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Drinking tea is healthy, but drinking bubble tea isn't
By roselidell // 2021-05-26
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Bubble tea is a popular beverage that contains tea, milk, tapioca pearls and added sugars. But don't let the whimsical name fool you. Just because this cold drink contains tea, it doesn't mean it's a healthy beverage. Unlike green tea, bubble tea is high in calories and full of sweeteners.

Why is bubble tea bad for you if it contains tea?

Bubble tea, also called pearl tea or boba tea, is a Taiwanese drink that has become more popular in recent times. It's a sweetened tea with natural or artificial flavors and it's served with a layer of tapioca balls, or pearls, at the bottom of your cup. The pearls come up as you drink through a large straw, making them look like bubbles or "boba." Some say bubble tea was created by Lin Hsiu Hui, product manager at the Chun Shui Tang teahouse. While the teahouse had already been serving cold tea, in 1988 she tried adding small tapioca balls into her iced tea. Her idea was based on "fen yuan," a common Taiwanese dessert made of a sweetened tapioca pudding. The idea took off and bubble tea can now be found across the globe. But is bubble tea a healthy beverage? Even if you order bubble tea with a green tea base, you're still drinking a liquid dessert that's high in calories. The health benefits of the tea are offset by its high sugar and caloric load. According to one study on different boba drinks, a small 16-ounce (oz.) (473 ml) drink with milk tea and tapioca balls contains, on average, around 38 grams of sugar and 299 calories. Other kinds of bubble tea also pile on the additional ingredients. Meanwhile, add-ons such as jelly and egg pudding increase the calorie and sugar levels of bubble tea. One large 32-oz. (946 ml) serving of a bubble tea with jelly and egg pudding contains over 250 percent and 384 percent of the daily recommended intake of sugar for men and women, respectively. The same serving exceeds 500 calories in a worst-case scenario. The best-case scenario isn't any better. Shockingly, a small bubble tea with reduced sugar still has more calories than the same serving size of a sugary soda. If you're craving a bubble tea but you want to make it healthier, you can reduce its caloric content by choosing an unsweetened version. However, the tapioca will still contain added sugar. Alternatively, you can make a healthier version of bubble tea at home using natural ingredients and skipping the sweeteners and additional flavors.

What's bubble tea made of?

Different kinds of bubble tea can include various ingredients, but the basic recipe has green or black tea and tapioca. Unless you personalize your order, all kinds of bubble tea contain a sweetener like cane sugar or fructose and a milk or non-dairy additive to make it creamy. Tea Tea is a popular superfood, with many studies dedicated to determining its various health benefits. Green tea is one of the most popular kinds of tea and it's full of the powerful catechin polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a plant compound with antioxidant effects linked to better heart health, lower inflammation and a lower risk of diabetes and other chronic health conditions. Black tea also contains EGCG, but in a lesser amount compared to green tea. Milk or non-dairy alternatives Bubble tea also contains milk or non-dairy alternatives like almond or oat milk. Milk contains calcium, B vitamins, iodine, potassium and other vitamins and minerals. Non-dairy alternatives may be fortified, but they can also contain added sugars if your drink uses flavored products. Tapioca Tapioca is a high-carbohydrate, starchy product extracted from cassava, a root vegetable that looks like a yam. It comes in many different forms, like white flour, flakes, or the pearls used in bubble tea. Tapioca supplies a load of quick and easily digestible carbs. But it is very low in vitamins in minerals, especially in the serving you’d get in a cup of bubble tea. Tapioca pearls also contain little to no dietary fiber. Cooking tapioca pearls only makes things worse. Tapioca pearls are usually boiled in hot water with even more sugar for up to three hours. Once the pearls are cooked, they can contain almost 160 calories per 1/4 cup serving. The only benefit of tapioca pearls is that they're easy to digest for people with irritable bowel diseases or gluten sensitivities. But if you're trying to monitor your sugar intake, avoid bubble tea or tapioca pearls. Flavorings Bubble tea is flavored with natural sources or syrups. Syrups lack nutrients and they only add to the calorie and sugar counts of bubble tea. If your bubble tea contains a bit of fruit, you get a small serving of the nutrients in it. Bubble tea is usually flavored naturally or artificially with chocolate, taro root and fruits like kiwi, mango, or strawberry. Sweetener Bubble tea contains sweeteners that are high-calorie and high-sugar. Drinking bubble tea regularly may cause weight gain and other chronic health conditions.

Ditch the sugar: A healthier bubble tea recipe

This basic bubble tea recipe has only 150 calories per serving. Make it at home to save money instead of buying bubble tea with tons of calories and sugar. Ingredients for 1 serving:
  • 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 cup of ice cubes
  • 1/4 cup of boba balls
  • 1 tablespoon of matcha powder
  • 10 drops of liquid stevia (optional)
Preparation:
  1. Process the matcha, almond milk, ice cubes and stevia in a blender until smooth.
  2. Boil the boba balls for at least three minutes in a half cup of water. When they're done, strain and let the pearls cool down in a cup.
  3. Pour the blended liquid over the pearls before serving.
Alternatively, you can flavor bubble tea by blending in pureed whole fruit. Add the milk tea mixture to a blender with 1/4 cup of your chosen fruit and pour the mixture over the cooked tapioca pearls. You can also add organic, pure extracts like vanilla or coconut. Skip the sugary store-bought bubble tea and make a healthier version at home using nutritious ingredients like fruit and natural sweeteners like stevia. Sources: FoodsForBetterHealth.com Healthline.com TheHealthy.com GreenSmoothieGirl.com
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