Around the world, many cultures drink tea. Whether it’s Great Britain or China, Japan or India, one thing ties us together. Our love for tea. While tea is part of the daily diet of many cultures, do we really know one cup tea calories? If you want to know how much calories does a cup of tea, have read on to find out!
Calories in 1 Cup of Tea
Tea helps to hydrate us, contributing to our fluid intake. It also contains powerful antioxidants called flavonoids which boost our health. However, 1 cup tea calories depend on the presence of other ingredients such as milk and sugar. So, what are the calories in a cup of tea?
1 Cup Tea Without Milk and Sugar:
1 Cup Tea Calories With Sugar and Milk:
Is Tea With Milk Fattening?
Most people enjoy a good old cup of masala chai or doodh chai. Initially, the milk was meant to cut the bitterness. However, it became a standard practice. Many health professionals advise against starting your day with a cup of milk tea.
While it is commonplace to add milk to your tea, it may not be the healthiest practice. Milk happens to be fattening. When you drink milk tea regularly, it could lead to weight gain. You might not feel any severe reactions when you add milk to tea; however, it still hampers your system. You could suffer from acidity as milk makes tea acidic. Milk also cuts down potent antioxidants such as catechins and epicatechins. This healthy drink becomes a source of acidity and inflammation when you add milk.
You should avoid starting your day with milk tea as it will disrupt your metabolic activity, dehydrate your body, affect your oral health, and may cause bloating. Regardless of how many calories are in 1 cup of tea, it may be detrimental to health.
Can I Drink Tea on a Diet?
If you are on a diet, you may want to count the calories in a cup of tea. Various teas help to promote weight loss. Some are more effective than others. These are the best teas to drink for weight loss:
1. Green Tea
Green tea and matcha have tons of health benefits, including weight loss. Studies show that they are high in catechins, a naturally occurring antioxidant, it helps to boost your metabolism and promote fat burning.
2. Puerh Tea
Pu’er, pu-erh tea, or Puerh tea is a fermented Chinese black tea. This tea lowers blood sugar and blood triglycerides. It also enhances weight loss.
3. Black Tea
Black tea undergoes more oxidation than other types of tea. Nonetheless, it is effective in controlling weight as study suggests. This is because it has a high concentration of flavones, a type of plant pigment-containing antioxidant properties.
4. Oolong Tea
Oolong tea, a traditional Chinese tea, falls somewhere between green and black tea since it is only partially oxidised. This tea promotes weight loss through fat-burning and speeding up the metabolism.
5. White Tea
White tea is minimally processed and harvested while the plant is still young. Studies show that white tea has many benefits, such as improving oral health and killing test-tube cancer cells. White tea also has a fair share of catechins which helps to boost weight loss. White tea extract can also break down fat cells and prevent the formation of new ones.
6. Herbal Tea
Herbal teas entail a mixture of herbs, spices, or fruits in hot water. They do not have caffeine as Camellia sinensis is not used. They help with weight reduction and fat loss. Rooibos is a type of herbal type that is particularly helpful in fat metabolism. Research shows that It helps to block the formation of new fat cells.
Is It Ok to Drink Tea Everyday?
While it is alright to drink one or two cups of tea a day, it is advisable to drink the beverage in moderation. Excessive calories in a cup of tea may lead to the following side effects:
- Reduced iron absorption
- Poor sleep
- Nausea
- Heartburn
- Pregnancy complications
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Caffeine addiction
- Increased anxiety and stress
- Restlessness
Also Read: Calories in Ghee, Nutrition, Health Benefits, More | Bodywise
Summing Up on 1 Cup Tea Calories
While tea is delicious and has numerous health benefits, it is important to moderate your daily intake. As we come from a culture where drinking tea is a given, this might be difficult to do. However, drinking excessive amounts of tea could result in negative side effects that you could do without. If you must have your cup of tea a day, avoid adding milk and sugar to it.
References
- Kevin D Croft, Sally Burrows, July 2014; Effects of black tea on body composition and metabolic outcomes related to cardiovascular disease risk: a randomized controlled trial - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24889137/
- Amit Vanka1 and Shanthi Vanka, August 2017; White tea: A contributor to oral health - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3491343/
- Micheline Sanderson, Sithandiwe E Mazibuko, january 2014; Effects of fermented rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) on adipocyte differentiation - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24060217/
