1 What if I didn’t drink the number of teas as stated in your cleanse? Do I have to drink more the next day to make up for it?

No. The 14-Day Flat-Belly Tea Cleanse is designed to optimize every single day, making each 24-hour period a perfect day of weight loss. But achieving perfection every day isn’t realistic. Try to adhere as closely to the principles of the Tea Cleanse every day, and don’t be too hard on yourself if you miss a few steps. There’s always tomorrow!

2 Today was a particularly stressful day and I just couldn’t resist the last few cookies in the box! What do I do?

Don’t dwell on your binge. Everyone slips up sometimes. Next time you get a snack attack, though, reach for a tea that stops snacking: mint tea, green tea, and black tea all fit the bill for various reasons.

3 How long is my tea good for once I’ve opened it?

The most abundant green tea catechin, called epigallocatechin gallate, has been shown to decrease 28 percent during six months of storage in homelike conditions, while the second most abundant tea catechin decreased 51 percent. Thus, it’s best to drink green tea as fresh as possible to enjoy the sensory and potential health benefits of these phytochemicals. Storing tea in sealed packaging in cool, dark conditions helps increase shelf life.

While fresh may be best for enjoying many types of teas, that’s not always the case. Some pu-erh teas from China are considered to improve in taste with storage, much like a fine wine. In fact, the degradation and oxidation of catechins during storage of pu-erh teas result in the formation of new phytochemicals, which have come to be highly valued by tea drinkers for their rich, earthy taste and probiotic health properties.

4 What’s better, tea bags or loose tea? Money’s tight, and loose teas are pricey.

A report by ConsumerLab.​com, an independent site that tests health products, found that green tea brewed from loose tea leaves was perhaps the best and most potent source of antioxidants like EGCG, though plain and simple tea bags made by Lipton and Bigelow were the most cost-efficient source. A single serving of Teavana’s Gyokuro green tea, about 1 teaspoonful, was chock-full of antioxidants, yielding about 250 milligrams of catechins, a third of which were EGCG. A single bag of the green tea sold by Lipton and Bigelow contained somewhat smaller amounts of antioxidants than Teavana’s green tea. But Teavana’s recommended serving size was large, and the tea was also far more expensive, resulting in a higher cost per serving. The report calculated that the cost to obtain 200 milligrams of EGCG ranged from 27 cents to 60 cents with the tea bags, versus $2.18 with the Teavana loose tea leaves.

Tea brews made from loose leaf teas and tea bags did not differ appreciably in folic acid content, but tea bags can inhibit folic acid extraction.

So while loose leaves are the best, they’re both more expensive and less convenient. Save them for special moments, and rest assured that your regular tea bag is doing more than enough to help turbocharge your weight loss.

5 I really don’t have the time to measure the temperature of my water when I make tea. How much will temperature affect the taste and efficacy?

Just use hot water- don’t get too caught up in the exact temps. In fact, simply taking a boiling kettle off the heat and letting it sit for 30 to 60 seconds before boiling should bring it right into the perfect range. But even cold water will work in a pinch, although you may need to let the tea steep longer.

6 I’ve heard most tea bags use toxins and harsh bleaches to dye them nice and white. Is it true? Is it dangerous?

Tea bags are made from a paper that is composed of wood and vegetable fibers. Oftentimes, this paper is bleached for appearance, and then the tea leaves and herbs are sealed inside using a thermoplastic material. There are a number of teas that market themselves as dioxin-, whitener-, and epichlorohydrin-free. However, in my extensive research, I couldn’t find hard science or an official report that says there are any known downsides to standard tea bags. Most of the sources of this info weren’t too reputable.

7 I know that tea contains oxalate, which some reports say can be harmful in large doses. How much oxalate am I getting on this cleanse?

Oxalate got a lot of attention in the spring of 2015 when one man fell ill from drinking massive amounts of tea, resulting in an oxalate intake of 1,500 mg per day. (He was drinking 16 large iced teas a day!) The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics advises consuming no more than 40 to 50 milligrams of oxalate per day.

But even that number is hard to reach. While the amount of oxalate you receive from a cup of tea varies depending on the amount of tea in the bag and the steeping time, only black tea has significant levels of oxalate—and even then, you’d need to drink a lot of it to even approach hazardous levels. Here’s how much oxalate you’ll find in a typical cup of tea:

• Black tea: 1.36- 12.6mg/cup

• Green tea: 0.23–4.36mg/cup

• White tea: 0.40–3.6mg/cup

• Oolong tea: 0.23–6mg/cup

• Herbal tea: In general, herbal teas have indetectable amounts of oxalate. Most go up to about 0.6mg per cup, max

• Rooibos: Indetectable amounts

So while you’ll be drinking about 6 cups of tea a day on this cleanse (including the smoothies), only one cup—your daily black tea—has significant levels. As a result, the average daily oxalate content of the cleanse is about 13.25 milligrams a day. You’d probably need to drink four times as much tea in order to reach the top level of what’s considered advisable! To be safe, though, be certain you’re drinking black tea just once a day.

