With fruit or mint, with or without added sugars… When it comes to teas and infusions, it is not always easy to find the right product. The majority contain flavorings, sugar and even oil, responsible for many metabolic diseases. To help you see more clearly, Dr. Jean-Michel Cohen, recognized nutritionist and author of Buying guide to eating well (FIRST editions), dissects the worst options to avoid.
Twinings blueberry and raspberry flavored tea®
“Here, we find packaging with pretty images of red fruits, even though it is a blueberry raspberry “flavor” tea… or only based on aromas. The presence of liquorice should also be limited for hypertensive people”, warns the nutritionist.
Dolce gusto Marrakech tea Nescafé®
“Although the composition of this drink has been revised by increasing the tea by 1.2% and replacing the palm and coconut oils with sunflower oil, sugar remains the first ingredient. You consume tea with 1 piece of sugar in a cup of only 150 ml. So no real added value for this more polluting product (multiplication of packaging)!”, alerts the expert.
Fat burner infusion Garden BIO étic®
“Made from mate, green tea, green coffee, this drink is not a simple infusion: it contains a little theine and is therefore energizing. The term “fat burner” is also an over-promise!” underlines Dr Jean-Michel Cohen.
Twinings chocolate hazelnut & chai flavored latte tea®
“We’re riding a trend… Is there a real nutritional benefit… Clearly, reading the list of ingredients, the answer is no. A pleasure to keep occasionally!”, recalls the specialist.
Teas and infusions: ultimately, how to choose them well?
First advice from the doctor: in reality, although there are a large number of different teas on the shelves (black tea, green tea, white tea, smoked tea, Oolong tea, etc.) they all come from the same shrub, the tea plant (only the leaves are worked differently). So don’t rely solely on these terms to make your choice.
- For teas, “the tastiest leaves are the smallest and closest to the bud. We therefore prefer whole leaf tea and broken leaf tea offered mainly in bulk. These teas are better than broken teas, used for bags, knowing that tea dust, less noble than the leaf itself, is often added to the bags… If you still prefer the bag for more practicality and do not want to sacrifice taste, make sure that its contents are not a powder that is difficult to identify.” indicates the expert;
- For herbal teas, those of good quality mix “real pieces of leaves, roots, flowers and/or fruit” calls the doctor back;
- Finally, favor “Organic” productsif your budget allows it. “The tea plant is a fragile shrub which is treated many times during its growth. In order to limit traces of pesticides in the finished product, choosing organic makes sense.”
Consume them properly: instructions for use
If herbal teas and teas can be consumed without sugar at any time of the day, “They should be drunk within an hour of infusion, because after that, the polyphenols disappear.” recalls Dr Jean-Michel Cohen. Be careful, however: the theine contained in tea (the equivalent of caffeine in coffee) can prevent sensitive people from sleeping.
“In this case, you can choose a rooibos or detheine your tea: theine being released during the first minutes of infusion, before the tannins, infuse for 2 to 3 minutes, discard this first infusion then infuse again for 7 to 8 minutes”, advises the expert.
Finally, tea tannins limit iron absorption. “In case of significant consumption, it will therefore be preferable to drink tea away from meals or to counterbalance this effect by consuming foods rich in vitamin C. concludes the doctor.