Slimming tea recipes

I love tea; it is a fantastic alternative to higher calorie hot drinks like coffee or hot chocolate, and many teas have great health benefits for the body. Making your own iced tea is also a great option as opposed to store-bought iced teas or other sugary beverages. Nicole Scherzinger is a tea fan, as is Guiliana Rancic who uses teas to ward off sugar cravings. I drink green tea all day long, have chamomile tea before bed, and also use peppermint or ginger tea for stomach ailments. In this article are some inventive tea recipes taken from a gorgeous book called 'Tea' written by herb expert Margaret Roberts. She has collected her favourite tea recipes, based on different herbs and their healing properties.


Basil Reviver
Basil has excellent detoxifying and anti-inflammatory effects, even chewing a leaf of basil can ease digestion and tension. At the end of a hot afternoon, this tea concoction is a cool refresher.

• 1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves
• 6 thin slices of unpeeled cucumber
• 2 thick slices of peeled pineapple

Pour 1 cup of boiling water of the basil leaves. Stand for 3 minutes and strain into a glass. Leave to cool. Liquidise pineapple and cucumber, and mix in 2 tablespoons of crushed ice. Mix in the basil tea and serve in a tall glass with more crushed ice. Basil tea on its own is an excellent slimming tea and is a great way to finish each meal to aid in digestion.

Cardamom Tea

This tea can help you unwind and is known to soothe a troubled heart.

• 3 -5 cardamom pods, crushed
• 1 -2 teaspoons of thinly-pared orange rind
• 2 teaspoons of dried or fresh chamomile
• 1 sprig of mint

Pour 1 cup of boiling water over cardamom pods. Add orange rind, chamomile and mint. Stand covered for 5 minutes and strain. Leave to cool a little and sip slowly.

Celery Detox Tea

This is a fantastic cleaning tea and ideal for those wanting to lose weight. This is not suitable for those pregnant or with a kidney disorder.

• 1/2 cup of celery leaves
• 1/4 cup of fennel leaves
• 1 teaspoon of celery seed
• 1 carrot
• 10 cucumber slices
• 5 sprigs of parsley
• 1 lemon

Pour 1 cup of boiling water over celery and fennel leaves. Add celery seed. Stand for 5 minutes, strain and cool. Juice the cucumber, carrot, lemon and parsley. Combine the tea and juice together and mix well. Serve chilled.