lychee

I woke up this morning thinking to myself, “If I put the terms ‘clinically tested,’ ‘enhanced thermogenisis,’ ‘natural,’ or ‘contains polypolyphenols,’ would I be able to sell tree bark from the tree outside my house as a dietary supplement? I mean, why not? It’s natural, high in fiber. I can get any lab to test it and I can say it may enhance thermogenisis (increase your metabolism). Then I chop it up, bottle it, and sell it for $39.99 plus shipping and handling. Well, the “new super-fruit” is touted to do just that. No, it’s not acai-that is so last season. It’s Lychee (or Lichi), the new, “new super-fruit.” It’s sweeping the nation for its alleged weight loss potential. Maybe they’re right, just maybe.
Is it the antioxidants that make your waistline disappear like butter melting on hot pancakes? Is it the 120% of vitamin C that dissolves the fat-right before your very eyes? Come on guys, it’s vitamin C, it’s got to work magic! Right? The answer to this my friends and fellow yo-yo dieters, is that it really does nothing more then make you feel better (probably the carbs working on your dopamine system, aka the “feel-good” hormone). It may help you lose some weight because it has some fiber in it. Most of all you have to replace a meal with these “super-fruits.” What a novel idea-eat less along with regular exercise and the weight comes off? Doing some online research, GNC sells the “Lichi Superfruit Diet” for a mere $29.99 for a 10-day supply.
I also looked into any studies that have been conducted – I’ve been known to be wrong before (as my wife will gladly tell you). I knew I would find an article with someone named “John Doe, MD.” Well, I found one such person, Dr. V. H. Potty, a food technologist from India. He had a cool website and everything but still no scientific evidence. Dr. Athira from another website (although not as fancy as the previous one) said that it’s “capable in preventing breast cancer.” This is according to a test-tube study. I can trump that-arsenic will cure breast cancer! On I trudge through the infinite internet to find some semblance of evidence, when eureka! I hit pay dirt. In the “Journal of Functional Food,” I found a very in depth study conducted out of Japan that showed a whopping 16 people lost an unidentified amount of belly-fat. Well that settled it for me. I mean you have an official name, a “study,” and polyphenols! You can’t beat that! Other fruits that are less ‘exotic” also contain polyphenols (which are touted to do all sorts of miraculous things, including weight loss) berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and boysenberries), cherries, apples, and plums. Not to mention a variety of vegetables.
Lychee costs about $8-$10 per pound and you must use the fresh variety. I personally love Lychee fruit. You can use them in almost any dish and the Lychee sorbet is to die for! But I digress. The polyphenols that are talked about is a very specific one found in green tea. That specific polyphenol is called “catechin-polyphenols” catechin-polyphenols have been said to help decrease body weight (I did not say fat) anywhere from 4% to 26%. This is thought to be done by a variety of ways including biochemical, caffeine and increasing athletic endurance. Try to drink enough of the green tea to make a difference.
There it is-irrefutable evidence that eating a diet richer in fiber and less fat with exercise thrown in will decrease your waist line!…