Detoxing has become quite the rage lately, and if you’re looking to join the club, you’re not alone. If you’re going to drink detox tea, it’s important to do it right.
When is the Best Time to Drink Detox Tea? The best time of day to drink detox tea is in the morning. This doesn’t mean you can’t drink it later, but you’ll see the most benefits in the morning. In the morning, your body has just spent plenty of time resting and repairing itself and is ready for a body-boosting drink.
If you’re wondering what makes this the best time to drink detox tea as well as why many people drink detox tea, keep reading.
Best Time of the Day to Drink Detox Tea
As I pointed out above, the best time of day to drink detox tea is in the morning. There are a few reasons why this should be the first thing you do when you get out of bed:
- Helps get the digestive system going
- Starting detox in the morning helps keep the positive momentum through the day
- Can help give you an enthusiastic start to your day
Let’s take a closer look at each of these reasons in a bit more detail.
Gets the Digestive System Going
Drinking detox tea in the morning is a great way to get your digestive system going. A healthy digestive system means a happy, healthy you.
A detox tea specifically focused on cleansing the colon can be extremely beneficial in easing constipation or irregular bowel movements as well as possibly reduce your risk of colon cancer.
Remember to drink plenty of water while detoxing, which helps digestion. Certain fruits and vegetables are also helpful because they’re high in water content. Watermelon, tomatoes, lettuce, and celery are all good choices.
Keeps the Positive Momentum Going
When you start detoxing in the morning, it gets your body and system headed in the right direction. It’s easier to keep that positive momentum up throughout the day.
If you’re sensitive to caffeine, check the ingredients in your detox tea. You don’t want to train wreck that positive momentum with too much caffeine.
Teas with lemon or ginger might be a good choice because they have lower amounts of caffeine.
Enthusiastic Start to Your Day
Tied into the positive momentum detox tea encourages, drinking the tea in the morning also helps you naturally become more enthusiastic about your day. It gives you a daily boost of energy.
The extra energy helps you see activities with a new attitude. You’ll soon notice you no longer feel tired or lazy. You’ll jump right into your exercise routine and other activities of the day.
While drinking detox tea in the morning is the best time, drinking detox tea after working out is also beneficial because your body is most likely already sweating and naturally releasing toxins.
The only time you really may NOT want to drink detox tea is in the middle of the day. This is simply because you may end up spending more time in the bathroom, which can be kind of disruptive to your day.
What Does Drinking Detox Tea Do?
If you’re going to drink detox tea, it’s important to understand what drinking it does for your body.
Toxins naturally exist in your body, and your body has its own ways of removing most of those toxins.
For example, your lungs exhale carbon dioxide as well as use little fibers called cilia to push other contaminants out.
In addition to your lungs, your kidneys and colon also naturally eliminate toxins.
Detox Tea Enhances Natural Process
Drinking detox tea just enhances your body’s natural abilities to remove toxins from your bloodstream.
In the medical field, “toxins” refers to anything that doesn’t naturally occur in your body. Alcohol, food, medicine, and asbestos are all examples of toxins according to the medical definition.
These toxins are absorbed in different ways, depending on the toxin.
For the most part, they enter the body through one of four routes:
- Inhalation (breathing)
- Skin or eye
- Swallowing
- Injection
As you can see from the above examples I mentioned, your body naturally processes some of these toxins. A detox tea might speed up that detoxification.
Of course, for some harmful toxins, you’ll need to seek medical help, not just a detox tea.
Here are a couple of other things detox teas aim to do:
- Improve weight loss
- Promote healthy liver function
- Clear out the digestive tract
- Reduce stress
What happens from toxic build-up in your body:
Getting rid of toxins in your body accomplishes more than just weight loss, though. When too many toxins are present, you may see some of the following symptoms:
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Indigestion
- Acne
- Bloating
- Jaundice
- Lack of energy
- Immune deficiency
Detoxing will hopefully get these things back on track, but you’ll have to find a healthy diet and good exercise routine if you want the benefits to continue.
Should You Drink Detox Tea?
