I’ve always been cautious to not mention weight loss on my blog, even though I won’t deny that in the last few months it’s been one of my goals (alongside getting fitter, toning up and improving my general health and fitness). I don’t think it’s healthy or productive for bloggers to push the ‘weight loss’ message in blog posts, and so I want to say from the start of this that when I decided to review Teami Blends and their 30-Day Detox, I approached this review from the perspective mainly of creating healthier habits and exploring how their teas could be a part of my routine, as well as with a good dose of curiosity, and a commitment to being totally honest about the results.
Who are Teami?
Teami as a brand make a variety of different teas, from energising ginger, lemongrass and honey teas, to relaxing sleep inducing teas made from lavender, valerian and and camomile. Their teas are loose-leaf, all-natural, dairy free and GMO free blends that are targeted to specific health benefits or concerns. There’s no denying though that one of Teami’s most popular products is their detox plan – a 30 day or 3-month program that promises a boost in metabolism, reduced bloating, less appetite and cleansing and detoxifying the body, but their range extends much larger than that, and they aren’t focussed on being a ‘weight loss’ tea brand like some others (albeit the tea that I chose to review does have that as a possible benefit).
What does the detox involve?
The 30-day detox involves a 30-day supply of their Skinny loose-leaf tea and 15 colon cleanse tea bags. The idea is that you have a skinny tea every morning, and a colon cleanse tea every other night. The skinny tea is a blend of oolong, mate, lime leaf, dandelion root and lots of other ingredients that give you energy, reduce bloating and aid digestion. The colon cleanse tea is a blend of senna leaf, hawthorn berry, psyllium husk seed and several other ingredients. As you might expect, you have the colon cleanse tea just before you go to bed, and in the morning it has a mild laxative effect which is said to clear the body of toxins, strengthen your immune system and boost your metabolism.
I’m not convinced by the colon cleanse tea – tell me more?
Colon cleanse teas (as well as similar products like enzymes, senna tablets and other products) claim to help the body’s natural colon cleansing functions and improve its ability to rid it of toxins in the colon, the build up of which can cause fatigue, difficulty in absorbing nutrients, low energy, bloating and weight gain. As someone who does get very bloated from a variety of foods, always feels tired, and has a pretty poor immune system, I thought it was worth a try. Without sharing TMI, I definitely don’t go to the toilet as regularly as other people I know, and I’ve often suspected that this is one of the reasons why I find it incredibly difficult to lose weight even when eating a relatively healthy diet, and why I find I often hold a lot of fat and bloating around my stomach even when I slim down in other areas – something that I have seen a GP and other health professionals for in the past.
I should say here that the jury is still out on whether colon cleanses are beneficial – with strong opinions on both sides of the argument (as you would imagine). There are die-hard advocates of colon cleanses for all of the reasons listed above – and you can find many studies that say that they are beneficial, and there are also people who say that the body is capable of performing all of the functions required of the colon and bowel without needing a cleanse. Personally, I thought I would give it a try to see how it benefited my overall health – of course I can’t speak for anyone else as part of this review and I’m not a Doctor or Nutritionist so I can only go on what I’ve read on their website and others when reading up on cleanses.
Tell me more about the Skinny Tea?
The Skinny Tea doesn’t have a laxative effect, so you can drink as much as you like. I had a skinny tea in my Teami Tumbler every morning on the way to work. I must say that the tumbler is amazing and is now a key part of my morning routine – it’s so convenient to use, especially when you’re on the go (I’m writing this from France where I’ve also been making a Skinny Tea in the morning and having it in the van on our journeys to our next campsite!). The loose leaf tea comes dried and you put a spoonful in the tumbler and then top it up with boiling water, at which point the dried leaves all expand and the tea infuses. There is a strainer in the lid so you don’t end up with a mouthful of leaves! You can drink the tea with honey or agave if you like but I found it sweet enough without any additions.
What effect did the Skinny Tea have?
