[changa]

After the holidays, I decided to try and cut down on my caffeine intake and have started to drink tea instead of coffee. I used to drink my coffee with Splenda, and the taste never bothered me, but it tastes absolutely awful in my tea. Other than the honey I put in my tea, I have been staying on plan and not feeling any cravings for bad carbs. Do you think it is okay for me to stick with the honey, or should I try and get accustomed to Splenda-sweetened tea?

[rotten_banana]

I would submit that you add a bit of milk to reduce the bitterness of the tea. Try it and see how you do.

[LucyGoosy]

How about trying a tea that is flavored? Celestial Seasonings has a Teahouse Chai called Chocolate Caramel Enchantment. It is a black tea flavored with cinnamon, carob, nutmeg and lots of other yummy spices/flavors. 0 calories 36mg caffiene (drip coffee has approx 90)

How many servings of tea do you have in a day? Honey is basicly the same as table sugar with more flavor. Are you on Phase 1,2 or 3?

[beachgal]

I'd say that the honey wouldn't hurt if you were having only minute amounts. For instance, check out the grams of sugar in Cool Whip Free and see how much honey would have the same amount. Cool Whip Free is basically sugar, so if we can have that (serving size is 2 Tbsp) and not be affected, that amount of honey should be okay.

That said, try other options first. Perhaps Stevia? Equal? Try the SF syrups...I love the SF Vanilla to sweeten a Christmas herb tea I have called "Gingerbread Spice". It's yummy! I also put Caramel (or other versions, like Butterscotch or Butter Rum) in my Decaf Creme Caramel tea.

The less sugar you eat, the better. But a tiny, tiny bit won't hurt, unless you're drinking several cups of tea a day.

Remember, we're trying not to drink more than 2 servings of caffeine a day, okay?

[pearshape]

Honey is fructose which doesnt cause the blood sugar rise that regular sugar does so even though it's not really OP I think occasionally it would be OK. It's got a lot more calories than regualr sugar spoonfull for spoonfull so be careful. I love honey in tea and on cereal but I don't use it cause I know I couldn't stop with a tsp every so often. It was all we used as a sweetner growing up since we werent allowed to eat sugar so it's like a comfort food to me. Esp the raw crystal stuff, I love that! If you can handle just having it occasionally then I don't think it will sabotage you too much.

[changa]

Thanks for the input! Yes, the teas I have are flavored loose teas from Adagio. I am averaging about 3 cups a day--16 oz. in the morning and 8 oz. at night. In the morning I have a flavored black with about 1.5 tsp. of honey. At night, I drink an herbal variety (no caffeine) with maybe half a teaspoon of honey or Splenda.

I have tried Equal and Sweet n Low, but I prefer the taste of Splenda to those. I've had the SF syrups but they wreak havoc with my stomach. I haven't tried Stevia, though...where can I get it?

[Ruthxxx]

Stevia is not approved by the FDA so you need to get it at a natural foods store rather than in a regular grocery store. It is VERY sweet so use with care.

[Jennie527]

Actually, I noticed recentlly that Kroger's has started carrying it (Stevia packets) in their natural foods section. Not sure if you have Kroger's in TX.