Tea

Mandi98U
Mandi98U Posts: 115 Member
edited November 29 in Health and Weight Loss
Lately I have been wanting a hot drink after I get home, but drinking coffee keeps me up late since the caffeine energizes me. I've been thinking about trying some hot tea. Any suggestions on low calorie tea and are there any benefits of tea. Honestly I'm clueless about hot tea so any knowledge you have would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    The benefits of tea: it tastes good (for many of us), it provides hydration, it can help some people curb the urge to snack.

    For decaf tea, I love mint, ginger, and decaf chai (not all chai is decaf). Sometimes you will see sampler packs, which are a great way to try a bunch of different types of tea and see what you like.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    All tea is low to zero calorie. It's what you put in it (sugar, honey, milk, cream) that has calories.

    You can get decaffeinated Orange Pekoe if you like classic tea, and if artificial sweeteners are not a problem, add a little Stevia or Sweet-n-Low.

    A spicy chai can be lovely, maybe with a teaspoon of powdered cocoa.

    The choices for tea are nearly endless. They do have caffeine, even green tea, but not nearly as much as coffee. Or find a decaffeinated version.

    Herbal teas are typically caffeine free. I like the many citrus blends available.

    http://www.glenns-restaurant.com/teamenu.htm
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    Try the herbal teas. They have no caffeine. You'll have to experiment with the flavors to see whether you like a fruity or a spicy blend.
    Teas are tasty and soothing. I like mint, fruity ones, green tea (watch the caffeine levels) and spicy decaf chai.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Oh, and Chamomile is very soothing and can help you get to sleep.
  • BioQueen
    BioQueen Posts: 694 Member
    I used to be a huge coffee drinker (relied on caffeine a little too much). For the past month I've been caffeine free! Now I substitute coffee for English breakfast tea (decaf) and I make it with about a tablespoon of half-n-half and some truvia and it makes me very happy :)
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,472 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    All tea is low to zero calorie. It's what you put in it (sugar, honey, milk, cream) that has calories.
    This.
    Tea is quite good on its own and doesn't need anything added. If you drink it plain you can pretty much drink as much as you want without needing to worry about calories. A quick google search told me that black tea has about 2 calories per cup. Note that I'm talking about just leaves in hot water, not any of that chai nonsense. My coworker had some packets of that and was convinced he was being healthy since it's "tea" when each packet had somewhere in the realm of 130 calories.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    edited February 2016
    Regular chai tea bags will be near zero calories too. @yusaku02 your friend must have picked up some kind of powder blend with some sugar and milk in there. I like my chai black with just a little artificial sweetener.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    The benefits of tea: it tastes good (for many of us), it provides hydration, it can help some people curb the urge to snack.

    For decaf tea, I love mint, ginger, and decaf chai (not all chai is decaf). Sometimes you will see sampler packs, which are a great way to try a bunch of different types of tea and see what you like.

    Yes - sampler packs are the way to go. I like (flavored) green tea. Just be careful that the water is "just about" boiling. Brewing green tea with too hot water leaves give it a bitter taste.

    Teas are much lower in caffeine than coffee, so even caffeinated might be okay.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Like coffee, tea is nearly calorie free if you don't add cream or sugar. My favorite is chai tea but really taste is such in individual thing you just need to try some and see what you like.

    Tea has healthy antioxidants.
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,472 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    Regular chai tea bags will be near zero calories too. @yusaku02 your friend must have picked up some kind of powder blend with some sugar and milk in there. I like my chai black with just a little artificial sweetener.
    Correct. He had some powdered packet.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    yusaku02 wrote: »
    jgnatca wrote: »
    Regular chai tea bags will be near zero calories too. @yusaku02 your friend must have picked up some kind of powder blend with some sugar and milk in there. I like my chai black with just a little artificial sweetener.
    Correct. He had some powdered packet.

    Ugh. I saw a recipe for "instant chai".......instant tea powder, powdered creamer, sugar, etc. You just added hot water.

    That's about as healthy as hot chocolate.
  • cbihatt
    cbihatt Posts: 319 Member
    I love hot tea, but only black tea. Green tea tastes like dirt to me and I don't consider herbal tea to be tea. If it doesn't have tea leaves in it, it isn't tea. That said, there are plenty of different flavored black teas. I like mine sweetened and light, but I can drink it plain if I must.

    Also keep in mind that different brands of tea taste better than others due to quality and personal preference. So, if you don't like it the fist time, don't be afraid to try something else.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,557 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    yusaku02 wrote: »
    jgnatca wrote: »
    Regular chai tea bags will be near zero calories too. @yusaku02 your friend must have picked up some kind of powder blend with some sugar and milk in there. I like my chai black with just a little artificial sweetener.
    Correct. He had some powdered packet.

    Ugh. I saw a recipe for "instant chai".......instant tea powder, powdered creamer, sugar, etc. You just added hot water.

    That's about as healthy as hot chocolate.

