Diet teas are no replacement for a properly balanced diet. But if you combine them with other healthy lifestyle changes, drinking diet teas may support your weight loss efforts.
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If you are trying to lose weight, you’ll likely be on the lookout for anything that can make the journey a little easier. And even the most cursory internet search will bring up plenty of products promising to speed up weight loss and make dieting a breeze.
Whether these diet products work or not really depends on what you mean by “work”. We’re very wary of anything that claims to be the next slimming miracle – the simple truth is that there is no good substitute for eating healthily, moving your body regularly, getting enough sleep, and managing your stress levels.
That said, there are some natural products out there that can complement other healthy lifestyle changes and support your efforts to lose weight.
Chief among these are diet teas, which are a popular option for people wanting to manage their weight.
How Do Diet Teas Help You Lose Weight?
Unlike juice detoxes and meal replacement shakes, diet teas aren’t designed to replace food – if a manufacturer tells you otherwise, find a new brand!
Instead, these teas can be drunk throughout the day to support your other weight loss efforts. They are generally very low in calories and rarely contain processed sugar, so are a great substitute for more calorific drinks like fizzy drinks, juice, and smoothies.
Like any other form of herbal tea, diet teas are also hydrating, which means they can help you to reach your fluid intake goals. Being properly hydrated will keep your body functioning well, which is especially vital if you’ve upped your exercise regime.
Increased hydration may even support your weight loss efforts – there’s some research that suggests drinking enough fluids before a meal means you’ll eat less than you would otherwise and will also increase your body’s ability to burn fat.
Of course, you could just drink water – and that would certainly be a healthy option. However, many of us struggle to stick to plain water alone, especially if we’re used to drinking fizzy drinks or juice. Herbal teas can be a great substitute because they still pack a flavourful punch, without the associated sugar or calories.
More importantly, diet teas contain natural ingredients that can play a role in weight management. Some speed up the metabolism and boost fat burning. Others reduce cravings, keep your blood sugar levels stable, or help you reach your fitness goals.
Some ingredients to look out for in a herbal diet tea include:
For fat burning
- Green tea
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Turmeric
For resisting food cravings
- Green tea
- Cayenne pepper
- Guarana
- Kelp
- Garcinia cambogia
- Cinnamon
To boost your metabolism:
- Green tea
- Ginger
- Cayenne pepper
- Guarana
- Green tea
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
- Black tea
- Bitter melon
To lower cholesterol:
- Green tea
- Cinnamon
- Garlic
- Turmeric
- Hawthorn
To support your exercise goals:
- Green tea
- Ginseng
- Rhodiola
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Ashwagandha
You’ll notice many of these herbs appear on multiple lists – especially green tea, which is one of the most popular and best researched teas for dieting. When choosing a diet tea, we would always look for a blend that includes a healthy percentage of green tea, such as our NutraTrim tea, which also contains many of the other ingredients on these lists.
On the other hand, we strongly recommend avoiding any diet teas that rely on natural laxatives, such as senna leaf. These aren’t designed for long-term use and can cause damage to your body if used incorrectly.
Plus, the weight you’ll lose from these laxative teas is water and fibre, not fat. Best to stick to the ingredients listed above instead, which are more likely to support your healthy weight loss efforts.
