Alternative hot drinks to tea?

[TheBitchOfTheVicar]

I am slightly addicted to milky, sweet tea. I also love a full-fat latte. My lardy arse, not so much! I'm looking for lower-sugar and lower-cal options.

Camomile is my herbal of choice, but it usually doesn't hit the spot as a satisfying, filling drink.

I have just drunk a cup of miso soup, used to drink oxo or bovril so am thinking about going back to that instead.

Does anyone have any other ideas for a satisfying hot drink?

I'm a coffee girl but when I was pregnant I couldn't stomach it but craved hot drinks. I drank a lot of horlicks and ovaltine!

I’ve weaned myself off the sugar in my tea. I really didn’t think I could. I thought I’d never like it without sugar, but actually now it’s ok!

It took time, and there were a few hiccups when I went back to full sugar. But I’ve decided that unsweetened tea is better than any of the alternatives!

Options hot chocolate ? Lots of different flavours !

Check out Pukka and Teapigs teas - Peppermint & Liquorice is fab, also Detox. I grate fresh ginger into Cinnamon & Liquorice (Pukka) tea too. There are HEAPS of nice herbals - it's not all grim peach and lemongrass nonsense. I love warming spices.

Or get into good coffee - get properly roasted beans from your local indie cafe or order online from a good coffee subscription service (NOT the supermarket!!!) and buy an Aeropress or V60 and get brewing.

On the other hand, there's also yummy yummy Horlicks! Or Ovaltine! Can you still even get that? But that doesn't really match the low sugar, low cal criteria...

Liquorice is naturally very sweet-tasting, btw. It's almost impossible to believe that peppermint & liquorice tea doesn't have sugar in it.

I needed to get off tea for a while so I drank hot water with slices of fresh ginger and a teaspoon of honey. I did put lemon juice in it at first but I realised that I preferred the drink without it

Not Horlicks! I got hooked on that at university and was similarly worried about the calorie content, so started drinking fruit tea instead. I agree a lot of fruit tea is pretty tasteless but there are some good ones out there if you keep trying.

That sounds nice geologyrocks. I’m fighting a cold at the moment so drinking lots of honey & lemon juice in hot water, might try fresh ginger for a change.

Green tea? Comes in lots of different flavours these days. I've started drinking the mint one once a day and I actually like it, didn't think I would. I like 'chai tea' with milk and turmeric, cinnamon etc but that's probably quite calorific.

Tea is pretty low cal - just cut out the sugar. Apparently it takes 14 cups and then you get used to it. I can vouch for that; always had sugar in tea until I worked somewhere nobody else did and they always forgot to get it. Can’t touch sugar now.....and I love tea more than anything!

I drink tea with skimmed milk but since I've been watching my calorie intake and only like creamy coffee, I'd stopped drinking it (used to use full fat). I've since discovered almond milk, which at 16 cals per 100mls makes a really gorgeous creamy coffee for far fewer calories.

I also use almond milk to make chai latte. Chai teabags, steeped in a third of a cup of boiling water, topped with almond milk then heated up (I use the microwave). It is absolutely delicious and really nice low calorie alternative to the usual hot drinks.

Sorry, I meant to say that almond milk is 13 calories per 100mls, not 16.

Twinings buttermint tea is lovely! Tastes sweet and like a treat but theres no sugar!!

Also if you get any fruity teas leave the teabag in. I love cherry and cinnamon and sweet rhubarb but I have to leave the tea bag in

I love chai latte,it's in a pink tub from Tesco/Asda. Quite sweet tasting without sugar.Also gluten free which I find helps my ibs.

I cant get into fruit/herbal teas, just not punchy enough, im a coffee drinker.

When i want something hot and not coffee i either warm up apple or apple and raspberry juice in the microwave or have a hot squash made with boiling water.

Warm apple juice is great if stirred with a cinnamon stick, yum!

If you're after savoury do try Marigold veg bouillon in a cup as a hot drink.

@spicygirl26 I worry that Horlicks and ovaltine will just be my milky, sweet replacements!

Some great suggestions, thanks.

For a filling drink fruit tea or similar just won't cut it 😕 it has to feel substantial if that makes sense.

I have drink tea in various ways over the years - just addicted to the sugar part at the moment and don't want to be!

I drink red bush tea (but I don't drink milk anyway) but I find cup soups are a good option to fill fuller

Drink me Chai, vanilla is amazing. Also Green tea with Jasmine, just add honey.
Also look into golden lattes (skinny).

Well no advice really, I have a kitchen full of herbal/exotic teas (and I do genuinely enjoy them all), but nothing is a real substitute for a lovely cuppa.

Anecdotally, sweet tea might be a better option for your waistline than trying to fill a void with other food. (Personal experience and have you watched supersize vs superskinny? Half of the skinnies seem to live on sweets/sweet tea lol).

I love hot Ribena

I always go off coffee in the summer, last year I drank green tea with lemon, and peppermint infusion, both from Aldis and very nice and refreshing too.
For a treat I sometimes have a bottle of liptons peach flavoured tea, but I don't know if you can drink it hot.

Gradually cut down on the amount of sugar in your tea until you can leave it out entirely? Might be easier than suddenly leaving out the sugar. A mug of tea with skimmed milk is not high in calories. If you want zero calories, maybe a herbal tea containing cinnamon and/or vanilla (tastes sweet)

I was a 3 sugars in my coffee kinda girl. I just reduced by half a tea spoon each week. I now have no sugar and can’t stand sugar in coffee. It’s just allowing yourself to get used to it. I’ve recently switched to soya milk also (not sure about the calorie/sugar content compared to semi skimmed milk) and that only took a matter of days to adjust.