A quick search of “drinking detox tea” on the Internet returns results across the board. You’ll see pages discussing the dangers of detox teas as well as posts on how detoxing saved someone’s life.
So, you may be wondering if you should drink detox tea or not.
There are not a lot of studies on detox teas, as the amount of interest grows, so does the amount of research.
Here’s a look at some of the concerns and findings on both sides of the debate.
Research Against Detoxing
The organizations and institutions (including Harvard) that have concerns with detoxing bring up the following issues:
- Restricted calories may mean you don’t get the nutrients you need
- Effects of cleansing certain organs like your colon can have negative effects
- “Detoxing” the colon can cause dehydration
- Drinking water and herbal teas without food can lead to electrolyte imbalances
- No proven research
- Food and Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission have taken action against several companies because their detox products contain harmful ingredients or were marketed under false claims
Research Supporting Detoxing
There have been very few studies on detoxing, and those studies have been very low quality with design problems.
The studies have shown positive results as far as fat loss and helping blood pressure, but those gains are quickly lost once detoxing is over.
If you want to drink detox teas, your best bet is to try out some of the herbal ones mentioned in an article from the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health.
The article discusses 10 herbal teas with proven health benefits. Here’s a look at those teas:
- Chamomile: Relieves intestinal issues
- Cinnamon: Lowers blood glucose and cholesterol and helps with GI issues
- Fennel: Improves upper respiratory infections and helps with GI issues
- Ginger: Useful for morning sickness, arthritis, and migraines
- Lemon Balm: Helps with sleep disorders, anxiety, and restlessness
- Motherwort: Improves hyperthyroidism
- Nettle: Diuretic
- Peppermint: Helps with digestive problems and irritable bowel syndrome
- Rosemary: Improves liver and gall bladder complaints, cough and asthma
- Valerian: Sleep aid
Check with a doctor before using any of these herbs for the first time. While most people will tolerate them just fine, it never hurts to ask.
Some of these herbs have not been tested extensively on children and may be unsafe for pregnant or nursing mothers.
Using Caution With Detox Tea
Speaking of checking with your doctor, it might be a good idea to run your plan of drinking detox tea by them before starting. The state of your own health matters when starting any new dietary plan.
And do a little research on ingredients before you ingest. Like any other dietary supplement, ingredients in detox teas are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Read the label carefully.
Research What’s in the Label:
If your tea just has normal tea ingredients like tea leaves, you should be fine. Keep an eye out for any of the following ingredients:
- Powerful herbs (Stinging nettle, for example)
- Laxatives (Senna, for example)
- High levels of caffeine (Guarana, for example)
- Illegal chemicals (Ephedra, for example)
Serious Side Effects:
Some of the above ingredients could cause serious problems like the following:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Seizure
- Drug interactions
Common Side Effects:
While the above problems are not likely, they’re not unheard of. You may also experience some of the following uncomfortable side effects:
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal discomfort, cramps, bloating, gas, nausea
- Electrolyte imbalance (This is due to going to the bathroom more often. Electrolytes help your muscles function. An imbalance may cause muscle spasms and abnormal heart rhythm.)
- Nervousness, restlessness, irritation headache, anxiety, agitation, ringing in the ears, fast heart rate (all due to high level of caffeine)
- Sleep disruption
Which Teas Are Generally Ok?
The above side effects can sound scary, but if you stick to all-natural teas, you should be fine. Here are some common, all-natural teas for detox:
- Green tea
- Oolong tea
- Dandelion root tea
- Rosehip tea
- Milk thistle tea
- Earl Grey tea
Steep Your Way to Health
Drinking detox tea can be a great way to jump-start some weight loss as long you follow the directions and combine it with a good diet and exercise program.
So, check your calendar, figure out the best time to drink your tea, and get started.
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Thank you so much! This is a very detailed and thoughtful article with a nice balance of opinions on all sides. Thank you for all the great reference points and guidance!
Hello Danica, Thanks a lot for your positive feedback :)!
Can I sweeten my detox tea with honey
Can I sweeten my detox tea with honey
Sure, you can :). If you plan to drink multiple cups of detox tea per day, just be sure not taking more than 4 tbsp of honey per day.