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Posted 5/20/2009 6:34 PM (GMT 0)
With the economy in the toilet, I've been making more tea and stopped all the soda in the house, who can afford to go through a 2 ltr of Coke a day? LOL Since caffine and HFC are no no's I thought I'd share my sweet tea recipe with yall. To start with you need a 1 gal plastic pitcher, filled with HOT water, from the tap, no need to boil, then put in 8 pekote tea bags, 8 green tea bags and 8 chamomile tea bags (small bags not fam sized) let it steep for about an hr then add sugar or splenda to taste and stick in the fridge.

It has less caffine than regular tea, and the chamomile is a naturally sweeter so less sugar or splenda is needed and then all the bonus anti-oxidants of green tea. And for 10 gal it only costs about $7 as well.
Posted 5/20/2009 9:28 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the recipe ms cvbar.   Have you tried fruit juice and carbonated water?  I've thought of that, but never really tried it.

Sue

ps: since you talk about making tea because of the economy, have you tried making your own yogurt or bagels?  I read an article somewhere that said it is cheaper than buying and tastes a lot better too.

Posted 5/21/2009 5:06 AM (GMT 0)
OK, recipe exchange time...lol

One thing I used to love but hated the price was Peach Snapple...or most of the Snapple flavors and they come in sugar free. Yummy! But the price does add up. I found somewhere online a long time ago just how easy it is to make. It's nothing more than ice tea, peach flavoring and sweetener. That's it! You can buy the flavoring at the grocery store...just regular coffee flavors like Torani and others...or I go to a small Cash & Carry which is a store for small restaurants and mini marts. They sell to anyone but few know it. The bottles of flavoring are about 1/3 to 1/2 the price of grocery stores.

We make a gallon of ice tea, add about 2 tablespoons +/- and some splenda. Hubby take 1/2 gallon to work each day. Sometimes we alter the peach and substitute orange, root beer, vanilla, peanut butter...whatever you like.

Enjoy,
Chutzie
Posted 5/21/2009 12:25 PM (GMT 0)
I have found a store brand of sparkling mineral water with a hint of lemon. I really like it. Truthfully, I hate water. I don't know why, I have trouble swallowing so drinking water makes me feel like I'm drowning. I can't sip it, like I can tea, coffee (very limited quantities), and sparkling water.

Posted 5/21/2009 10:00 PM (GMT 0)
yum chutz! Thanks!!
Posted 6/4/2009 1:27 AM (GMT 0)
this is how I sweeten my iced tea :)

For a whole gallon ...
take a glass measuring cup
fill to 1/2 C. line with honey
add maple syrup to same measuring cup up to 3/4 C. line
add regular sugar until same cup is filled to 1 C. line
Microwave for at least 30 seconds to melt the sugar (this is why you used a glass cup)
Mix with tea.
Posted 6/4/2009 4:04 AM (GMT 0)
Hi there my fibro-homies. I am newly diagnosed with this, as previously stated in earlier posts by me, and now I have a question. MrsCavBar says that caffeine and HFC are no-nos for people with fibro...well, I didn't know that. I don't go to a regular doctor, as I can't afford it. I go to a clinic that has regular doctors working there, but with very limited resources and time, so I'm left to kind of search out info on my own. Firstly, I would like to know what the heck is an HFC? And secondly, I was wondering if any of you knew what else I should be avoiding? I tried searching here on these forums, and came up with nothing...which of course I could be doing it wrong, I wouldn't put it passed myself. Also, my brother told me that he was reading about fibro (super supportive family), and he read that something in diet soda has been linked to fibro, anyone know anything about that? Thanks in advance for any replies I get. Here's wishing you all a comfortable day :)
Posted 6/4/2009 4:27 AM (GMT 0)
Mrs. T. I am pretty sure that hfc is high fructose corn syrup. so why it isn't called hfcs is beyond me!
Sue
Posted 6/4/2009 4:55 AM (GMT 0)
Mrs. T.
Caffeine is not recommended for fibro people because it can cause muscle spasms, heart palpitations, and disrupt sleep. High fructose corn syrup (HFC) is not supposed to be good for anyone. The artificial sweeteners in diet soda cause problems for some people, you can google Nutrasweet, Equal, and Splenda side effects to learn more. Much of what you find will be people's opinions but some actual studies show problems with artificial sweeteners.

Caffeine, HFC, and artificial sweeteners can affect your blood glucose levels if you are sensitive. Many people with fibro are hypoglycemic which means their blood sugar drops too low or suddenly after eating/drinking high glycemic foods.

If you slowly cut back on whatever sweetener you use, you can learn to like unsweetened beverages such as tea. Natural or crystallized lemon, lime or orange can be added to seltzer water to give it some flavor. Cut back verrrrry slowly. I have a major sweet tooth but I now prefer my beverages unsweetened.
Posted 6/5/2009 2:31 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much for the recipe, Mrs. Cavbar. I will definately try it! I love chamomile tea's natural sweetness, so mixing it with other flavors sounds wonderful.

I have been looking for a really good diet coke substitute, since I am an admitted addict to the stuff.
Posted 6/5/2009 5:53 PM (GMT 0)
Mrs. T,

From what I've read in my research (I don't have a doctor either) you should avoid acidic foods/drinks, caffeine and alcohol. High fructose corn syrup in large quantities is definitely a no no. Oh, and according to some of the medical websites I've read, you should avoid MSG (monosodium glutamate) too.

This is gonna put you on a very limited diet because there's HFC in everything even ketchup and bread! I cut it out of my diet years ago - but if you find something that says "all natural" there's a 99% chance that it doesn't have HFC or MSG in it.
Posted 6/5/2009 6:00 PM (GMT 0)

And if you are trying to cut back, don't try McDonald's sweet tea!  That threw me way off course!  Then I looked online and found out it was 230 calories!!!

I don't know what this means: also looked up calories for honey, raw sugar and white sugar and honey and raw sugar have more calories than white sugar!  I had been using honey and raw sugar because I thought they were better.   Apparently you can make your own stevia sugar substitute from the stevia plant.  I have one growing and it will be ready to harvest in the fall.  I will let you know how that goes.

I also found a great recipe for homemade bread.  I use the bread machine to knead it then cook it in the oven.  No hfc and no hydrogenated fats and only a teeny amount of butter.  I used it for a sandwich yesterday and I was full for a long time after.  If anyone wants the recipe, let me know and i will post.

hugs,

Sue

Posted 6/5/2009 7:59 PM (GMT 0)
Patheral, I think you are on the right track. I do not believe anything labeled "organic" can have high fructose corn syrup.
Posted 6/5/2009 11:41 PM (GMT 0)
I read somewhere that either Coke or Pepsi is coming out with a stevia sweetened version soon. If anyone sees it for sale, let me know!
Posted 6/5/2009 11:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hey, Dagger, count me in for that notification! I will definately try it. Not that it will be a health-drink, or anything....:)
Posted 6/6/2009 12:09 AM (GMT 0)

KerriH said...
Patheral, I think you are on the right track. I do not believe anything labeled "organic" can have high fructose corn syrup.

Organic definitely does not have HFC in it, but most "all natural" or "100% natural" things do not either... but they will have corn syrup.
Posted 6/11/2009 5:27 AM (GMT 0)
I discovered a brand called Honest Tea ... I like their Peach Tea :)
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