Granulated sugar alternative for hot tea?

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  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
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    White sugar is pure sucrose. There is nothing added to it.
  • aliciap412
    aliciap412 Posts: 170 Member
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    You can actually check the level of purity in REFINED sugar by finding it's ICUMSA number.

    fixed that for you
  • aliciap412
    aliciap412 Posts: 170 Member
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    White sugar is pure sucrose. There is nothing added to it.

    LOL that is far from true. let me explain

    Refined sugar (white sugar) will undergo the refining process. It is bleached with sulphuric acid then spun through a centrifuge to remove the outer coating. Then it has phosphoric acid and calcium hydroxide added to it which is absorbed and traps the impurities. Then it is put through a carbon filter to remove impurities, then crystallised by a vacuum and dried.

    I spent a good bit of time studying this and discussed it in depth with a nutritionist. Also, all of this info is just a google search away.
  • mojohowitz
    mojohowitz Posts: 900 Member
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    How about no sweet tea at all? I don't understand why the south has this obsession with sweet tea and boiled peanuts and fireworks.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
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    45 calories per tablespoon of sugar x 3 to 5 tablespoons = 135 to 225 calories per drink and you have several per day...that is a problem. You could conceivably be drinking your BMR in sugar water every day.

    It's probably the sugar that you're craving, so don't be surprised if you find that a sweetener substitute doesn't do it for you. It might be better to just wean yourself off the sugar by gradually adding less to each drink and limiting the number you have per day.
  • Morn66
    Morn66 Posts: 96
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    White sugar is pure sucrose. There is nothing added to it.

    LOL that is far from true. let me explain

    Refined sugar (white sugar) will undergo the refining process. It is bleached with sulphuric acid then spun through a centrifuge to remove the outer coating. Then it has phosphoric acid and calcium hydroxide added to it which is absorbed and traps the impurities. Then it is put through a carbon filter to remove impurities, then crystallised by a vacuum and dried.

    I spent a good bit of time studying this and discussed it in depth with a nutritionist. Also, all of this info is just a google search away.

    Yep, all those things are added...and then removed. That's the "filter" part. All that's left is the sucrose. Which isn't bad for you unless you have blood sugar issues. Your body just breaks it down into glucose, like any other sugar you eat, whether it's the high fructose corn syrup kind or the sugar in a tomato. People see things like "sulfuric acid" and "calcium hydroxide" and freak out, but I promise you, all that evil stuff done to sugar is NOTHING compared to the seething cauldron of chemicals that is your stomach acid.

    That said...At the OP: Unfortunately, sugar is sugar unless you're willing to go the evil artificial route (which also isn't bad for you). You can put in granulated sugar. You can put in agave nectar. You can put in honey. You can put in molasses. Whatever. The calorie content is about the same. If you want your very sweet tea with less calories, you're going to have to go the artificial route or something like stevia. Won't taste the same, though. IMO, nothing replaces good ol' table sugar when I want that table sugar taste. I say make it like you always have. Just cut down on the number of cups you drink per day.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
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    White sugar is pure sucrose. There is nothing added to it.

    LOL that is far from true. let me explain

    Refined sugar (white sugar) will undergo the refining process. It is bleached with sulphuric acid then spun through a centrifuge to remove the outer coating. Then it has phosphoric acid and calcium hydroxide added to it which is absorbed and traps the impurities. Then it is put through a carbon filter to remove impurities, then crystallised by a vacuum and dried.

    I spent a good bit of time studying this and discussed it in depth with a nutritionist. Also, all of this info is just a google search away.

    I suggest that you Google and "study" harder then. Because those things are added and then removed, leaving only pure sucrose. You know...the filtering process you just described.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
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    45 calories per tablespoon of sugar x 3 to 5 tablespoons = 135 to 225 calories per drink and you have several per day...that is a problem. You could conceivably be drinking your BMR in sugar water every day.

    It's probably the sugar that you're craving, so don't be surprised if you find that a sweetener substitute doesn't do it for you. It might be better to just wean yourself off the sugar by gradually adding less to each drink and limiting the number you have per day.

    You're right, I was thinking in terms of a packet of sugar.
  • aliciap412
    aliciap412 Posts: 170 Member
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    White sugar is pure sucrose. There is nothing added to it.

    LOL that is far from true. let me explain

    Refined sugar (white sugar) will undergo the refining process. It is bleached with sulphuric acid then spun through a centrifuge to remove the outer coating. Then it has phosphoric acid and calcium hydroxide added to it which is absorbed and traps the impurities. Then it is put through a carbon filter to remove impurities, then crystallised by a vacuum and dried.

    I spent a good bit of time studying this and discussed it in depth with a nutritionist. Also, all of this info is just a google search away.

    I suggest that you Google and "study" harder then. Because those things are added and then removed, leaving only pure sucrose. You know...the filtering process you just described.

    my point was that more processing = more potential for pollution and chemicals, not that those chemicals remain after the process is complete although that has happened and is not always caught or recalled.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Options
    White sugar is pure sucrose. There is nothing added to it.

