Is Sweet Tea Worse than Soda? Sugar and Health Impact Comparison

Understanding Sweet Tea and Soda

Both sweet tea and soda are popular beverage choices in many parts of the world. However, with large amounts of added sugar and few other nutrients, are these drinks truly hydrating? And which option is “worse” in terms of health effects?

What is Sweet Tea?

Sweet tea refers to iced black tea with sugar added while the tea is hot during brewing, creating a supersaturated sugar solution. It is a staple of Southern U.S. cuisine. The amount of sugar makes homemade sweet tea higher in calories than soda.

What Defines Soda?

Sodas are carbonated soft drinks made by dissolving CO2 gas into a liquid. This liquid often contains sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, natural and artificial flavors, coloring agents, and preservatives like sodium benzoate.

Comparing Sweet Tea and Soda as Hydration Sources

Proper daily hydration is important for health. Could drinks with added sugars like sweet tea and soda effectively contribute?

Fluid Content

All non-alcoholic beverages provide some level of hydration. Energy drinks aside, most sodas and sweet tea contain 88-95% water. Yet drinking calories via added sugars doesn’t allow achieving optimum hydration efficiency.

Nutritional Value

Both sweet tea and soda offer little to no nutritional value while containing 10-40+ grams of added sugar per 12 oz serving. By contrast, fruit juices, coconut water, milk, and vegetable juices all provide vital electrolytes, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Hydration Capacity

Because of the solutes glucose and fructose, the two main sugars in soda and sweet tea reduce hydration capacity compared to water. Glucose decreases effective fluid absorption the most. So soda with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may hydrate slightly better than sweet tea.

Sweet Tea vs. Soda: Which Has More Sugar & Calories?

With little nutrition beside carbohydrate calories, comparing sweet tea and soda’s sugar content helps determine which option contains less health impact.

Total Sugar Content

Home-brewed sweet tea often contains more total sugar than soda, with over 70 grams per 16 oz serving, since home recipes don't follow any guidelines. With upwards of 44 grams per 12 oz can, most regular sodas still have copious added sugar content.

Calorie Density

The extreme sugar levels make sweet tea one of the highest calorie beverages available. A 16 oz take-out restaurant sweet tea can blast through daily sugar limits, containing up to 440 calories, more than 2-3 sodas worth. Comparatively, most 12 oz sodas still ring in around 150 calories.

Teaspoons of Sugar Equivalent

When translated to teaspoons of sugar, a typical 20 oz bottle of soda equates to about 10-12 tsp of straight sugar. However, a glass of sweet tea from a shop or restaurant may equal 15-20+ teaspoons of sugar in a single serving - absolutely massive amounts.

Negative Health Impacts of Drinking Sweet Tea and Soda

Consuming beverages with excess added sugars like soda and sweet tea regularly over time carries risks including:

Weight Gain

The calories in both sweet tea and soda can lead to fat storage and obesity when consumed routinely. However, sweet tea prepared very sweet may promote more weight gain compared to soda.

Type 2 Diabetes

Daily intake of sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. However, sweet tea’s extreme sugar levels pose an even more significant risk for diabetes than soda.

Liver Disease

Excess fructose from sweetened drinks requires processing by liver enzymes. Over time, this metabolic overdrive stresses the liver, contributing to fatty liver disease. Again, routinely consuming very sweet tea may stress the liver equal or beyond soda consumption patterns.

Tooth Decay

Soda gets more attention for harming dental health, but sweet tea can be equally detrimental. Bacteria feed on leftover sugars, producing enamel-eroding acid. Without good dental hygiene, excessive sweet tea intake promotes widespread cavities.

Tips for Reducing Intake of Sweet Tea, Soda, and Other Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

Here are suggestions to cut back on sweet tea, soda, and other sugary drinks in your diet:

Dilute with More Water

Add extra water or sparkling water to thin out sweet tea and soda’s sugar concentration. This decreases calorie load while still providing flavor interest.

Flavor Infused Waters

Expand water drinking enjoyment by introducing sliced fruit, fruit purees, herbs, vegetables, or 100% fruit juices to your glass or pitcher. Cold brew tea blends also make tasty alternatives to presweetened options.

Look for Low-Sugar or Diet Options

Seeking out low-sugar or sugar-free soda options reduces calories and carbohydrate load. Unfortunately most diet teas still contain artificial sweeteners with questionable long term health impacts.

Occasional Special Treats Only

Rather than daily go-to choices, shift mindset to viewing sweet tea and soda as occasional splurge treats. Planning ahead helps moderate portion sizes for celebrations and social events only.

The Verdict: Is Sweet Tea Ultimately Worse Than Soda?

Both regularly sipping soda and especially very sugary sweet tea throughout the day every day undoubtedly harm long term health. But when it comes to which is the “worse” option, sweet tea usually proves more damaging due to extreme homebrew sugar levels.

Moderating all added sugar intake allows enjoying treats in balance. But avoiding making sweet tea and soda daily habits protects wellbeing.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.