It's Tea Time

This new diet that I am on has me doing things that are so new to me and who I am that even I get surprised at my own self.

It becomes even more real to me when it comes to my drink choices. I used to always be the one ready to head to happy hour for my favorite drinks. I used to be the one running to Starbucks every morning for my Venti pike. But in considering my diet, exercise and my weight loss goals, these have become less of an option for me and more of a when I want to treat myself thing. I guess you can truly call this a new lifestyle because that is exactly what it is.

I always loved drinking tea, but now it has become more relevant in my life. It has been about four weeks since I had my last cup of coffee. I can’t say the same for alcohol as I used to consider myself a lush. Nowadays, I drink on occasion. If I am at a party and it calls for me to have a drink, I have one, but I no longer drink every day or even every week. I surprised myself today when I went to my favorite happy hour spot and when our waitress came to our table, I asked for a glass of pineapple juice and cranberry juice mixed instead of my usual long beach or leechy martini. My friends and even our waitress looked at me as if I were strange, but something has changed me to thinking about my goals and trying to stick to the program.

Not everybody is a tea fan.  I think it is about the taste. If it smells and tastes like tea, to some folks it is undesirable.  Since I stopped drinking coffee, I also stopped drinking caffeine which includes soda. Though I do like green and black tea, at this moment when my body is losing water through perspiration while exercise, I need to have drinks that will help to keep my body hydrated. Water is a great option, but so is tea.

So here are some of my favorite caffeine free teas that I have tried thus far that you might find interest in trying also:

1. I love Starbucks. They have a line of tea in there known as Tazo.  Little did I know that Tazo is also sold in most supermarkets which is great for me because I got to try their Tazo Africa Red Bush. It is an herbal tea and is caffeine free. It has a nice fragrance and taste. It is made with rooibos and hibiscus flower. It is very smooth and makes a great cup of tea.

2. I love apple pie. The smell of it is simply divine and taste is to die for.  Cinnamon Apple Spice Herbal Tea from Celestial Seasonings smells and tastes like apple pie in a cup. It has a nice spicy flavor and has a comforting feel going down.  This tea  really tastes great and is so good, you do not need to add sugar to it.  Most people do not know what the taste of the tea truly is because they mask it with sugar, honey, lemon and other additives. This tea doesn’t need any additive at all. You can simply enjoy it plain.

3. Organic Roasted Dandelion Root from Traditional Medicinals is a great tea because it not only has an interesting flavor it also promotes healthy liver function, increases your bile flow and also acts as a cleanser for your blood. It can be used as a delightful beverage or even as a dietary supplement. This tea is caffeine free and can be purchased from most major supermarkets.

4. Stash has a tea sampler of superfruit teas that are a mixture of caffeine free and naturally caffeinated teas. All green teas are naturally caffeinated, but they are not such bad choices to have as they also have benefits to the body.  Of the caffeine free teas that are featured in this assortment, the Yumberry Black Currant Herbal Tea has caught my interest. I would buy a box of just that tea bag alone. Others featured in this box include Acai Berry, Blueberry Superfruit, Pomegranate Raspberry Green Tea, Goji Berry Green, and Mangosteem Green.

Rumor has it that drinking warm substances after eating a meal helps with digestion and to speed up your metabolism and cold beverages slow it down. It has also been said that tea has a calming factor to it. I cannot say whether these statements are true or not, but as for me, it is for one, a substitute from the coffee and also a beverage that I have come to really enjoy a lot more than I did before. Tea is actually more than just a beverage to have when you are feeling sick. It tastes good. Anytime can be considered tea time for me because this goes well with my new lifestyle.