What is weight loss tea?
In recent years, a growing number of fad diets and weight loss tricks have taken the Australian consumer industry by force, each promising more dramatic results in a shorter time frame than the next.
Weight loss or skinny tea is one such craze, a trend which involves drinking daily amounts of ‘detox’ tea to cleanse the body from the inside out and burn through fat to help users shed serious kilos quickly.
There are numerous skinny teas on the market, all created by different brands, but each claim to help you lose weight, reduce bloating and thereby achieve the bikini body you’ve always dreamed of.
The skinny tea or ‘teatoxing’ fad has been widely popularised by Instagram influencers, many of whom promote a brand of tea on their accounts which boast hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of followers.
Most teas come in teabag form, but some are sold as loose leaf.
Does thin tea work and are there any side effects?
Despite their popularity, the vast majority of mainstream weight loss teas have been discredited and discouraged by medical professionals who deem the practice dangerous and harmful to overall health.
Doctors and disillusioned consumers alike claim skinny teas are little more than glorified laxatives, causing those who drink it to experience nausea, dizziness, stomach pain and persistent diarrhoea.
In turn, these ailments lead to chronic dehydration and a rapid loss of vitamins and minerals which the body needs for proper functioning.
These side effects are largely linked to the primary ingredient of many weight loss teas, which are almost always created with strong herbs like senna which trigger sickness and excessive bowel movements.
Fitness experts agree, stressing the fact that while drinking skinny tea may trigger rapid slimming in the short term, in the long term it is unsustainable and will only cause you to pile on the pounds more easily than you did before.
Reports have also claimed that regular or prolonged consumption of laxative teas significantly reduces the effectiveness of the contraceptive pill, with some Australian women falling pregnant as a result.
Formerly known as No. 7 Slim Me, this loose leaf tisane contains Chinese pu-erh tea, rose petals and naturally fermented herbs to cleanse and purify the body.
Edible Beauty jars are available from Adore Beauty for $27 AUD.
Online reviews praised the rose scent and taste of the tea, as well as the vintage style packaging.
11. Green Tea X50
Although not a liquid tea, Green Tea X50 is a weight loss and energy-enhancing supplement made from green tea, resveratrol and sweeteners including stevia.
Sachets are suitable for dissolving in water or as a supplement in cooking.
The brand claims the supplement has anti-ageing properties thanks to its resveratrol component, but this claim does not appear to be scientifically proven.
You can buy Green Tea X50 from Nutrition Warehouse for $29.95 AUD.
10. Bondi Beach Tea
Sydney-based Bondi Beach Tea prides itself on selling 100 percent natural, hand-blended organic weight loss plans under the slogan ‘detox, burn fat, energise’.
The brand stock a variety of dietary aids, including a 28 Day Colon Cleanse, 28 Day Slimming program and the best-selling Bondi B-Slim 14 Day Detox plan which is available to buy for $35 AUD from the company’s official website.
Bondi Beach Tea is preservative free, and contains ingredients like dandelion leaf, acai, garcinia cambogia, hibiscus flower and burdock root to purify the digestive system and promote weight loss by ridding the body of toxins.
The tea is designed to be consumed twice daily, once in the morning and once during late afternoon.
You can watch video testimonials from Bondi customers here, many of whom said they were unhappy with the quantity of tea they received as well as giving the taste and overall result a negative review.
9. Bootea
Bootea is a weight loss brand who stock an award-winning range of skinny, detoxifying teas made with natural herbs.
The company sell products internationally and use social media marketing to promote their widely popular 14 Day Teatox (currently on sale for $31 AUD), which comes with 14 daytime tea bags and seven bedtime cleansing sachets to be used every second evening.
Daytime tea bags contain Chinese Oolong tea, ginger root, fennel seeds and mate leaves among others, while the evening cleanse bags are made with laxative-effect senna leaves, peppermint, fenugreek seeds and burdock root.
In a disclaimer on the company website, Bootea acknowledges that use of their weight loss tea may interfere with the efficacy of the contraceptive pill.
8. Skinny Me Tea
Skinny Me, a Melbourne-based tea company, offer a 14 day cleanse for $39 AUD containing a morning brew designed to be taken with breakfast and an evening tea for consumption every second night just before bed.
The morning cleanse is made from Sencha green tea, oolong tea and a variety of herbs including artichoke root, while the evening mixture contains senna, valerian root and celery seed to speed the metabolism and reduce bloating.
The brand also market Complexion Me tea to enhance the skin’s natural radiance.
Skinny Me Tea are one of the only companies listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.
A spokesperson for the business denied claims their product was promoting an unbalanced, unhealthy lifestyle.
7. Fit Tea
US weight loss brand Fit Tea promise serious results through its 14 Day Tea Detox and accompanying eating plan.
