Drink Options Question

[Helkaahaien]

So I've been reading the Rebel Fitness Guide and noticed drink options are water and green tea. Questions are pretty forward.

 

1. Can I have fruit water? I usually drink plain water but now and than I need flavor so I cut up and fresh Fugi apple and put a cinnamon stick into a gallon of water and there you have it! Apple cinnamon water! Its great but is it okay? I don't see why it wouldn't be but ya know when you're a noob... you're a noob!

 

2. Is only Green Tea allowed or can I have Oolongs as well? I'm a tea drinker. I LOVE TEA! I go through 1-2 30oz pots of tea a day plus a gallon of water. I don't add sugar to my tea and its all loose leaf. General I drink Gyokuro Imperial Green tea & Maharaja Chai Oolong mixed 50/50 with Samurai Chai Mate tea.

 

I just want to make sure these are okay. Right now is best since I'm running low and will be soon out buying more tea if its ok. Again I don't see why it wouldn't since I drink loose leaf tea and make sure its all just tea, no sugar or additives but still you never know.

 

thanks for the help up front!

[Evicious]

I'm pretty sure the purpose of saying "only water or green tea" was to put solid limits on liquid caloric intake for people who forget how many calories there can be in "good for you" fruit juice (commercial, obviously), homemade sweet tea (southern style, of course!), soda (amazing how many people I know that had no clue there were 200 calories in just one can of fizzy-yum-yum), and various other options that generally include cupfulls of sugar/sugar substitute.

 

.... Wow, that was a long sentence....

 

Suffice it to say, I'm 99.9% certain that your whole-fruit-in-water is perfectly acceptable, as are your many different varieties of tea (unless you're concerned about your caffeine intake, but you can find those numbers through Google and make your own decision there).

 

When in doubt, research! And remember, nobody will ever have the perfect plan - exercise, diet, or otherwise - for you EXCEPT YOU. Absolutely seek advice where you need it, but never be scared to call your own shots either.

[Helkaahaien]

good to know. thank you! I don't know if I can live without my tea so its a staple!

[TeaKwonDo]

If it ain't nothing but leaves and water, all tea is good tea. Keep at it. <3

[catscratch]

I've been cutting down on my commercial fruit juices and sodas as well and replacing them with teas.  I'm definitely a novice tea consumer and don't know a lot of really good teas.  We have a place called Tea-vana (like nirvana but with tea!) at a mall nearby with AMAZING flavors and stuff.. but it's really expensive.  Any good suggestions for both cold and hot teas? 

[Zorch]

So I've been reading the Rebel Fitness Guide and noticed drink options are water and green tea. Questions are pretty forward.

 

1. Can I have fruit water? I usually drink plain water but now and than I need flavor so I cut up and fresh Fugi apple and put a cinnamon stick into a gallon of water and there you have it! Apple cinnamon water! Its great but is it okay? I don't see why it wouldn't be but ya know when you're a noob... you're a noob!

 

2. Is only Green Tea allowed or can I have Oolongs as well? I'm a tea drinker. I LOVE TEA! I go through 1-2 30oz pots of tea a day plus a gallon of water. I don't add sugar to my tea and its all loose leaf. General I drink Gyokuro Imperial Green tea & Maharaja Chai Oolong mixed 50/50 with Samurai Chai Mate tea.

 

Fruit water in the way you describe it is definitely okay.  The main goal is to stay away from high-calorie sweetened beverages.  If you are literally putting apples and cinnamon into water, that's not a lot of sugar and makes an excellent, totally healthy choice.

 

Also, Oolong tea is definitely fine.  Green tea is loved by many because of some of the antioxidants it has, but Oolong tea is good too.  As is black, herbal, and pretty much anything else.  Since you don't use sugar, any and all teas are good, healthy choices.

[Helkaahaien]

I've been cutting down on my commercial fruit juices and sodas as well and replacing them with teas.  I'm definitely a novice tea consumer and don't know a lot of really good teas.  We have a place called Tea-vana (like nirvana but with tea!) at a mall nearby with AMAZING flavors and stuff.. but it's really expensive.  Any good suggestions for both cold and hot teas? 

I LOVE Teavana!!!!! The trick with them is to shop their sales. A half pound of my Gyokuro Imperial Green tea usually runs around $55 but I bought it on sale and get 3lbs for $50 right after xmas! It is a great place to start as well since the staff is very friendly and willing to go over the simplest questions with you! So I suggest keeping them in the back of your mind and watch the sales! If I need tea and its not on sale at Teavana or I'm looking to try something new I go to local tea shops. They're everywhere you just have to look. Most are beyond willing to help sit down and show you the ropes of tea and find the flavors you like! Just google local tea shops or drive around! I currently live in a very small town and we have 2 small business shops that I LOVE! An since we've talked a lot they new order samples of weird teas for me to try that they usual don't carry! You'd be amazed at the crazy tea people out there!

 

Also I use to drink coffee.. only coffee and it had to be Starbucks. Now I get my Starbucks as a treat a max of 3x a month and drink tea the rest of the time. I just love the simple changes you can make with tea and have a whole new flavor!

 

Renegade - thank you! I try not to use added sugar to anything since it naturally usually is sweet enough for me! I just wasn't sure about the tea and the Paleo diet and I LOVE my black teas (I do a lot of english black tea too... after all Earl Grey kept Sir Patrick Stewart looking amazing!).

[Veralis]

I think the main goal is reduction of calories.  Another great option is squeezing the juice of half a lemon or lime into a large bottle of water.  It makes it tasty and tart.  I bought some Tevana last month and I found it unimaginably expensive.  You have to buy their dumb tins as well. I'm not going back.  Anyone want the tin?

 

There are much more economical options.  Stash and Twinings are high quality teas with natural ingredients many different flavors and are much cheaper.  I can't stand Celestial Seasonings anymore.  Bigelow is also pretty good.

[BadWolf]

Homemade fruit water is a-okay. I squeeze in some citrus fruit sometimes.

[Lateral Planet]

I'm a big time tea drinker too, but I definitely need to widen my selection!

Now that I'm no longer having my weekly large chocolate frappe from Maccas, and only having soft drink maybe once a week on social occasions, I'm having lots more tea. I'm not worried about caffeine because I drink it for the taste. Trouble is, in my usual English Breakfast I'll have three teaspoons of sugar! Granted, that's not as bad as the 16 spoons in a bottle of coke, but it's still way more than I really need.

So I just might have to keep an eye on the sales and hopefully discover some varieties I'll love even without sugar and milk. Then English Breakfast can just be my dessert tea

[zen]

When I first thought about dropping all juices and sodas from my diet I thought it would be hard, but actually I'm usually drinking those drinks with a meal anyway. So swapping them for water doent really make that much difference. Also I used to drink coffee just out of habit, so I've pretty much stopped doing that too