Sugar-free Mint Ginger Sweet Tea Keeps Summer Calories Away

It’s Not Complicated. Keep the Mint Ginger Tea. Replace the Sugar.

With the USDA recommending that a 2,000 calorie diet eat a mere 6-8 teaspoons of added sugar a day (that’s only 24-32 g of sugar total!), do you really want to down 8-12g of that sugar in one serving of iced tea? That’s the freak out over soda having 42g of sugar per can. Get it? We’re at almost 2 days worth of added sugar in one can of soda.

But check it out, it’s not just soda.

Read the label of your favorite granola bar. Or lemonade. Or yogurt. That’s right. Things we think are “healthy.” Is it 12g of added sugar? 17g? 20g? Take a look and decide, where do you want to get your sugar?

Remember, sugar that comes naturally from milk, fruits, and veggies, is ok. We need to be aware of how much sugar from fruit we consume, but consuming sugar by eating whole fruit is not the same as consuming added refined sugar in processed foods.

That’s why I add a sweetener that doesn’t even affect blood sugar where I can.

Stevia Keeps Ginger Tea Sugar-free

Stevia is technically a species of herbs and shrubs from the sunflower family. Native mostly to South America (but found in some parts of North America), Stevia is known for its sweet leaves.

• It’s about 300 times as sweet as sugar. Pucker up, you need far less of it.
• A low carbohydrate food, it has virtually no affect on blood glucose levels. Score not just for diabetics, for all of us, my friends.
• Downside? Sometimes Stevia can have a bitter, almost metallic taste. From what I’ve read this depends on the concentration of it.

This is why I use Stevia in beverages. I find I can regulate the taste better. The funky taste comes out more when it’s cooked – maybe that’s just me.

It’s a total score because I refuse to consume added sugar in drinks. I reserve that for desserts. And since I go many days consuming no added sugar, I’m not breaking a prefectly solid no added sugar run for Iced Tea. Not gonna happen.

Sugar-free Mint Ginger Tea Keeps You from Snacking Your Face Off

Ginger

Gets the metabolism going and helps suppress your appetite. I love drinking this tea at 4 pm. Snack attack time. Ward off that pre-dinner, what-can-I-find-in-the-cabinet-to-ruin-my-day-of-great-eating binge.

Mint

Aids digestion, comforts the stomach, and intestines. Mint makes things feel better. It calms and soothes. A great partner for ginger.

I love to heat this tea up after dinner. It aids digestion, “keeps things moving,” and again, wards off any “I wanna snack my face off” moments of weakness.

Sugar-free Mint Ginger Sweet Tea Recipe

Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Wheat-free, Vegan, Soy-free, Nut-free

Give it a try! Remember, if you don’t love mint, or ginger, or the mint ginger combo, that’s ok. Make your own!