    Real hot chocolate isn't unhealthy (real milk + cocoa powder + sweetener of choice). Cocoa mix may be. Neither meet OP's low-calorie goal, and cocoa is something of a stimulant (less than coffee), but the milk's contribution to nutrition could be a counter-balance, if OP does dairy.

    OP, +1 to trying some herb tea samplers, or decaf teas, given your criteria. I like rooibos, a pre-bedtime tea brand called Nighty-Night (prefer the one without valerian), chamomile, and various mint-y or fruit-y ones.
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
    I love tea! I am supposed to be caffeine free, so most days I just drink water and caffeine free tea. Like others suggested, I love mint tea, but be careful, not all mint teas are caffeine free/decaf. I also recommend chamomile or sleepy time. Samplers are great if you don't know what you like.

    In general, black teas are caffeinated unless otherwise stated, and green teas are decaf or caffeine free. But always check the box because a tea you think may be decaf could have something caffeinated in the blend. Most boxes will state somewhere whether or not the tea has caffeine.
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
    I love a Rooibos tea - its popular in Africa, where it is also called Red Bush Tea. Its basically leaves and twigs! But it has a bit of a tang almost like a citrus flavour, and I enjoy it and dont even log it. Otherwise its milk and sweetener in an Earl Grey (black tea) for less than 20 cals per mug.
  • ObsidianMist
    ObsidianMist Posts: 519 Member
    just go to your grocery store and check out the tea section. grab anything that sounds like it would taste good to you that's caffiene free and try it out! there are so many awesome flavour choices out there. you can even go fancy and go to a looseleaf tea shop and smell everything, which gives you a really good idea of if you would like the taste of it. personally I'm a bit of a tea snob since I used to work in a looseleaf tea shop called Teavana and currently I live in a city with just a David's Tea and I have SO MUCH TEA from there in my cupboard at home. it's such an addiction.
  • koffeekakes
    koffeekakes Posts: 65 Member
    I love, love, love Generation Tea's pu-erh tea! Just black, nothing in it. I call it dirt tea because it tastes like dirt.. BUTTTT... only the most delicious dirt!! :)
  • bspringer544
    bspringer544 Posts: 155 Member
    edited February 2016
    I drink Nighty Night every evening before bed. It's a sweet tea, obviously zero caffeine as its medicated to help you sleep. I buy from David's Tea but I think Walmart and the like could have it too.
  • bendyourkneekatie
    bendyourkneekatie Posts: 696 Member
    I used to drink English breakfast with a splash of milk but now I'm all about black earl grey.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I drink boat loads of black tea (with milk) everyday, but if I have a cup after 4pm then I can't get to sleep at night.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    all tea is low or no calorie

    i like orange tea, personally. i used ot put honey in it, but rarely do so anymore
  • MamaMc3
    MamaMc3 Posts: 213 Member
    I love tea! My favorite places to get it are Teavana (a little spendy) or David's Tea (a little less spendy!). I'm not a huge fan of green tea myself, but I will drink a black or rooibos tea any day. My suggestion is to try a sampler pack or go into a store and taste samples to get a feel for what you like. I'm not sure if it's a proven benefit, but I feel that tea is very soothing for my digestive system. I have IBS, and drinking tea seems to calm things down a little. :)
  • sineadc94
    sineadc94 Posts: 26 Member
    Check if you have a t2 in your area or check out their website and see if they ship to you. I love all their teas and there are so many to try out you never get sick of them, plus in warmer weather most also make really nice iced tea.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    I just want to call out the obvious that if you like coffee and the only thing keeping you from drinking it is the caffeine, it does come in decaf.
  • mjwarbeck
    mjwarbeck Posts: 699 Member
    cross2bear wrote: »
    I love a Rooibos tea - its popular in Africa, where it is also called Red Bush Tea. Its basically leaves and twigs! But it has a bit of a tang almost like a citrus flavour, and I enjoy it and dont even log it. Otherwise its milk and sweetener in an Earl Grey (black tea) for less than 20 cals per mug.

    We have bags of various roobios teas at home....every imaginable flavour.

    Alternately I grow a ton of peppermint and dry bags of it for tea in the winter
  • KareninCanada
    KareninCanada Posts: 962 Member
    Go hang out at a David's Tea and explore... or host a party for a Steeped Tea rep - both good ways to check out a huge variety. I use teas as a way to keep my sweet cravings in check, and I buy a lot of fruit flavors. I sweeten them with Splenda, PureVia, or sometimes honey. To me, all tea tastes like water until it is sweetened - I have never found one I like all on its own.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    I just want to call out the obvious that if you like coffee and the only thing keeping you from drinking it is the caffeine, it does come in decaf.

    :D
  • trumpetsarecool
    trumpetsarecool Posts: 17 Member
    edited February 2016
    Most unsweetened tea contains 0 calories. I love hot tea and I usually drink 3-5 cups a day! I love green, black, chai, and passion tea from Tazo. You can get a sample pack of tea from the grocery store for around $2 to see which flavors you prefer. I suggest sweetening it with Truvia, Stevia or raw honey/agave nectar. The great thing about tea is that it acts as a detoxification for your body; especially green tea with a little bit of lemon juice.
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