I can’t deny it. Coffee and soda are a part of my life. I wake up every morning and crave a cup of coffee, and throughout the day I put back two or three (or more!) cans of Diet Coke. It’s not a great habit to have, especially when you consider all the caffeine I’m consuming— not to mention the expense of buying multiple 12-packs of soda every week.
In an effort to cut back on my liquid vices, I’m turning to Bigelow tea as a healthy alternative.
My plan was to switch my morning cup of coffee with a caffeinated tea, and then to drink iced herbal tea throughout the day. Pretty easy, right!? Actually, substituting tea for coffee and soda was much easier than I thought. I started by picking up a few boxes of Bigelow tea at my local Walmart Supercenter {you can see my experience on Google+}. The first thing I noticed was how inexpensive a box of tea was compared to other beverages.
Coffee Substitute:Â Bigelow Vanilla Chai
I would have never of guessed that a cup of Vanilla Chai tea would be as satisfying as a cup of coffee, but Bigelow totally proved that to be true. Chai tea not only looks like coffee, but it has a ton of flavor without having to add anything to it. I did add a little almond milk to replicate the same creaminess that I get with coffee, but Bigelow Vanilla Chai tea tasted great without any extra sugar or flavors.
Black tea (the main ingredient in Chai) has 30-60 mg of caffeine per cup versus 100-120 mg. in a cup of coffee.
Soda Substitute: Bigelow Herb Teas
The main reason I drink soda is because it’s cold, fizzy and easy to access when I’m on-the-go. We could debate back and forth how horrible it is for you, especially diet, but it’s something I enjoy and that’s enough for me to drink it. The big problem I have with soda is the expense. Between my husband and I, we go through dozens of cans per week. More than anything, I want to cut back to save us some money.
Replacing herbal tea for soda was a bit harder because it doesn’t have the fizziness of a carbonated drink. Though, I found that the more I drank it, the more I craved it. To make the tea easier to grab when I left the house, I made a large pitcher by boiling a few bags of Bigelow Pomegranate and I Love Lemon herb tea. After letting it chill, I filled up some reusable bottles and stored them in the fridge. When I was ready to go somewhere I popped a few pieces of frozen fruit (mango chunks & raspberries) in the tea to keep it cool and add a little extra flavor without sugar.
The tea is super refreshing and I love that I can mix and match the flavors to create my own custom drinks.
Bigelow herb tea has no caffeine, so it’s an adjustment if you rely on soda for an energy boost. To combat this, I started to take a B-12 vitamin gummy (works perfectly in the afternoon!).
What I Love About Bigelow Tea
- Tea is natural and good for you
- Minimal caffeine
- Inexpensive
- Easy to prepare—just add water!
- Ton of variety
- Can be served hot or cold
- Individually wrapped for freshness
- Tastes great!
So far, my coffee/soda switch with Bigelow tea has gone remarkably well. I’m not sure I can give up either 100% completely, but I’m thrilled to be cutting back on the addiction with a healthy alternative.
Have you tried replacing coffee/soda with tea?
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