Monday, January 6, 2014

EXPOSED: Arizona Iced Teas

Hello and Happy New Years Clean Eaters! I am so excited to be back and to be writing my first official post of 2014! How was the holiday season been for everyone? I know that mines has been boring but pretty soon I will be back on campus and back in the swing of things. For now, I will be focusing on a piece about labels and how they can trick you in to thinking that a food is healthier than it really is.
To start, you should always read your labels for health information such as fat, calories, vitamins, fiber, and the such. But, how many of your are reading the ingredients? It is easy to look at a product that is labelled "natural" or one that is has green pastures or fruit all over the packaging and to assume that it is healthy but don't be fooled! The term natural is a vague meaning that many companies use as a marketing gimmick. Because there is no legal meaning for "natural foods", food companies are free to use whichever ingredients they see fit...regardless of hormones, additives, or sweeteners that are in the product. Below, I am going to show you an example using a popular iced tea beverage.

Take for example, Arizona Iced Teas. These cheap beverages have become a staple across college campuses. They are available for $1.00 nationwide and is available everywhere from campus convenience stores to big grocery chains.  At first glance, one may assume that these green tea beverages are healthy. However, if you take a look at the ingredient label, you will find that the can is full of sugar, sugar, and more sugar. While the packaging may boast of how natural it is, watch out for the high sugar content. This is just one of the many varieties of "natural teas" that Arizona is making.

If you are REALLLLLY craving green tea on the go, then unfortunately there is no cheap alternative to it. Your only two options are to brew it yourself, keep green tea bags with you at all times, or go to Starbucks. If you order the iced green tea with no sweeteners, then you will be fine since the tall sizes contain 3 pumps of syrup!
-Eating Clean in College

5 comments:

  1. The green tea has 17 g for a whOle huge can. That is not a ton of sugar. Most packaged tea has more like 26 grams for a smaller bottle.

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    1. That's just the amount of sugar per serving. There is 17g of sugar but there is 3 servings so technically there is 51g of sugar in an Arizona Tea can.

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  2. I'm looking at the label right now, Arizona half and half iced tea has 13g of sugar and all natural flavors and juices. For one dollar you can get a huge bottle or can. I don't see a problem with these unless you drink 4 cans a day

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  3. I'm looking at the same can and there are approximately 3 serving per container so 13x3 is 39 grams of sugar a can

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  4. All tea leaves contain several naturally-occurring nutrients believed to boost metabolism and aid in meeting weight loss goals. Dietitians and nutritionists agree that tea can be beneficial for whole body health as well as weight goals. Weight Loss Tea

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