When you want to avoid the jittery effects of coffee, it’s tempting to reach for a cup of caffeine-free herbal tea, something many of us do now.
Figures published in the Tea & Coffee Trade Journal show a post-pandemic rise in “functional drinks”, including herbal teas, with manufacturers predicting a nine per cent rise in sales over the next year.
But if you’ve been seduced by the “health halo” of tea-based drinks, check the label first, as the ingredient lists of some virtuous-sounding options include everything from multi-colored sugary sprinkles, which add calories, even citric acid. , which attacks tooth enamel, and freeze-dried fruit, which can contribute to the appearance of cavities.
The ingredient lists of some virtuous-sounding herbal teas include everything from multicolored sugary sprinkles to citric acid and freeze-dried fruits (stock image).
One tea we reviewed provides up to four teaspoons of sugar in each cup, the same as a KitKat.
Some herbal teas seem innocent enough. Bird & Blend, for example, has developed a range of natural (and environmentally friendly) loose leaf tea blends that use ingredients such as licorice root, cocoa shells and natural flavorings to create the taste of digestive biscuits. chocolate, Nutella pancakes or carrot cake. no sugar and no calories.
But be careful with other varieties from the same company.
A recent addition is Swizzels Love Hearts tea (£9.50 for 12 bags), which mimics the flavors of sweets.
Contains (in order) pieces of apple, rosehip, hibiscus, elderberries and sprinkles, made with sugar, potato starch, maltodextrin (another form of sugar) and coconut fat. It also contains three different ‘E number’ food colorings plus a ‘glazing agent’.
Dentists have long warned against adding sugar to tea or coffee.
“Drinking sweetened tea means you’re bathing your mouth in a diluted sugar solution, carrying sugar into every corner,” says Sam Jethwa, a dentist at Bespoke Smile practice in Marlow, Bucks.
The sugar adheres to the teeth creating a sticky film.
“If this film is not brushed or rinsed with water, bacteria will feed on these sugar molecules, releasing acids that slowly break down tooth enamel, causing sensitivity, discoloration and cavities,” he says.
The sprinkles, he adds, make the tea comparable to any other sugary drink, like pumpkin.
“With sweetened drinks, the big problem is that people drink them over time,” says Sam Jethwa. “Although a hot drink is no more harmful to your teeth than a cold one, you are more likely to drink hot drinks, so any sugar solution stays in your mouth longer.”
Some teas (such as Bird & Blend’s Cherry Cola Bottles tea, £3.50) achieve their taste without sugar, using freeze-dried fruit (in this case blueberry and cherry), but Sam Jethwa says: “Freeze-dried fruit contains less water than fresh fruit and becomes incredibly sticky.
Dentists have long warned against adding sugar to tea or coffee, as it sticks to the teeth and creates a sticky film.
“This means it will stay in your mouth for longer, increasing the risk of cavities.”
Similarly, truetea company.co.uk Sicilian Lemonade Fruit Tea Bags (£4.80 for 15) contain sugar-dipped pineapple cubes, apple pieces (with citric acid) and freeze-dried lemon and red currants .
But Krisi Smith, founder of Bird & Blend, maintains that tea containing chips is markedly different from “sweetened tea,” since the chips are small and few (“you can get one or two in each cup”), while the Freeze-dried fruit is there to impart flavor. “When you drink tea, you don’t actually eat the fruit pieces and the amount per cup is minimal,” she says.
On the other hand, the American trend for “instant” tea has arrived here.
In these products, tea leaves are ground with other ingredients to a powder-like state that is dissolved in hot water.
Whittard has launched a range of fruity instant teas, with flavors such as apple, strawberry and watermelon, mango and passion fruit, lychee and mango, which cost £10 for 22 cups.
But sugar is the first ingredient on the label and “tea extract” only makes up 1 percent of the product. When you pour boiling water over three teaspoons, as directed, you get a drink containing a whopping 19g of sugar. ‘That’s more than four teaspoons!’ says dietician Sarah Schenker. ‘It’s amazing. That’s as much sugar as a KitKat, and I’ve never met a builder who asked for more than two teaspoons in the cup!’
It also points out that the long list of ingredients identifies many of these teas as “ultra-processed foods” (UPF), and excessive consumption of these has now been linked to health problems.
“If you already eat more than two servings of UPF a day, drinking another is simply an unnecessary addition to a potentially toxic load,” says Sarah Schenker.
Don’t assume that a chai latte will be a healthier option, either.
