The ketogenic diet is something that needs to be strictly controlled all the time. Just one wrong meal or food item can kick your body out of ketosis.
But with all the quick and easy supplements, drinks or foods that are said to promote health, it can be hard to stick to the low carb diet.
So are loaded teas keto-friendly? The answer is, it depends.
I’ve explored it from every angle, so whether you just want the quick summarized version or an in-depth inquisition, I’ve got you covered.
The Short Answer
It depends on the ingredients.
Most loaded teas are created using Herbal Life tea concentrates. Herbal Life is a product sold by anyone who wants to get involved. Therefore, the ingredients differ from seller to seller.
If there is a nutrition label on the cup or menu, then it’s easy to see if it’s suitable for the keto diet.
You should consume no more than 50g of carbohydrates per day.
So if your loaded tea contains 40g carbs, you need to make sure that all your other meals and snacks contain no more than a combined total of 10g.
That can be difficult to achieve. Finding a loaded tea that contains less than 20g of carbs is a better bet.
If this isn’t available, you need need to look at the ingredients, sweeteners in particular.
Any loaded teas that contain cane sugar (table sugar), maltodextrin, agave syrup, honey, coconut sugar, fruit juice, or maple syrup is a no-go.
These guidelines should help you get by without kicking you out of ketosis.
Are Loaded Teas OK for the Keto Diet – The Long Answer
As mentioned, most loaded teas are made using Herbal Life teas and concentrate. These teas and concentrates in and of themselves are usually low in carbohydrates.
So it’s not necessarily the tea or concentrate in and of itself that will derail your efforts. Cafe’s and stores can use whatever other ingredients they like in loaded teas.
That’s where the problem comes in.
You would think that beverages and foods loaded with vitamins and minerals are healthy. Because that would be the point right?
But nope. You just need to look at vitamin and mineral-rich breakfast cereals to know that isn’t true.
The cafes and stores use syrups and sweeteners, fruit, etc, to make these teas appealing.
And while some of the ingredients may be healthy (or not so healthy as we know), they may not be keto-friendly.
Ingredients to Avoid
As I said in the short answer, the main ingredients to avoid are:
- Cane sugar a.k.a table sugar
- Coconut sugar
- Agave syrup
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Fruit juice
- Maltodextrin
But the same goes for flavored concentrates. Regular fruit concentrates, fruity syrups, and even other types of flavoring like hazelnut syrup, peppermint syrup, caramel, etc, likely contain sugar.
Steer clear of high fructose corn syrup and fructose too.
They either contain too many carbohydrates and/or have a high glycemic index (GI). Anything that has a moderate or high GI will push up your blood sugar levels and boot you out of ketosis.
Loaded Tea Ingredients that are Okay on the Keto Diet
With all the yummy ingredients added into these loaded teas, it can be sad to turn them down. Deprivation anyone?
But if you’ve been asking “Are Herbalife teas keto-friendly”, and dreading the answer, you’re in luck.
You don’t need to avoid all flavors to stay in ketosis. Here’s what you can enjoy:
Keto-Friendly Fruit
Loaded teas that are flavored with the following are safe for the keto diet as long as you keep track of your carbs. They have less than 12g of carbohydrates per 100g:
In the case of the fruits, generally, they should be whole fruits although you should be able to get away with the juice of these fruits too. As long as no sugar has been added, of course.
You can consume up to 100g or sometimes even a cup of most of these whole fruits and still maintain a low-carb diet.
Keto-Friendly Sweeteners
All these sweeteners have less than 10g of carbs per serving.
- Erythritol
- Xylitol
- Stevia
- Monk Fruit
I wouldn’t recommend artificial sweeteners as they may have a negative impact on your gut, and believe it or not, they may even raise your blood sugar levels if you don’t consume them regularly.
But if you do consume them regularly, they are keto-friendly.
Dairy Products and Dairy Substitutes
If you prefer your loaded teas with cream, dairy milk, or plant milk, you are in luck. As long as you make sure they aren’t sweetened with sugar or other no-no ingredients.
Watch the Protein Content
Your protein intake should be moderate on the ketogenic diet. This is because excess protein gets turned into glucose, a.k.a sugar.
This usually won’t be a concern from consuming one loaded tea a day, but in combination all your other food and beverages, you need to keep track of your protein intake to stay in ketosis.
If you are sedentary, you only need 0.6g to 0.8g of protein per pound of body weight per day. If you are an athlete or lift weights, you need 1g to 1.2g of protein per pound of body weight.
If you are moderately active, you should get 0.8g to 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day.
Some loaded teas may have quite a bit of protein in them depending on the ingredients.
