Tea that includes milk and sugar may not always be the best choice for lowering blood glucose spikes. Milk tea’s sugar content is already elevated by the milk, and when more sugar is added, it elevates the already high glucose levels of the tea. The healthiest option for everyone, especially those with impaired blood sugar regulation, is to drink unsweetened tea. Moreover, almond and oat milk are healthy substitutes for regular or cow’s milk in tea.
Optimising glucose metabolism of tea with healthier options
• Try adding less or no sugar to your tea with milk.
• Try adding less milk to your tea or switching cow milk with oat, almond, or coconut milk.
• You may also replace your sugar cubes or powdered sugar with jaggery, which is a healthier option.
• You may avoid pairing your tea with confectionaries or foods with added sugars – instead, pair it with options like beans/sprouts/hummus/mixed nuts or seeds.
Regularly consuming tea with milk and sugar may not be good for health because cow milk contains IGF molecules that can increase blood sugar levels. Theaflavins, tannins, epicatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin gallate are tea components that have been identified as having significant positive effects on health. Conversely, caffeine, epicatechin, and catechin have minimal impact on insulin levels.
