Guide to diet teas: benefits, usage & dosage

Interested in learning all about diet teas? You’re in the right place.

It can be confusing to know which route to go down, whether you choose to make your own diet tea, pick up some from the shop or even just drinking the key ingredient by itself.

Hopefully we can help you on the right track to choosing the right diet tea for you – and if you decide to go for it at all!

In this article, we’ll explore

• What diet tea is and what it’s used for
• If you can make your own diet tea
• Shop bought diet tea vs. homemade
• Advice for choosing a diet tea
• Which tea is best for weight loss
• The different flavours of diet tea
• If you can drink diet tea every day
• The side effects of dieters tea
• If diet teas suitable for everyone
• If diet teas really work
• Where to buy diet teas from

What is diet tea?

Let’s set the record straight, what is diet tea?

Also known as slimming tea, diet tea is a drink used as a supplement to weight loss.

What is diet tea used for?

Diet tea is predominantly used for losing weight, by either boosting the metabolism, suppressing appetite, making you pass urine more frequently or as a laxative.

However these are claims and may not always be the case, so it’s important to do your research.

Can you make your own diet tea?

It is possible to make your own version of diet tea at home as some of the most common key ingredients include:

• Green tea
• Peppermint tea
• Oolong tea
• Yerba mate
• Liquorice
• Senna leaf

Shop bought diet tea vs. homemade

So, what’s the key difference between the diet tea that you can get from the shop versus what you can make at home?

The main difference is that shop-bought diet teas tend to contain more ingredients, and they’re sometimes harder to get your hands on in your local supermarket.

In addition to this, the teas that you can buy at the shop will generally have the right quantities of ingredients in them, which can be easier to mess up at home.

Summary

• Diet teas are used to aid weight loss through a variety of means, from helping to boost the metabolism, suppressing your appetite or make you visit the loo more often.
• You don’t always have to buy your diet tea from the shop, alternatively you could try making your own using a key ingredient like green tea!

Advice for choosing a diet tea

When it comes to choosing a diet tea, it’s important to remember that drinking it isn’t likely to make you shed a load of pounds super quickly.

Instead, it’s best to think about what you may be struggling with on your weight loss journey.

If you’re finding that you’re constipated and it’s affecting how you achieve your goals, then it may be worth choosing a diet tea that has a mild laxative effect.

If you think your metabolism is a little sluggish, you could consider a diet tea that contains ingredients that may support and potentially boost your metabolism.

If it’s snacking and a big appetite that is slowing you down on your journey, you could opt for a slimming tea that has ingredients which may help to suppress your appetite.

Or if you feel like you’re often bloated with water weight, it might be worth choosing a diet tea that has a diuretic effect – but be careful as this could lead to dehydration.

Best tea to lose weight

There are actually a number of different teas that may help to reduce your body weight and increase fat loss.

These include:

• Green tea. So is green tea good for losing weight? Considered one of the most common teas for weight loss, there have been a number of studies that have linked the two together. For example, one study found that a group of people that consumed green tea extract for a period of twelve weeks had significant drops in their body weight, waist size and body fat percentage – in comparison to a control group.¹
• Oolong tea. Originating from China, this tea is also said to have a positive effect on weight loss. One study highlighted how oolong tea appeared to improve the metabolism of fat in the body which helped to reduce both body weight and body fat in 102 overweight or obese people.²
• Black tea. One of the most popular teas, but not necessarily for weight loss, is black tea. Whether it’s English Breakfast, Earl Grey or another kind – drinking this without milk may help with weight loss. For example, one study found that drinking just three cups of black tea daily massively helped to reduce waist circumference and increased weight loss over a three month period.³

What flavours of diet tea are there?

While the flavour isn’t necessarily the most important aspect of diet tea, it can help you to make it a more regular part of your routine.

Some of the most common flavours of diet tea are:

• Mint
• Ginger
• Fennel
• Lemongrass
• Liquorice
• Ginseng
• Orange peel
• Cinnamon
• Pineapple

Can you drink diet tea every day?

The answer depends on the type of diet tea you’re having!

Some products have a morning tea and an evening tea, while others can be taken at any time of the day – just remember to drink too much as it may lead to side effects.

What are the side effects of dieters tea?

Unfortunately, sometimes diet teas can bring about some side effects.

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms after drinking it, it could be time to swap it out for something else.

Laxative diet tea side effects:

• Diarrhoea
• Nausea
• Stomach cramps
• Dehydration
• Bloating⁴

Common side effects from diuretic type diet teas include:

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Thirst
• Nausea
• Peeing more than usual
• Muscle cramps⁵

Appetite suppressing diet teas could cause:

• Diarrhoea
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Dizziness⁶

Summary

• Some of the best teas for weight loss include green tea, black tea and oolong tea.
• There are a range of flavours of diet tea out there, so getting something you like the taste of could help you to make it an established part of your diet.
• Unfortunately diet teas can sometimes have unpleasant side effects, these can range from an upset stomach, to headaches and dizziness.

Are diet teas suitable for everyone?

While diet teas alongside a healthy balanced diet and regular exercise can help some people to lose weight, they’re not necessarily suitable for everyone.

For example, women during pregnancy are not advised to drink diet teas without consulting advice from their doctor.

Diet teas are also often a big source of caffeine, which may not be the best drink to consume for people who are often anxious, people who struggle with their sleep, people with high blood pressure, people who get headaches and people who suffer from loose bowels or incontinence.^7,8,9,10

Do slimming teas work?

So the big question is, do diet teas really work?

We have already dedicated a whole article to this, and expert Nutritionist Alexander Thompson highlighted how weight loss predominantly comes from sensible changes to a diet.

But diet teas can be useful for establishing healthier diet habits earlier on in the weight loss journey.

And it’s important to remember that slimming tea won’t help necessarily with fat loss if you’re not in a calorie deficit.

Where to buy diet teas from

It is vital that you buy your diet teas from a reliable source, not just a random website online.

For assistance in choosing the best diet tea for you, visit a health food shop and speak to a store colleague for their advice.

The final say

While diet teas aren’t the be all and end all of weight loss, they may be able to help you start your journey or give you a boost along the way.

There are a wide range of diet teas out there, each with their own key ingredients and potential side effects, so it’s important to do your research at get the best product for you.

But if you’re concerned about whether a diet tea is right for you or not, it’s best to consult the advice of your GP or a trusted medical professional.

Last updated: 28 October 2021