    LOL that is far from true. let me explain

    Refined sugar (white sugar) will undergo the refining process. It is bleached with sulphuric acid then spun through a centrifuge to remove the outer coating. Then it has phosphoric acid and calcium hydroxide added to it which is absorbed and traps the impurities. Then it is put through a carbon filter to remove impurities, then crystallised by a vacuum and dried.

    I spent a good bit of time studying this and discussed it in depth with a nutritionist. Also, all of this info is just a google search away.

    I suggest that you Google and "study" harder then. Because those things are added and then removed, leaving only pure sucrose. You know...the filtering process you just described.

    my point was that more processing = more potential for pollution and chemicals, not that those chemicals remain after the process is complete although that has happened and is not always caught or recalled.

    And not processing in this case means more potential for other types of pollutants. :huh:

    And just for fun, sugar from sugar beets isn't even refined, yet white.
  • aliciap412
    aliciap412 Posts: 170 Member
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    White sugar is pure sucrose. There is nothing added to it.

    LOL that is far from true. let me explain

    Refined sugar (white sugar) will undergo the refining process. It is bleached with sulphuric acid then spun through a centrifuge to remove the outer coating. Then it has phosphoric acid and calcium hydroxide added to it which is absorbed and traps the impurities. Then it is put through a carbon filter to remove impurities, then crystallised by a vacuum and dried.

    I spent a good bit of time studying this and discussed it in depth with a nutritionist. Also, all of this info is just a google search away.

    I suggest that you Google and "study" harder then. Because those things are added and then removed, leaving only pure sucrose. You know...the filtering process you just described.

    my point was that more processing = more potential for pollution and chemicals, not that those chemicals remain after the process is complete although that has happened and is not always caught or recalled.

    And not processing in this case means more potential for other types of pollutants. :huh:

    And just for fun, sugar from sugar beets isn't even refined, yet white.

    organic and/or raw sugar is not unprocessed, its less processed or processed naturally (i.e. with lime not various chemicals)
  • Morn66
    Morn66 Posts: 96
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    my point was that more processing = more potential for pollution and chemicals, not that those chemicals remain after the process is complete although that has happened and is not always caught or recalled.

    I don't know this for certain, but I would bet good money that there is more likely to be "pollution" added during the process of growing the cane or the beets or whatever is being used to make the sugar. Depends on growing conditions and all. Fortunately, the refining process will remove any of that "pollution," just as distilling water removes any "pollution" from water. Frankly, if I was worried about my food being polluted, I'd be more likely to worry about that organic sugar than I would about the highly-refined stuff, given that a good amount of sugar cane is grown outside of the US, where the USDA organic standards don't apply.

    In any case, I've spent time in a chem lab, back when I thought I was going to be a surgeon when I grew up; I know what such refining and distilling does to stuff. There is no "pollution" or chemicals left. Well, aside from the fact that sugar itself is a "chemical," of course. Good 'ol C12-H22-O11. Gimme!
  • aliciap412
    aliciap412 Posts: 170 Member
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    And just for fun, sugar from sugar beets isn't even refined, yet white.

    it definitely is, or it would still taste like beets. its refined to remove the taste of beets, and takes all of the nutrients with it.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
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    And just for fun, sugar from sugar beets isn't even refined, yet white.

    it definitely is, or it would still taste like beets. its refined to remove the taste of beets, and takes all of the nutrients with it.

    /facepalm

    Nevermind.
  • becsnz1
    becsnz1 Posts: 85 Member
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    ^^^^ go have your debate elsewhere. This is about Granulated sugar alternative for hot tea :devil: :drinker:
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
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    ^^^^ go have your debate elsewhere. This is about Granulated sugar alternative for hot tea :devil: :drinker:

    Well I never! *offended face* :laugh:

    Well, the OP doesn't want to use artificial sweeteners, which leaves honey, stevia, and agave nectar. Or syrup...I guess.
  • EmilyTwist1
    EmilyTwist1 Posts: 206 Member
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    I've cut back on the sugar I put in my tea by using Sugar-in-the-Raw. I find it has a more intense flavor, so I use less of it. When I used white sugar, I'd put 3 teaspoons in, but now I use less than one.
  • trijoe
    trijoe Posts: 729 Member
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    If you need a sugar fix, you need a sugar fix. Tea is little more than your sugar delivery system. It doesn't matter what the sugar is in, you're STILL needing your sugar fix. Why not take a big deep breath, realize this is less about tea and more about needing sugar, and just switch to unsweetened?

    Unsweetened tea is downright delicious, no matter the type. Green, red, orange pekoe, black, oolong, iced, hot, you name it. We could get all "Forest Gump" with tea instead of shrimp. And it's all good, unsweetened.

    Getting the hang of unsweetened tea will get you one step closer to dealing with your true problem - your need for incredibly high amounts of sugar.

    Good luck. (If it helps, "Gramma's Tummy Mint" is my favorite. YUMMY!!!)
  • imakeyoukneel
    imakeyoukneel Posts: 278 Member
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    I like stevia or coconut sugar is pretty tasty or just don't use it tea is pretty good just on its own :)
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Stevia is good, just make sure you don't have lowish blood pressure if you use it. Stevia lowers BP, which is great for those who have high BP, but bad news if yours is already low.

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