From matcha to bubble tea: The health wins and woes of your go-to drink

Whether it’s a morning matcha, smoothie, freshly-squeezed juice, bubble tea or some other concoction, drinks are the daily vice many of us rely on to get through the day.

But how much do we really know about the beverages we consume, often in the belief they are good for us? We asked an expert to weigh in and help us stack up their health wins and woes.

The unseen downsides of drinks

Sarah Fitzgerald, a NSW-based accredited dietitian and nutritionist with a special interest in sports dietetics, said people need to take care when reaching for their favourite drinks for a number of reasons.

“Because liquids require no chewing, we may not feel as full as quickly, making it easier to consume more calories before our brain registers we’ve had enough,” she told nine.com.au.

With this in mind, it can be easy to fill up on empty calories.

Read more

It's healthier than coffee, but is matcha worth the hype?

While she said matcha, for instance, contained antioxidants that assisted with reducing inflammation in the body, it also contained tannins, similar to those found in tea and coffee, which inhibited absorption of iron and calcium.

The trendy green drink also contains caffeine, which Fitzgerald said would “increase anxiety, cause sleep disturbances and cause GI upset for some individuals”. 

While many consider matcha to be a healthy option, Fitzgerald said people need to think about what else is in their drink.

“Added syrups and flavourings increase the sugar content, which may cause blood sugar spikes and energy crashes,” she said.

She said if you were watching your calorie intake, you would be better off reaching for a green tea.

“Green tea is a low-kilojoule beverage that can contribute to daily fluid intake and hydration,” she said.

But beware: green tea also contained caffeine that remained in the body for six to eight hours, disrupting sleep, and inhibiting absorption of iron and calcium.

“To minimise the impact on nutrient absorption, consume green tea between meals rather than with main meals,” Fitzgerald said, “and consider consuming it earlier in the day to reduce the likelihood of it affecting sleep quality.”

She said a protein smoothie was a much better alternative to matcha drinks.

“Adding protein to a smoothie will assist in reducing blood sugar spikes and energy crashes and help you feel fuller for longer,” she said.

She suggested adding a source of healthy fats, such as avocado, nuts, peanut butter or chia seeds, and carbohydrates such as oats and banana, to make a balanced meal.

But be warned, if you have a smoothie as a meal replacement, you might find yourself reaching for a snack later.

Read more

Why the days of coffee freebies and perks could be numbered

“As liquids are generally less satiating than solid foods, smoothies may not keep you full for as long as a whole-food meal and you may feel hungry again sooner,” she said.

Then there are traditional fruit smoothies and lassis. Fitzgerald suggested adding yoghurt, which is found in a lassi, to your smoothie to “help you feel fuller for longer and provide steadier energy by slowing digestion”.

Both are more sustaining than a fresh fruit juice.

While juice can help you reach your required servings of fruit a day, juicing removes fibre, which is important for gut health.

“Fibre is what can slow down the sugar in fruit hitting your blood stream quickly and causing blood sugar spikes and energy crashes,” Fitzgerald said.

However, both are a better alternative to her least favourite item on our list: bubble teas.

“Bubble tea contributes to fluid intake, which can help maintain hydration, and tea-based bubble teas may provide antioxidants that support overall health,” she said.

But they are often high in added sugar, provide limited protein or and might cause rapid increases in blood sugar levels followed by energy crashes.

“Bubble tea can be high in kilojoules while providing relatively little satiety, making it easy to consume excess energy and feel hungry again soon after consumption,” Fitzgerald said.

Read on to see Fitzgerald’s health ranking for each drink.

Matcha

Matcha is the intense green, finely-ground powder derived from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis green tea plant grown in shade to make them more oxidant-rich.

According to Harvard University, matcha is packed with phytochemicals (plant chemicals that offer a range of potential health benefits) and antioxidants, including catechins, that have been found to lower blood pressure while another is linked with improved cholesterol levels. 

Other chemicals, such as phytochemicals, have anti-inflammatory effects, while the amino acid L-theanine is associated with improved concentration and alertness, while antioxidants and polyphenols are linked with improved insulin sensitivity.

Read more

The confronting truth about my sweet treat habit

Matcha is known to make people feel both calm and alert, but without the crashes that can follow caffeine consumption.

Matcha originated in China in the 600s before making its way to Japan, but it didn’t take off in popularity in the West until about a decade ago, thanks in part to celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow and Kourtney Kardashian.

It was soon mixed with milk or plant-based derivatives to create matcha lattes and the like.

Fast forward to today, and matcha has taken on a life of its own.

Specialty drink bars such as Makers Daily offer all sorts of incarnations of the drink − dot cake iced matcha latte, anyone? − which those Chinese ancestors would likely not recognise.