Chai is a blend of tea and spices, but added sugar and milk increase the calories.
One brand, Revolution, has powdered reishi mushroom in its spicy chai latte mix (£8 for 200g), but each cup provides 170 calories and 5.8g of sugar (listed as ‘organic raw crystallized coconut nectar’ but equivalent to a heaping teaspoon). and 8.8 g of fat.
Even some unsweetened teas contain ingredients that could compromise your dental health.
Sam Jethwa identifies the second ingredient (after sugar) in a packet of the Whittard instant tea range as citric acid, which he says increases the acidity in the mouth, which can contribute to the erosion of tooth enamel.
He adds that many herbal or flavored teas are made up of ingredients (such as hibiscus) that, like everyday tea, contain tannins (a bitter compound derived from polyphenols).
Too many tannins can discolor teeth, he says. “The best way to avoid it is to drink water with your tea, to remove the tannins and prevent them from sticking to your teeth.”
And don’t drink tea before brushing your teeth every morning, because the fluoride in toothpaste offers protection against stains and erosion.
And never drink sweet tea before bed without brushing your teeth afterwards: “Otherwise, the bacteria in your mouth will feed on the sugar and produce acid that will erode your enamel while you sleep,” says Sam Jethwa.
‘Brushing your teeth should be the first thing you do every day and the last thing you do at night, but wait 30 minutes after brushing your teeth before eating or drinking, and wait 30 minutes after eating or drinking before brushing your teeth to make sure they don’t brush off softened tooth enamel.
“Also, it’s better to swallow sweetened drinks than to slurp them,” he adds. “This means that any sugary liquid spends minimal time brushing your teeth, or using a straw to protect your teeth.” But first let any hot drinks cool.
When a standard cup of tea is better
What about tea with added vitamins? Costa Coffee, for example, charges £3.25 for a cup of hot fruit tea containing vitamins B6 or C.
Dietitian Sarah Schenker says this type of tea can provide pitifully small amounts of vitamins (in Costa’s, 0.2 mg of vitamin B6 or 12 mg of vitamin C).
Meanwhile, Twinings Superblends Immune Support (£3.50 for 20 bags) provides just 1.25mcg of vitamin D (the daily recommendation is 10mcg).
‘When a regular cup of tea served with a splash of milk provides health-boosting polyphenols (beneficial compounds) and calcium (20 percent of your daily needs in four cups of tea), stop worrying about smartly trendy varieties. commercialized and stick to the basics,” says Sarah Schenker.
Under the microscope…
Welsh opera singer Sir Bryn Terfel, 58, answers our health questionnaire…
Can you run up the stairs?
Yes, but since I broke my leg just before lockdown, I’m more cautious. I slipped, did a beautiful prima ballerina turn, but my foot didn’t move. So it was a triple fracture that came out of absolutely nothing. When I’m in London I cycle to the Opera. I love swimming; It is fantastic for controlling breathing.
Do you get your five a day?
When I’m on tour, I’m often invited to restaurants and I learned to eat grilled fish and vegetables. Broccoli seems to be in the kitchen these days for the six- and three-year-olds (his children with his wife, the harpist Hannah Stone, 36).
Have you ever been on a diet?
I wouldn’t say I’m worried about my weight, although I love it when you come back to a production and your costume still fits. (She is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 22).
Any vice?
Chips.
Any family ailment?
No. My parents are over 80 years old; My father is a retired farmer, but he is still incredibly fit. He spent his life climbing a mountain in the morning to check his livestock and the dry stone walls. My mother is the same.
Worst illness/injury?
My back. I was singing in New York in the 1990s when I picked up a mandolin and put a record on my back. Unfortunately, this was on a raked stage (which is tilted back from the audience), and perhaps due to a previous injury from working on the farm, throwing hay bales, the fund decided to give up. I limped into the hospital and casually walked out after surgery!
The last time I had problems, they gave me an injection in the joint. This, knock on wood, has kept me away from the surgeon’s scalpel.
Have you ever had plastic surgery?
No, I like to maintain Meat Loaf’s facial beauty.
Have you tried alternative remedies?
I am a big proponent of ginger, I boil it and keep it in the refrigerator to drink as a tonic for my voice.
Have you ever been depressed?
No. What gets me down is when Manchester United lose or when Wales lose at rugby.
Do you like to live forever?
Absolutely not.
- Sir Bryn Terfel’s new album Sea Songs is now available on Deutsche Grammophon.
Interview by LOUISE FLIND