I’ll be the first to admit that I love sugar too much. I find myself craving sweets, especially in the form of soda – all the time. I know I don’t need to tell you why drinking sugary or chemically sweetened soda is a bad idea, or why too many desserts just isn’t a good choice for your health or longevity, so I’ll get on to how we can overcome this. Herbal tea actually offers us a variety of healthy options for curbing a sweet tooth without the detrimental effects of sugar, aspartame, or empty calories. Today, I’d like to introduce you to a few herbal teas that make excellent treats when you need something sweet – and many of them bring healing qualities that will keep you smiling!
Sweet Herbal Tea
There are so many amazing herbal teas that taste sweet and do good things for your body, mind, and emotions. I’m going to share just a few of my personal favorites with you here…
Carob
For the chocolate lovers out there, carob herbal tea is an essential! Carob looks and tastes very similar to the true cacao bean, but it’s a great way to help train the taste buds and the emotions into a more earthy and herby flavor. carob blends well with many floral herbs like chamomile and lavender, and it makes a great treat hot or iced.
Stevia
While you wouldn’t want to drink stevia on its own due to the fact that it is several hundred times sweeter than processed sugar, it makes an amazing addition to any herbal tea you want to sweeten up. Just a pinch of stevia leaves added to your favorite brew will transform it into something you’ll believe has tons of sugar inside!
The Mints
Peppermint, spearmint, and other mints like chocolate and orange are all classic alternatives to sugary drinks. Mints have the unique ability to satiate a sweet craving while also adding a complex flavor to the palate which calms hunger and gives the appetite something to focus on.
Florals
Floral herbal teas like lavender, hibiscus, and chamomile are classics that bring a little something sweet along with their healing abilities. If you’re a fan of floral scent or flavor, definitely look in the direction of floral herbal teas to curb a sweet craving.
Spicy Herbal Teas
Did you know that some of the most beloved colas and sodas of our time started out as herbal blends heavy in spices? Anise, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, and ginger have all been used at one time or another in popular soda recipes, although now days most flavors are synthetic. Get back to the sweet roots of sweet drinks by trying a spicy herbal tea iced or hot!
Pretty simple, right? Start training your body and mind to crave the taste of nature and you’ll soon be looking back on the days when soda cravings were the status quo.
Enjoy!