The $35 pack comes in individual tea bags made from organic green tea, Oolong Wu Yi and garcinia cambogia extract which the brand claims detoxifies the system, reduces bloating and supports proper metabolic function.
The 14 Day Detox plan comes with a 4.8 star rating from over 1,500 reviews, with an impressive 98 percent of users saying they would recommend to a friend.
Satisfied customers said the tea helped reduce sweet cravings and water retention.
6. Flat Tummy Tea
Another Instagram famous brand, Flat Tummy Tea offer everything from weight loss tea plans to protein shakes and meal replacement supplements.
The brand also stock controversial appetite suppressant lollipops, which a number of high profile celebrities have come under fire for endorsing.
Flat Tummy Tea plans come in various forms, with the most popular being the $68 AUD four week cleansing regime designed to combat bloating and contribute to a healthier immune system.
The plan comes with a 4.5 star rating from users, who praised the taste of the tea and said it helped with water retention after just one week.
The brand is famous for its social media advertisements and customer testimonials which usually include incredible before and after images demonstrating the alleged efficacy of the cleanse.
5. Teami
Teami is a weight loss tea powerhouse in the US who have recently expanded their stock to include skincare, drinking tumblers and reusable containers.
Their best-selling 30 Day Detox plan promises to refresh and cleanse the body to help you lead a healthier lifestyle for $70 AUD per pack.
The plan comes with a skinny tea made from oolong, lime leaf, ginger and rhubarb root to be taken every morning, and a colon cleansing mixture to drink every second night before bed, as well as a 30 day detox calendar to track your progress and any changes you experience.
Recent reviews said Teami helped with bloating and constipation, as well as suppressing cravings for sweets and chocolate.
The brand also sell loose leaf blends suitable for nursing mothers and teas to help boost mental concentration and clarity.
4. Slimming Tea Australia
The original Australian skinny tea contains seven ‘superfood’ ingredients – green and pu-erh tea, garcinia cambogia, hibiscus, goji berry, rose and dandelion leaf.
Slimming Tea markets itself as Australia’s best-selling weight loss tea brand. Their most popular plan is the 14 Day Cleanse-Tox, which is currently on sale for $30 AUD.
The brand claims the combination of these causes the body to absorb less fat, increase your metabolism, reduce bloating, blood sugar and water retention as well as suppress appetite.
However the popular 14 Day Detox Plan contains senna, the above-mentioned herb which acts as a laxative. The company also warn against drinking more than one tea sachet per day.
One reviewer gave an honest appraisal of the regime, writing: ‘This definitely works… it taste good and is easy to drink, but personally I can’t handle drinking this daily. For me, it’s a few times a week.’
3. Thin Tea
Thin Tea is a weight loss tea which promises to alkalise the body, thereby increasing the absorption of minerals and nutrients.
The brand has publicly declared not to use any laxatives in its best-selling 28 Day Fat Burn and Detox Blend plan, both sold in loose leaf form.
You can buy the two packs along with an accompanying healthy eating plan for $59.90 from the brand’s official site.
The Fat Burn tea should be taken right before dinner and promises to burn fat and reduce appetite, while the Detox tea claims to stimulate, cleanse and harmonise the body. The two teas are designed to be drunk together, one each per day.
Online reviews and customer testimonials credit the 28 Day plan with giving users renewed energy, with many saying the tea works wonders when used in conjunction with regular exercise.
0Thin Tea also offer specially designed packages for improved sleep, better mental clarity and stress reduction.
2. T2
Artisan tea brand T2 do not stock targeted weight loss products, but they do offer a range of wellness brews to balance, revitalise and enhance mind and body.
Some of their best-sellers in the wellness space include the Detox Loose Leaf Tisane ($16 AUD) and Tummy Tea (also $16 AUD), a pleasant licorice and mint tea for after dinner to aid digestion.
Both products boast a 4.8 star rating on the brands official website, with one reviewer calling it her ‘go-to tea for soothing the stomach’.
1. Teatox Australia
1Packages from Teatox Australia are regularly seen on the Instagram pages of micro influencers from Perth to Melbourne, all promoting the benefits of the brand’s detox plans.
This weight loss tea is marketed specifically as an antioxidant, detoxifying body cleanse which boosts the speed of your metabolism and reduces water weight.
Teatox contains radish, oolong leaves, hawthorn, lotus leaf and cassia seed, and claims to be free from both caffeine and laxatives, although cassia and oolong are both medically regarded as having caffeine and laxative properties.
The recommended daily intake is two tea brews per day.
Dieters can try the 14 Day Teatox regime for $29 AUD, or the 28 Day plan for $49 AUD, both of which contain tea bags designed to be consumed twice daily for optimum results.
The company has been in business for over five years and is one of the better established weight loss tea brands in Australia.
Online reviews praised the pleasant taste of Teatox, with a number saying they prefer this tea to others because it doesn’t have laxative effects.
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