I Tried a Teatox — Here’s What Happened
I tried a teatox and here’s what happened… nothing.
Okay, maybe that’s a little bit of hyperbole. Let’s go back to where this all started, shall we?
Last month, I pitched the idea of doing a story about me trying a teatox, and when my pitch was accepted, I got to work on my research. It turns out that teatoxes, made famous (to me) through the “Flat Tummy Tea” that The Bachelor ladies love to advertise on Instagram, are very popular right now. It’s no surprise – teatoxes promote themselves as a quick and easy fix to all of our diet woes, and they are indeed, pretty simple.
Teatoxes are meant to be a complement to a healthy diet, meaning you don’t replace food with tea, but that you focus on eating nutritious foods alongside your daily cup. Teatoxes claim a host of benefits, including a suppressed appetite, reduced bloating and improved energy. Teas that bill themselves as “detox” also sometimes work as laxatives – look out for “senna leaf” on the label to spot those varieties.
There are a huge variety of teatoxes (more than 350 results on Amazon!), generally ranging from seven to 28-days. I tried two teatoxes for my research, baetea and Tease Triple Teatox (another thing you need to know about teatoxes – they like their silly names).
Neither of these bad boys claimed they’d be revolutionary, but they did have some pretty significant positive reviews, and they were both Prime eligible, so I felt pretty savvy about my choices. They also weren’t laxative teas, which wasn’t something I was looking for when I embarked on this journey. (If you’re interested in using a laxative tea to treat constipation, talk to your doctor.)
I tried both teatoxes throughout four weeks. I loved the ritual of drinking a hot tea every morning, as well as a second hot tea every night on the Tease routine. I found the once-per-day baetea to be delicious, and the Tease to be decent tasting. I noticed I lost a few pounds (of water weight) during both teatoxes, but didn’t see any lasting effects of either. I also paid a pretty penny for the two teatoxes, and wouldn’t see either being a sustainable habit (despite reviewers saying they repeat monthly!).
Would I do another teatox?
No, probably not – it really wasn’t worth the price, as tasty as the baetea proved to be. I will, however, keep drinking a lot of tea.
Beyond the fancy packaging and the punny names, tea has many benefits, the options are pretty limitless and they are available at a fraction of the cost. Most teas contain antioxidants, which have big benefits to heart health. There is also research that drinking tea can help prevent cancer, and that it promotes healthy teeth. Research is still brewing when it comes to tea, but as long as you’re not loading it up with cream and sugar, it seems like a safe order, and a lovely complement to your daily life.
In lieu of trying a teatox, here’s a few ways to think about adding tea to your routine.
Try out the full sampler pack
There are more types of tea than there are fish in the sea! (Probably, not science… just go with me here.) Regardless, the varieties of tea are very vast, and they all have different tastes and benefits to your health. The best way to discover your favorites is to try everything from black to green to white to oolong. You don’t have to like every type of tea, you just need to find the brew for you.
Add tea as part of a daily ritual
An aspect I loved of both teatoxes was the routine of drinking tea each morning and each night before bed. Drinking tea helped me focus on the day, and however silly it sounds, made me slow down for an extra minute or two. Consider intentionally adding a cup of your favorite tea to a specific part of your day that you want to savor – in the morning, after work, or before bed are great options. Just make sure to watch your caffeine intake if that impacts your sleep.
Tea is dessert’s best friend
I love enjoying a mug of tea after a nice meal out – it’s the perfect way to have something to sip on while your tablemates enjoy dessert (and it’s also obviously a perfect complement for stealing bites of chocolate!). Next time you go out, try ordering tea with dessert, either as a complement to or replacement for your dish. I’m all about using tea to help me savor the moment, and who doesn’t want to stay at that nice table a bit longer?