Yes, studies have shown the many wonderful health benefits of tea, but there are some consequences to chugging tea to lose weight or prevent disease.

1. Potential for lower-quality tea

There are many tea products on the market that tout extravagant health benefits. There’s even a tea just for men (with notes of fragile male egos and misogyny.) When consumers demand more products, the market reacts by creating new products, and not all of those are good. It can create products that are unsafe or damaging to the environment.

Many traditional tea farmers and sellers, like the ones featured on this site, are focused on creating a truly unique and symbiotic cup of tea. Climate change has already started to threaten their way of life, and putting too much pressure on these traditional methods has caused more industrialization, especially in the production of lower-quality teas.

2. The diet industry

The diet industry is toxic. Our health is important, and diet – as in the food we eat and the drinks we drink – is a huge factor in our health. But the goal of the diet industry is not to make you healthy; it’s to sell you products… lots of products. The way they do that is by telling you, “you’re fat”, shaming you for your weight, and convincing you that you need this tea product to lose that weight. Well, I’m here to tell you, fat is beautiful, and tea deserves to be more than a weight loss supplement.

(It’d be terrible if Google decided to run a bunch of weight loss ads on this article!)

3. Heightened anxiety

Okay, this one is more personal. See, I find the process of making and drinking tea very relaxing. It’s not a chore, like eating kale or exercising (no shame if you enjoy eating kale and exercising). For me, thinking of tea as a dietary supplement takes all the joy and pleasure out of it. And we all need more pleasure in our lives.

So, drink tea because it’s magical. Drink tea because it’s pleasurable. Drink tea because it’s an art form, a craft perfected over generations. Drink tea because it brings you joy. All those other good things about tea are just a bonus. And if you’re chugging tea with no joy or pleasure just for the health benefits, I’d say find a health outlet that you truly enjoy. Love yourself, love the Earth, and love the things you put in your body.