The New Year is still in full swing, and people everywhere are searching for ways to not only lose weight, but to also detox their bodies.

Whether you want to detox as a way to jumpstart weight-loss or you simply wish to rid your body of toxins, a tea detox — or teatox — may be the answer.

Facts about Detoxing with Tea
Before you rush out and stock up on herbal teas, there are several factors to consider. Here’s a breakdown of the four most important things you need to know before beginning a teatox.

1. Safety & Benefits of Tea
The health benefits of tea have been known for centuries but have only recently been brought to the limelight. Ancient culture took advantage of tea’s healing abilities for various ailments, and a 2013 study conducted by American, Dutch, and Italian researchers discovered why.
During the analysis, tea was found to provide these benefits:

• Lower risk of stroke and heart disease
• Increased mood and mental clarity
• Lower blood pressure
• An increase in energy
• Weight management
  
  

As far as detoxing programs go, tea is one of the safest options on the market. It’s a natural product that contains antioxidants and aides the body’s detoxification process. Even so, tea on its own isn’t enough to actually purify your body’s cells.

2. Best Practices
According to nutritionists, drinking tea first thing in the morning and right before going to bed can help your body either energize or calm down, depending on the blend.

Drinking tea throughout the day is also beneficial. Because tea doesn’t contain as much caffeine as coffee, soft drinks, and energy drinks, you can drink five to seven cups a day.

As great as a teatox can be, it won’t be able to do its job if your diet’s unhealthy. Everything else you consume plays an important role in allowing tea to be medicinal.

Holistic nutritionist Laura Lagano puts it this way: “Tea can only be medicinal and detoxifying if your diet isn’t taxing your system, which most American meals are guilty of.”

Follow these tips to enjoy the full benefits of teatoxing:

• Cut out fried and processed foods.
• Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats.
• Incorporate anti-inflammatory fats, like avocados and almonds, into your diet.
  
  

3. The Best Teas
While green and black teas are both helpful in their pure forms for detoxing, specific detox teas provide additional benefits through added ingredients. These four varieties are recommended by Lagano:

• Traditional Medicinals EveryDay Detox Dandelion
• Twining’s Lemon & Ginger
• Yogi DeTox
• Celestial’s Sleepytime Decaf Lemon Jasmine Green Tea
  
  

4. What to Watch Out For
When choosing a tea for detoxing, look out for the ingredient senna. This herbal laxative aides in intestinal cleansing and can be very beneficial as a short-term evening drink.

Ingesting senna too frequently or for too long, however, may cause vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance. It’s best to drink tea with senna for a few nights if necessary, then switch to a non-senna variety for your everyday drink.

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