How Many Calories In A Cup Of Tea

01/8 How many calories does chai have?

Chai or tea is one of the most popular drinks around the world. Chai is among the most addictive drinks and a lot of people cannot think of starting their day without their favourite cuppa. It has antioxidant properties, and has a natural calming effect. The preparation of tea varies from place to place depending to spices used to prepare it. For us Indians, life is incomplete without our masala chai which is prepared with milk, tea leaves, sugar and a variety of spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, fennel and ginger among others. But do you realise how many calories you are consuming by having just a few cups of tea?

02/8 The calories

A mug of chai made with whole milk contains 200 calories which is more than a can of soda. The same beverage made with soy milk contains 180 calories, while one with non-fat milk contains 160 calories. Adding half a cup of non-fat milk and half a tbsp of honey to your tea will reduce it to 75 calories. If the quantity of tea varies, then the calories also vary.

03/8 Calories in tea depends on two factors

- How much sugar do you use.

- Which milk you use - high fat or skimmed milk.

04/8 How to count calories in chai

- 100 ml of single toned milk has around 58 calories.

- One tbsp of sugar has approximately 48 calories, while one tsp of sugar has 20 calories.

- There are 62 calories in 100 ml of whole milk with 49% fat, 30% carbs, 21% protein.

05/8 What's chai good for?

Prevents diabetes: Spices in chai, may assist in regulating blood sugar levels by increasing the insulin sensitivity in the body.

Improves digestion: Chai is highly acidic in nature but when you add ginger and fennel, it aids in digestion.

Reduces cancer risk: Chai spices such as cardamom, cinnamon and ginger are full of antioxidants and phytochemicals with cancer-prevention properties.

Relieves PMS: Cinnamon and ginger also help in balancing the hormonal disturbance and alleviate pain associated with premenstrual syndrome.

But to reap above benefit you must have milk free and sugar free tea.

06/8 Healthier option to masala tea

Try drinking ginger cinnamon tea which uses only one tbsp of honey for 5 cups of tea which accounts for only 5 calories in one cup of ginger cinnamon tea. Tulsi tea is yet another good option.

07/8 How much caffeine is in chai?

A cup of chai contains 40 mg of caffeine (4 oz of black tea) compared to roughly 12 mg in an average cup of coffee. A strong cup of black coffee has about 120 milligrams of caffeine whereas Indian masala tea contain 67 to 78 milligrams of caffeine.

08/8 Ways to make tea healthier

Shun the sugar: Sugar increases the number of calories with zero nutritional value in your tea. Sugar in tea can spike the blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process which is very unhealthy for your body.

Choose organic tea: Organic tea is the best option if you want to avail all the health benefits of tea.

Add lemon juice: Adding lemon juice to your cup of tea will increase the nutritional value of your tea.

Try avoiding milk and cream: Adding milk increases extra calories to your tea. Just skip the milk and opt for low-fat options as they are lower in calories.