There’s no quick fix for healthy weight loss—and trying to force a miracle could be dangerous. While the only real key to weight management is a lifestyle filled with healthy habits (like a balanced diet and regular exercise), there are a lot of products out there with false promises of a slimmer waistline at lightning speed, including “flat belly” and “detox” teas that could have serious ramifications on your health.
But how dangerous could these detox teas be, exactly, and what are the consequences? To find out, we consulted registered dietitian Amy Shapiro. She warned against dehydration, digestive issues, and more. Find all of her expert insight below.
Downsides to detox teas
First thing's first: any product that isn't regulated by the FDA should be taken with a grain of salt—or simply not taken at all. Take detox tea, for example.
"Many detox teas contain ingredients or instructions beyond tea leaves such as chemicals or medications like ephedra which can be detrimental to your health while causing you to lose your appetite," explains Shapiro. When it’s ambiguous what ingredients are actually included in these detox teas, you potentially put your digestive system at risk by consuming foods not vetted by the FDA to help you lose weight.
In addition to these mysterious ingredients, the caffeine in detox teas could have ramifications, including a laxative effect. In the short term, this could lead to loss of water weight. But in addition to the fact that losing water weight doesn't equate to actual fat loss, this laxative property could also cause dehydration and digestive issues. The caffeine could even lead to a lessened appetite, which will come back with a vengeance once you stop drinking these teas.
"Any results you get from tea will be temporary just like any other fad diet you participate in. Unless they teach you how to eat a balanced and healthy diet, a tea that causes you to lose water weight or to poop more often only works in the short term and can actually provide you with the reverse effect long term as you may create damage to your system and metabolism," warns Shapiro.
Your GI system falls into a delicate balance of gut bacteria, and can very easily be thrown off when drinking detox teas which merely run through you and can cause uncomfortable side effects such as diarrhea, dehydration, and even loss of electrolytes without helping you achieve any long term or lasting results. Many people assume they need to detox after a weekend of eating unhealthy foods or binge drinking, but the best way to do this is not with a tea to flush out the system, but rather by making healthy diet changes that support better digestion. There’s no easy way to detox, and attempting to fast track the process with a tea can ultimately cause more harm than good.
"If you are looking to detox, I recommend taking a break from ingredients that are inflammatory and or insulting such as alcohol, caffeine, sugar beverages. Drink more water, add lemon and dandelion root to your water, drink green tea which has been shown to boost metabolic rate, and make sure to eat hydrating foods including lots of fruits and vegetables," suggests Shapiro. Good advice!
