How and Why You Can Lose Weight with Iced Tea
June is National Iced Tea Month, and that excites us! Iced tea is an ideal weight loss beverage…but only if you choose wisely. Here’s the scoop.
Know the Risks
Not all iced tea is created equal. Know the pitfalls, and you can avoid them. Any sugar-sweetened iced tea is sure to put a damper on your weight loss. Look out for sweet tea, sweetened iced tea, and tea lemonade blends at restaurants and the grocery store. A single order of iced tea or a bottle of iced tea can have 25 to 50 grams of sugar, or double the maximum you should have in a day. A sugary, protein-less drink is sure to leave you:
- With blood sugar highs and lows.
- With carb and sugar cravings later.
- With hunger pangs in an hour or so.
Hydrate Healthily
Get plenty of fluids to reduce hunger, increase energy, and lose more weight. Choose water or low-calorie fluids, and iced tea can be a great choice. Just steep your favorite tea bags in water for a few hours and serve it cold. Be sure to make it decaf if you are a post-op bariatric surgery patient and your doctor suggests staying away from caffeine. Once or twice a day, you might want to boost your fiber intake with sugar-free BariatricPal Lemon Tea with 5 grams of fiber per serving.
Delicious Protein, Guilt-Free
For a cold, refreshing drink, try BariatricPal Protein Drinks such as Green Tea and Cranberry Protein Tea or Peach or Raspberry Instant Decaffeinated Tea. With 15 grams of protein each, they can be the perfect snack to help tide you over until the next meal. They have great taste but only 70 calories and no more than 2 grams of sugar, so you can enjoy them without feeling guilty.
There is no need to make them ahead of time, since they are ready instantly as soon as you mix them with water. Each box contains 7 single serving packets that you can take anywhere for a delicious treat.