This is where it gets tricky. Add a half a litre of milk, some sugar − found in many modern-day matcha powders − flavourings and even hundreds and thousands on top, and the health benefits of matcha have probably all but disappeared.

Antioxidants are also heat-sensitive, so preparing matcha with hot water could reduce the positive effects.

Then there are the calories. A standard café matcha latte from Starbucks served iced or hot contains 700 to 980 kJ, while a small Iced Strawberry Matcha Latte from McDonald’s contains 1180 kJ − something worth thinking about before reaching for a drink.

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5.

Pure green tea or ceremonial matcha 

If you want the benefits of matcha without the hidden calories, you might want to choose a green tea or ceremonial grade matcha. But be warned: not all are created equal.

Green tea comes from the leaves and buds of the Camellia sinensis plant − the same plant matcha is derived from.

Read more

Inside the ‘NASA nap’: The 26-minute habit that could change your life

Leaves are picked before the plant has undergone the withering and oxidation process that creates oolong teas and black teas.

Ceremonial grade matcha is the highest quality, premium Japanese green tea powder. It is made from the youngest, spring-harvested leaves and should be whisked with hot water and enjoyed on its own.

Verdict: 4 out of 5.

Protein smoothies

The past few years have seen a surge in protein-rich smoothies as more people cottoned on to the health benefits of adding more protein to your diet.

But these drinks are very calorie-dense, which is fine if your smoothie is a meal replacement.

While a pre-workout smoothie might be OK if you burn a lot of calories during the day, enjoying one apart from that might tip you over your recommended calorie intake for the day.

“They can contribute a significant amount of kilojoules, particularly when consumed as a snack rather than a meal,” Fitzgerald said.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5.

Fruit smoothies and lassis

Fruit smoothies and the lesser-known lassi both combine fresh fruit and a liquid.

While a smoothie is usually blended with a milk, or plant-based variations, a lassi includes yoghurt.

Smoothies originated in the 1960s and 1970s, and were marketed as a health drink. Ingredients include fresh or frozen fruit, blended with milk, juice, water and ice. The most common fruits used are bananas, mangoes and berries.

They grew in popularity in Australia thanks to chains such as Boost Juice. More recently, they got a healthy makeover, with a popular green smoothie adding in things like spinach, avocado and seeds such as flaxseed, chia and hemp seeds. 

Lassis are a traditional Indian beverage originating from the Punjab region. Long considered the “original smoothie”, they rely on a yoghurt base.

The drink dates back to around 1000BC, and was made by whisking fermented milk with water, salt, sugar, and spices, including cumin or cardamom. Later, mango was added and the lassi became the sweet fruit-based drink we know today.

After it was embraced by western culture, other fruits were substituted for mango.

While Fitzgerland said blending fruit “breaks down the fibre structure and may make smoothies less filling than whole fruit”, they were still a convenient way to meet the recommended two serves of fruit each day.

“Adding a source of protein such as protein powder, Greek yoghurt, or plain yoghurt like in lassis can help you feel fuller for longer and provide steadier energy by slowing digestion,” she said.

Verdict: 4 out of 5.

Sweet and bubble teas

Bubble tea, or boba, is a tea-based beverage originating in Taiwan in the 1980s, consisting of a brewed tea base mixed with milk, fruit syrups or sweeteners. Many are finished with chewy bubbles of sweet tapioca. 

Standard tea orders at popular chains include a base of either a traditional black or green tea, a sweet fruit-based infusion, and a milk component.

Sweeteners include syrups or brown sugar, while the bubble toppings could be real tapioca pearls made from root of the cassava plant, or alternatives such as popping boba, fruit jellies or egg pudding. 

But beware: these drinks can be high in sugar and fat.

Chatime’s signature drink, the Thai Pearl Milk Tea with tapioca pearls, contains 2750kJs (large). The average adult daily energy intake is 8700kJs.

Bubble teas can also be high in sugar. A standard 473 ml serving commonly contains 20 to 50 grams of sugar – which is the total recommended daily allowance for an adult set by The World Health Organisation.

You can make your bubble tea healthier by passing on the added sugar or syrups, using skim or plant-based milk alternatives instead of condensed milk, skipping the bubbles for aloe vera or chia seeds, or simply having a plain tea.

Verdict: 2 out of 5.

Fruit juices

Fruit juices contain vitamins that are important to overall health, according to Fitzgerald.

She said oranges, grapefruit, lemon, and kiwi juices are rich in vitamin C, which helps support the immune system, while mango and apricot juices provide vitamin A (from beta-carotene), which is important for immune function, vision, and healthy skin.

Pomegranate and berry juices also contain vitamin C as well as antioxidants that help protect cells from damage.

But because juicing removes the fibre content, the sugar from the fruit will hit your blood stream quickly and cause blood sugar spikes and energy crashes.

Verdict: 3 out of 5.