Clean Eating: Breaking Up With Splenda
Clean Eating: Breaking Up With Splenda. When we are making changes in our life, we all have something we hold onto dearly “thinking” we can’t live without it. I must confess my last “addiction” I was having a difficult time breaking up with was Splenda. My favorite drink is loaded with Splenda and I just didn’t know how I could live without it. I am determined to get Splenda out of my life. Join me today as I share a delicious drink recipe that will help me continue with my clean eating lifestyle without sacrificing taste. 
I am Addicted to Splenda
When I started “clean eating”, there were some things that I thought I just couldn’t live without. I quickly realized that I didn’t have to live without them. I just needed to find a healthier alternative. I was really excited about that and was able to adjust without a problem.
The one thing I just couldn’t break up with was Splenda. For YEARS we have been drinking powdered Peach Tea sweetened with Splenda. I knew it wasn’t good for me, but I just couldn’t find an alternative I could live with. I needed something that tasted like Splenda without the negative side effects. It took me months of research and I FINALLY found a few sweeteners I could live with.
Are You Kidding Me?
In searching for alternatives to our Splenda infused Peach Tea, I turned to my stash of herbal teas. Unfortunately, I read the ingredients and discovered the teas we have been lead to believe are good for us are filled with artificial ingredients, added flavors, toxins, pesticides, and GMOs. Above you can see the name of some of those teas.
Three ingredients I automatically look for are: Artificial Flavoring, Natural Flavors, and Soy Lecithin. Artificial Flavoring is something made in a lab which is processed. How about Natural Flavors? If something has a natural flavor why don’t they just list it? The truth is they aren’t “natural” as they are created in a lab and may contain addicting chemicals.
“Soy” is a big word that I avoid in anything I purchase. The estrogenic compounds found in soy have been shown to lead to hormonal disruption. One of the main reasons we struggle with losing weight is because of hormonal problems. Since learning of this, I have removed all products with soy from my “clean eating” kitchen.
What to Look For
Did you know that most tea is not washed before it is put it into bags? If the tea was sprayed with cancer-causing pesticides, you are drinking it. When purchasing tea, it is IMPORTANT to buy organic tea. Simply stated “organic” means it was grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation.
As far as non-GMO, anyone can say that their product is non-GMO, because the FDA has not set any standards to regulate the use of this claim on a label. This is not to be confused with the Non-GMO Project label, as they have a process for verifying whether products are non-GMO.
Here are the two main things you need to look for when choosing Herbal Teas:
1. Choose an organic & non-GMO certified brand of tea. When purchasing tea, make sure to look for these labels shown above.
2. Check the ingredient list. Make sure there are no added flavors and GMO ingredients like soy lecithin and corn starch.
Finally Found Something
After much research, I finally found some brands of tea that are perfect for the “clean eating” lifestyle and a great alternative to my Splenda infused Peach Tea. It took some time to find them but after much research I am happy with my findings. I love using Choice, Kobi, and Numi.
Rooibos Tea is a great alternative for our family as it is also child approved with no caffeine and we are not using Splenda. I have come up with a great iced tea recipe to help with those hot summer days when we are craving a cold, sweet drink without all the artificial ingredients. This is a favorite drink in my home and we are incorporating it into our daily drinking.
This is also a great alternative to the sport drinks as it is a thirst-quencher. Those so-called healthy drink options often contain ingredients such as fructose, glucose, brominated vegetable oil, and artificial colors. Rooibos is packed with plant based phytonutrients and antioxidants that quench thirst naturally and refresh tired bodies.
Caution: Avoid Rooibos Tea if you have a hormone-sensitive cancer or undergoing chemotherapy.
- 2 bags of Rooibos Tea
- 2-3 tablespoons Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
- 50 drops of Nature's Original Sweet Stevia Drops
- 2 cups of boiling water
- Ice
- Heat two cups of water and place it in a quart sized mason jar with 2 bags of Rooibos Tea
- Allow to steep for 15 minutes
- Remove the tea bags. Add Raw Apple Cider Vinegar and 50 drops of Sweet Stevia Drops.
- Mix well and fill the mason jar with ice.
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what kind of Rooibos Tea did u use?
Donna, I used the Choice Tea Brand.