“Teatoxing” is the newest trend for a quick and easy way to lose weight. The product is hard to miss on Instagram. Pictures typically include a fit celebrity like Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian or Ashley Benson, posing with the package andclaiming that the tea helps them keep their figure. In the past couple years, companies such as Skinny Teatox, Bootea and Fit Tea, have flourished and created a huge social media following. However, by drinking these teas, what “magical” ingredients are giving people results? Is it dangerous for your body? Let’s take a look!
How it all works
The companies claim that the teas are all natural and will help you lose weight, burn calories, boost your metabolism, detoxify, cleanse, minimize appetite and increase energy, (and pretty much live the Instagram fitspo model fame and fortune), but what exactly do you need to do to make this happen? Well, the product usually can be purchased as a 14 or 28 day detox that comes with an every day daytime and alternating nighttime tea blend. Seems like a pretty easy solution to get your health on track… Right?
The Reviews
It’s human nature to want a quick fix and that’s probably why it attracts so many people. There are thousands of satisfied customers and positive reviews, so what is all the hype? To answer that, studies show that drinking tea can suppress your appetite; which proves to be one of their tea claims. In regard to losing weight, many of the tea blends have a diuretic effect (increased urination), which could be the reason why people experience some weight loss and reduced bloating. But by having an unhealthy diet, you can quickly counteract the teas benefits because it’s just water weight.
The Fit Tea writes in the FAQ that in order to achieve better results, you should “stay hydrated with plenty of water, exercise regularly 3-5 times per week, eat healthy, balanced meals, and repeat”. But with those instructions, isn’t everyone guaranteed to “lose weight, burn calories, boost your metabolism” whether drinking the tea or not?
The Dangers
The daytime blend is supposed to increase energy levels, probably due to the caffeine. The blend plus the caffeine contain diuretic effects, leading to urination and possibly dehydration. This can leave you with feelings of dizziness, fainting, headache and/or weakness.
The nighttime blend’s purpose is to cleanse and detoxify your body, but this is where the dangers occur. This blend contains a natural laxative called senna. Senna is given before a colonoscopy or to treat constipation. Basically, senna is emptying out your digestive tract… AKA I’m no scientist, but after all those trips to the bathroom you’re probably going lose a couple pounds.
When senna is used for over 2 weeks it can cause the bowels to stop functioning normally and cause laxative dependency… Meanwhile, most of the “teatoxes” last 2-4 weeks. The U.S. National Library of Medicine states, “Long-term use can also change the amount or balance of some chemicals in the blood (electrolytes) that can cause heart function disorders, muscle weakness, liver damage, and other harmful effects.”
In the grander scheme of things, these damages are much more permanent than the potential weight loss. It is probably better to stick with the old-fashioned way. Your health is more important than a couple pounds. Here’s a couple tips to help you get started:
1. Find fitness routines that work for you
2. Track your progress – seeing is believing!
3. Read this post for more tips on goals, diet, motivations:
https://shapescale.com/blog/health/expert-fitness-diet-tips/
Written by Lauren Hotta