8 How do I store my teas? And how long are they really good for unopened?

EGCG, the active ingredient in green tea, is highly unstable under sunlight. Keep tea in a dark, dry place. Storing tea in sealed packaging in cool, dark conditions helps increase shelf life. If you brew iced tea, it will stay good for about four days, as long as you keep it refrigerated.

The long-term stability of green tea catechins like EGCG in canned and bottled drinks is currently unknown. What we do know is that store-bought, bottled teas typically lose 20 percent of EGCG/catechin content during the bottling process. If you really want bottled tea then shoot for versions with an acid like lemon juice or citric acid, which help stabilize EGCGg levels.

9 My iced tea seems to get cloudy after I brew it. Does that mean it’s gone bad?

Not at all. The natural oil in the brewed tea will create cloudiness if you haven’t cooled it to room temperature before refrigerating. Though it may not be very attractive, it’s still fine to drink. If you’ve refrigerated tea too soon, and it has that slightly opaque look, just pour in some boiling water (1 cup per quart of iced tea) and stir to clear it.

Clouding is typically caused by the precipitation of the tannins in the tea. Stronger teas, and more high-quality teas, cloud faster because they have higher levels of tannins. Clouding can also be caused by minerals in your water, which are harmless. But if the effect bothers you, you may want to use a water filter.

10 What should I store my tea in?

I feel strongly about using glass, metal, or BPA-free plastic for storing tea. Tea is acidic, which means it’s effective at leaching BPA (also known as bisphenol A) out of plastic containers. A 2011 Harvard study found that adults with the highest concentration of BPA in their urine had significantly larger waists and chances of being obese than those in the lowest quartile.

11 How is decaffeinated tea made? Is it harmful?

There are a number of ways tea may be decaffeinated. Up until the mid-1970s, all decaffeination was performed using organic solvents, until concerns about the side effects of solvents on both the body and the environment led the industry to find alternative methods. Here are the more common ones:

Ethyl acetate: One of the most common methods now used involves ethyl acetate, also known as acetic acid ethyl ester. Ethyl acetate is an ester and is a clear, volatile and flammable liquid, with a fruity flavor and a pleasant taste when diluted. Since it is found in many fruits, such as apples, peaches, and pears, and is completely digestible, it has been used in a wide range of foods, such as salad dressings and fruit desserts, and has been approved for decaffeination by the FDA since 1982.

Carbon dioxide: This is an ideal method with no toxic residues, less degradation of the tea catechins, and a high retention of the tea flavors. However, it’s expensive to set up and not used as widely as it could be.

Water: Water decaffeination is done by first blanching freshly harvested green tea leaves in boiling water for a short period of time. Because the water solubility of caffeine is higher than the solubility of the tea catechins, most of the caffeine can quickly be extracted into the boiling water, whereas the catechins mostly remain behind in the tea leaves. The leaves are then quickly removed from the boiling water, which now contains the caffeine, and are then dried to obtain decaffeinated dried green tea.

12 I feel like I get jittery drinking all this tea. What do I do? I’ve lost a few pounds and I don’t want to stop this cleanse.

Try to incorporate some decaf varieties. Many people avoid decaffeinated tea, believing that its beneficial properties are lost in the decaffeination process. However, the effect on polyphenols (the antioxidants) is considered to be marginal.

13 What is Fair Trade tea?

Fair Trade Certified tea comes from both cooperatives and large farms. Fair Trade helps tea farmers and workers gain access to capital, set fair prices for their products, and make democratic decisions about how to best improve their business, their community, and their tea.

Fair Trade certification protects tea estate workers as it ensures fair labor conditions and fair minimum wages. Fair Trade farmers gain access to international markets and are empowered to build organizational capacity to compete in the global marketplace. A minimum sales price is guaranteed to ensure a sustainable wage is paid to tea workers and a sustainable income is paid to tea farmers. All tea growers receive an additional Fair Trade premium to invest in their farms and communities. Fair Trade standards provide a framework for farms to increase their environmental sustainability.

14 Are tea bags reusable after one cup? After two?

A good tea will provide at least three infusions, but most of the important substances are extracted during the first infusion. So for maximum nutrient benefit, start with a fresh tea bag for each new cup.

However, if you are reusing a tea bag, you can boost antioxidant levels by adding a splash of vitamin C–rich juice such as lemon, orange, or pineapple to your cup. Studies on green tea showed that these juices help you absorb 13 times the amount of antioxidants.