Take 2 qian of Chinese Angelica, 4 qian of Radix Ophiopogonis, 3 qian of Salvia miltiorrhiza, and 3 qian of dried tangerine peel, rinse them clean, put them into 800c.c. of cold water, heat and boil until it becomes 600c.c., finally add 2 qian of rose and simmer until it is warm.

• Note: Some obese people are not particularly fat, but they may have physiological disorders and poor circulation due to the habit of staying up late or poor sleep quality, which makes the abdomen, thighs, calves and other parts of the body appear fat. If you suffer from local obesity due to going to bed late or having a reversed day and night schedule during the Chinese New Year holidays, you can drink tea with Ophiopogon japonicus as the main ingredient to nourish yin, aid sleep, regulate your physical condition, and improve obesity.

Stay fit during the New Year: Eat moderate meals, get enough sleep, and exercise more

Although the above-mentioned health teas can help relieve greasiness and reduce fat, and reduce the accumulation of excess fat, they are not a panacea for weight loss. Chinese medicine practitioner Dong Yirong reminds us that diet and daily routine should also be normal during the New Year holidays. You can eat three meals a day as normal, but avoid foods that are too salty or too greasy. Do not eat too much, do not drink alcohol or beverages half an hour before or after meals, drink enough water, get enough sleep, and it is best to go to bed early. More importantly, exercise moderately to burn off excess calories.