5 Ways to Enjoy Bubble Tea Without Getting Fat: A Must-Know for Every Girl on a Diet!

Bubble tea is a hugely popular drink that lots of people are so hooked on they have to have it every day. The sweet, fragrant milk tea and the chewy, moreish pearls make it impossible for many people to resist, even knowing it isn't exactly a healthy drink. So before I share some tips on choosing bubble tea that's good for your health and good for your heart, let's get to know bubble tea a little better first.

Bubble Tea

Pearl milk tea, or bubble tea, is Taiwan's national drink. It's a tea-based drink made by mixing tea with milk and syrup, non-dairy creamer, sugar or sweetened condensed milk, depending on each shop's recipe, to make it sweeter and richer. Some people like it iced, blended, or as a smoothie with fruit. And the most important part of this drink is the pearls at the bottom of the cup. They're made from tapioca starch and have a soft, chewy, bouncy texture and a sweet flavour, which is why this drink has become a favourite for so many people.

Why Isn't Bubble Tea Good for You?

Drinking tea without sugar can be good for your health, because tea is rich in antioxidants that help inhibit inflammation and cell damage in the body, which can cause wrinkles on the skin and may lead to serious diseases in the long run, such as cataracts, cancer and heart disease. But even though bubble tea contains tea, it also has sugar, syrup, non-dairy creamer, sweetened condensed milk and starch from the pearls, and sometimes whipped cream or cream cheese foam on top as well. So this drink isn't a great choice for people who are trying to lose weight and keep their starch or sugar intake under control, because:

It has little nutritional value. The sugar in bubble tea may give your body a quick burst of energy, but the drink has almost no vitamins, minerals, fibre or other nutrients at all. And if you drink too much of it, it can also make you constipated.

It's high in calories. One cup of bubble tea contains as many as 335 calories, a third of which come from the pearls. If you drink two cups a day, that's a whole third of the calories you should be getting each day (1,800–2,000 calories). It also contains as much as 6 teaspoons of sugar.

So if you love bubble tea so much you can't live without it and drink it often, you should keep the following nutritional points in mind too. Let's look at how to choose bubble tea that's good for your heart and good for your tummy!

How to Choose Bubble Tea That's Good for Your Heart and Your Tummy

1. Choose bubble tea with less sugar, or even better, no sugar at all! This helps you avoid going over the amount of sugar you should have each day. Most shops let you choose your sweetness level too, anywhere from 0% to 100%. It goes without saying that you shouldn't go above 25% sweetness!
2. Choose shops that use fresh milk or low-fat milk instead of non-dairy creamer, and don't add whipped cream, to cut down on the calories and fat you take in. Or you can go for a drink with no milk at all, such as jasmine green tea.
3. A small size is plenty. As well as choosing your sweetness level, you can also choose your cup size. Go for a small one so you don't take in too many calories and too much sugar, and you won't feel guilty afterwards!
4. On days when you have bubble tea, cut back on some other foods, especially starchy and sugary ones. Eat less rice, to save yourself from taking in more sugar than your body should have.
5. Have just enough to satisfy the craving. One cup a week is more than enough, or try to have as little as possible. Not only does it cut the calories from bubble tea, it's also a way to save money!

Of course, if you want to eat delicious high-calorie treats but don't want to put on weight, you need to show some self-restraint and eat sensible amounts. And most importantly, don't forget to exercise for good health!