Iced Tea Recipes

By: Stacy Kennedy, MPH, RD, CSO, LDN; Reboot Nutritionist

Today is National Iced Tea Day! Second only to water, tea is the next. Tea played a key role in American history; think back to the Boston Tea Party. New Englanders are among the greatest tea consumers although down-South tea, sweet tea in particular, is prevalent. In 2014 Americans drank over 3 billion gallons of tea, with 85% being iced!

Tea, like many foods, can either be really healthy or sabotage your best intentions for clean eating, all depending on the context. Tea consumption has been linked to . Tea is rich in immune supportive phytonutrients like polyphenols, including catechins and epicatechins like ECGC and others found in green tea. The optimal amount of tea per day generally ranges from 1-3 cups. But more is not always better. Excessive tea intake has been connected to, due to oxalate content, may be detrimental for heart health because of caffeine or increased risk for obesity and diabetes when tea is loaded with added sugar.

Looking for a fresh, natural way to enjoy iced tea without all the added sugar and empty calories? This Iced Tea “Juice” can quench your thirst and nourish your body.

Ingredients:

• 1 peach
• 1 orange
• 2 carrots
• 8-10 oz herbal tea
• ½ lemon
• 1 tsp honey (optional)
• ice (optional)

Directions:

1. Wash all produce well.
2. Peel orange and lemon.
3. Cut flesh off peach pit, discard pit.
4. Juice lemon, peach, orange, carrot.
5. Boil water and steep tea.
6. Once tea has cooled, combine with juice, pour over ice and enjoy!

Substitutions:

• Orange – apple
• Carrot – sweet potato
• Peach – nectarine, orange
• Lemon – lime

Servings: 1

Yields and nutritional information are estimated and will vary depending on produce size and equipment used.