I can say with total honesty that I loved the Skinny Tea – the taste is like a green tea but less bitter, and I found that it instantly gave me energy and made me feel alive and awake in the morning. I’m hesitant to sell this as a benefit but I will say that having even just one tumbler of the tea in the morning would often mean that it got to lunchtime and I realised that I still wasn’t particularly hungry. I’m not a big breakfast eater and when I’ve been intermittent fasting this has been a useful aid in keeping me going until my first meal around 1pm. I will totally re-buy the Skinny Tea and I love the way it made me feel in the morning. (Also, if you only use a teaspoonful, which is all you need, it lasts much longer than the 30 days).
How did you get on with the Colon Cleanse tea?
The first night I tried the colon cleanse tea I blatantly disregarded the instructions on the back of the packet to steep the teabag for around a minute and left it in for about ten minutes. I also took it about 9.30 rather than just before bedtime. Both of these things turned out to be major mistakes, as I discovered when I woke up at 05.30 with quite painful cramps and an urgent need to dash to the loo. I chatted to Teami about this and they were really helpful, recommending that next time I just steep the teabag for around 30 seconds for a more gentle cleanse. A couple of days later I tried this approach and it worked much better – no cramps and only one, much more natural feeling toilet trip (TMI again – sorry!) that wasn’t uncomfortable or painful. I haven’t been undertaking the cleanses every other night as the detox recommends but I’ve just used them on the odd day (probably about five or six times throughout the ‘detox’) when I felt particularly bloated or I felt that things needed some movement (I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence). That way it felt more natural and less regimented than a regular cleanse (though Teami do state that there are several health benefits of a detox of this nature). I must admit that on the days after I did the cleanse I had a much, much flatter stomach and felt less bloated and ‘full’. Whilst I don’t think I would personally use it as a sole method for weight loss or reducing bloating and stomach fat (which really is my target area), there’s no doubt that undertaking the colon cleanse did make me feel more trim.
What results did you get from the detox?
As I mentioned – I only used the Colon Cleanse teas around four or five times, so I didn’t do the full detox as recommended by Teami (though I did have a Skinny Tea every morning). I can’t deny that overall I had more energy, was less bloated and definitely found that I had less of an appetite. I have lost weight in the last month but I would attribute that more to the personal training, nutrition plan and how regimented I have been with diet and exercise, though there’s no denying that both elements of the detox have helped. What I wouldn’t say is that people ought to purchase the detox in total isolation and expect to drop pounds without getting off the sofa, but I do think that there is a place for a detox and for natural, loose leaf tea with health benefits alongside a diet and exercise programme.
So, would you recommend Teami tea?
I would have no hesitation in recommending the 30-day detox and I’ll continue to use it myself in the same way that I have done, by having a Skinny Tea in the morning and using the Colon Cleanse as and when I feel bloated and uncomfortable or that my digestion needs a little help. I know that some of these teas capitalise on making weight loss claims and I don’t necessarily want to buy into that, as although my goals do involve feeling a bit more confident in a bikini whilst away in France (and being a bit trimmer does play a part in that), what I’m always searching for is long term health benefits and developing healthy habits that will help long-term. I can definitely see Teami teas being part of my morning routine going forward, and there’s no doubt that when I’m undertaking intermittent fasting (which I generally do try and stick to – and there are lots of studies that having periods of fasts does have health benefits) that having one of their teas in my tumbler in the morning really does help to keep me feeling satisfied and kickstart my morning without having to have a meal when I’m not ready to eat.
If you want to grab any of Teami’s fab products you can use the code ROSIE to get 10% off. I’d definitely recommend the Skinny Tea (£19.99) and I’m going to try the Alive Tea (£14.99) next as that sounds like just what I need – I feel like the reviews must speak for themselves with that tea, gimme those nutrients and vitamins please!
Have you ever tried a tea based detox? Are you a fan of loose leaf teas?
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