Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

How to enjoy tea without sugar?

70 replies

LeroyIshy · 02/12/2018 20:38

I'm a tea drinker. 4/5 cups a day. That's 5 spoons of sugar a day and I'm trying to cut down. I'm not overweight but would like to be healthier.

AIBU to think that as someone who has had sugar in their tea for as long as I can remember, I'll never quite enjoy it as much without?

No sweetener I've ever tried seems to have done the trick!

OP posts:
TheNewSchmoo · 02/12/2018 20:54

I went to 0 and hated it for about 2 weeks. It becomes the norm

SerenDippitty · 02/12/2018 20:54

I just stopped taking it at some point, I can’t remember when but it didn’t take me long to get used to it.

thenightsky · 02/12/2018 20:55

go cold turkey. It worked for me. 2 spoons to nothing after suffering horrendous toothache one day. It took 48 hours of going yuk and I've not looked back.

Mayvis · 02/12/2018 20:56

I cut down from 2 spoonfuls to 1 then none. Haven't had sugar in it for 5 years now and I still drink tea by the gallon. I've accidentally drunk my husband's sugary tea and it tastes vile to me now. It took me about a week to get used to having no sugar, just have to persevere.

Ilovealexa · 02/12/2018 20:56

I couldn’t have tea with now!
Only ever managed half a spoonful but even that would make me gag now.

Tis deeeeeelish without

VenelopeVonSweetz · 02/12/2018 20:56

Have you tried Agave syrup?

I’ve stopped having sugar in my tea now since having it as a substitute.

Omgineedanamechange · 02/12/2018 20:57

Just ditch it. Honestly, it’ll take a couple of weeks, during which it tastes rank, but you will get there.

Ilovealexa · 02/12/2018 20:59

Can’t remember why I stopped tbh! Always had one sweetener where available.

thenightsky · 02/12/2018 20:59

Agave is fructose, which is sugar in different form.

Toptheginup · 02/12/2018 21:00

I weaned from having 3 then gradually 2 then 1 now only like a few grains in, that was over a period of years.

GruciusMalfoy · 02/12/2018 21:02

I used to take sugar in coffee, and just went cold turkey with it. Your taste buds will adjust in time, probably quicker than you think.

Happyhouralways · 02/12/2018 21:08

I went cold turkey when my work place had no sugar as no one else had it (& I was feeling too skint/tight to buy any) After about 2 weeks no longer missed it. 10 years later still going sugar free

CryHavoc · 02/12/2018 21:12

I agree with everyone who has said to go cold turkey. I gave it up for Lent when I was about 12 (Catholic school) and by the time Easter came around tea with sugar was gross. Husband gave up two spoons of sugar in coffee in the same way when we low carbed, and we've never offered daughter tea with sugar in so she has never developed a taste for it. Tea is delicious without sugar.

BunsOfAnarchy · 02/12/2018 21:12

You'll have to do it gradually.
I went from having 2 heaped sugars in coffee...to 1.5 then slowly 1 then slowly half a spoon and then nothing at all.
When i went from 2 spoons to zero it was too big a change and it tasted like absolute shit.
Gradual weaning is the way 😁

BunsOfAnarchy · 02/12/2018 21:13

Also, my weaning from 2 sugars to now zero took approx a month.

Blanchedupetitpois · 02/12/2018 21:13

Have less each time then push through til you have the taste for it without. I now can’t bear it with sugar.

AnonymousIndividual · 02/12/2018 21:14

I used to have 3 sugars in my tea!

I cut back by half a teaspoon per week and cannot bear sugar in tea or coffee any more.

Honestly, it's not that hard Smile.

SwedishEdith · 02/12/2018 21:14

I weaned. From 2 to nil. Took a while though. I can tell if the spoon has stirred a sugary tea before mine now.

Nacreous · 02/12/2018 21:15

I had to change tea type at the same time for a while. I also drank more roiboos, as it's sweeter. I drank sweet tea for a good 6 years, and giving up was hard but I'm glad I did.

TowerRavenSeven · 02/12/2018 21:15

It took me over a year to get used to coffee without sugar, at least two to really enjoy it. Now I put in a 1/2 tsp as a treat maybe twice a week.

Aus84 · 02/12/2018 21:16

Took two weeks exactly for me. Cold turkey because we wanted to go ‘sugar free’ just to see if we could do it! I could never go back to sugar in my tea now, and I actually enjoy it so much more.

BunsOfAnarchy · 02/12/2018 21:17

P.s all the posters that went cold turkey...i salute you!

HopeIsNotAStrategy · 02/12/2018 21:17

I have a quarter of a teaspoonful in a mug.

People think I’m weird. They think I mean at least half a teaspoon. They think it’s so little it can’t make any difference, but it does.

It just takes the bitterness off the leaves and it’s lovely.

InspectorIkmen · 02/12/2018 21:19

As previously mentioned - try Xylitol (brand name Total Sweet). It’s much sweeter than sugar with absolutely no artificial taste - it’s a natural product and not disgusting like stevia. I take less than a quarter teaspoon now and not at all in coffee.
Just be aware that Xylitol is lethal to dogs.

psicat · 02/12/2018 21:21

I cut right back to a small spoon of sugar but I couldn't get any further for years - until I went cold turkey. Both tea and coffee. I would say it took about 2/3 weeks for it to taste "normal" but now I can't stand anything in drinks. I can even taste if someone has used the same spoon after putting sugar in theirs if they don't rinse it.

One exception - couple of times when I've been really ill (eg flu) I've had a small sugar for extra energy and that has been fine but only when I'll. Once better I can't stand taste of it again Grin

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.