Bubble Tea Modern fattening

Techniker health insurance company warns against thick bubbling tea

05/21/2012

Bubble Tea is currently popular among children and adolescents as a fashion drink, but the enormous dosage of its (fruit) sugar when consumed regularly threatens significant health problems. Especially children should therefore not take too much of the fashion drink, warns the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) in a recent release.

Occasionally the impression arises that each generation has its own very special soft drinks. Energy drinks, for example, enjoyed a popularity that was barely comprehensible on account of their taste, and the consumption of alcopops (mixed drinks made from alcohol and lemonade) was so widespread among adolescents that they were forced to intervene. Now Bubble Tea is on everyone's lips instead and is rapidly becoming a trendy drink. But health insurance companies and doctors warn against the fashion drink - because bubble tea is a true calorie bomb and in small children threatens swallowing.

Not a thirst quencher but a fattener
Bubble Tea is made with the help of extremely high calorie fruit syrup and also contains chewing gum-like globules, which are additionally sweetened. Thus, the calorie content of the tea beverage is 300 to 500 calories per 200 milliliters, which corresponds to about a third of the daily energy needs of a child, said the nutritionist of the TK, Mechthild Fröhlich. It is therefore urgently recommended not to drink regular bubble tea as the risk of obesity and other complications such as diabetes or cardiovascular complaints increases significantly later in life as a result of the calorie bombs. The consumer should be clear, „rather, that he takes a sweetie rather than a thirst-quencher ", Mechthild Fröhlich emphasized in the press release of the TK-Landesvertretung Rheinland-Pfalz According to the experts, the bubble tea is one „liquid fattening agent“.

Bubble tea with risk of swallowing for toddlers
Almost three months ago, the Association of Paediatricians (BVKJ) had already warned in a press release about health risks of the Bubble Teas for children, but referred to the risk of lung collapse by swallowing the contained globules. The BVKL saw here especially small children at risk. The overweight risk from the calorie bombs, which was the occasion for the warning of TK, was, however, out. The nutrition expert of the TK describes the dissolved sugar in the liquid as the „basically treacherous on soft drinks,“ because „In this way, we usually consume more sugar than we realize.“ According to Mechthild Fröhlich this is one of the reasons that „Soft drinks also quickly boost the weight“ to let.

Water the best thirst quencher
As an alternative to the high-calorie soft drinks, the TK expert recommends, for example, fruit juice spritzers or fruit teas that are as tasteful as popular soft drinks. If in doubt, the tea can also be sweetened with a little honey. Anyone who does not attach particular importance to the taste should, according to the experts on the best thirst quencher par excellence: water. Whereby both tap water and mineral, spring and table water are equally well suited. The cheapest option is „the cool water from the tap“ and numerous studies by independent institutes have shown that tap water is better than its reputation, according to the TK. (Fp)

Also read about Bubble Tea:
Lung collapse due to bubble teas

Image: Claudia Hautumm