There are many jokes about tea being the most calorie-dense dish because it is almost always accompanied by sweets, cakes and other products consisting mainly of added sugar. It is not always easy to give up tea drinking, because most of us have had this habit since childhood. However, the constant consumption of sweets won’t do you any good – there’s the inevitable weight gain and the risk of various chronic diseases. Below you will find 4 tips that will help you get rid of a bad habit.
Choose a good tea. One way out is to invest in good tea. Instead of buying cakes and chocolates, choose a good loose leaf tea and brew it responsibly. You can even have an impromptu tea ceremony in the comfort of your own home. Real Chinese or Indian tea has a strong, full-bodied taste that you probably don’t want to interrupt with sweets. Turn your tea-drinking into a real ritual of enjoying the beverage rather than just another snack.
Switch to ‘healthy’ sweets. If you can’t manage to drink tea without anything at all, opt for sweets that will cause minimal harm to your body. Chocolate sweets can be replaced by dates, prunes or nuts. Such an alternative to shop sweets will satisfy your need for the “hormone of joy”, and in addition, provide your body with vitamins, minerals and fibre. The main thing is not to forget about their high calorie content, a couple of dates or a handful of almonds will be enough.
Don’t drink tea or coffee out of boredom. Of course, if you just make yourself a cup of tea and drink it, you can do so out of boredom. But most of the time you add chocolate, biscuits and sandwiches to your tea. Draw up an eating schedule and follow it rigorously. Spending all your days at home loses a bit of your sense of time, and a timetable will help you structure things a bit. If you don’t know what to do, listen to a good podcast or work out, it will definitely do you more good.
Think of the tea party as a full meal. If you categorically do not agree to drink tea without sweets (even if it’s healthy), just treat it as a full meal. Don’t have it between breakfast and lunch, then between lunch and dinner, and then before going to bed. Dilute it with other meals at intervals of 3-4 hours. This will help to avoid overeating and resulting weight gain.
