The FastDay Forum

First fast day without milk in my tea. Actually, if you close your eyes it doesn't taste bad!

I have recently switched to always having my tea without milk after a bad experience with out of date milk put me off. I was initially quite worried I would never properly enjoy tea again but now drink Earl Grey which IMO tastes much better black than normal tea. I can't drink pg tips black anymore, tastes like floor sweepings. Worth a try if you have trouble adjusting.

I hate Earl Grey or any "scented" tea, actually. I'm happy with my Barry's tea at the moment. I am feeling a bit sicky though at the moment because my stomach is empty. Hoping it'll go away if I just ignore it - otherwise I'll have to eat a banana. Wanted to save my calories till later but maybe I'm just not built that way!

I have been missing my tea without milk but have been having green tea with lemon which is not too bad, although I put too much lemon in this morning and it certainly woke me up.

I'm a tea addict and I've been drinking lots of herbal teas, green with a slice of lemon and feverfew but I've found 'normal' tea is better slightly weaker than usual if you're having it without milk in.

Yes, weaker I think. I don't really like herbal teas much, I'm afraid and I draw the line at green tea. I can occasionally drink a camomile or a mint but only at night and only a small cup. The sickness has gone off. I am quite looking forward to getting a taste for black tea, actually. Just think of the calories it will save for someone who gets through about six mugs a day!

A dash of semi-skimmed is surely not a big deal if you are looking just at the overall calorie count, even on a fast day: 5-10 cals for 10-20 ml. There might be reasons for wanting to cut it out though - for yet another see the (killjoy!) article here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8408416/Milk-in-tea-could-be-preventing-weight-loss.html

Try redbush perhaps? It's been my "normal" tea for about 5 years now, ever since I thought about giving up on caffeine. I soon went back to the caffeine, buy enjoyed the tea so much I have stayed with it in preference to the traditional version.... and it tastes much better black than normal tea does... well, to me anyway

Dominic, it was something Dr Mosley said about try to drink tea and coffee without milk. There is a scientific reason but I can't quote it without trawling back over to Twitter where he posted it - I'm sure someone can - IG something or other? There is also the thing that he is now saying that if you can try to go 12 hours without calories - and milk is calories. I usually have quite a bit of semi-skimmed in my mug and always put more in if other people make it for me, so I might as well have it without and not like it, than with just a dash, and not like it - IYSWIM. No, no redbush. Like I said, I just like the bog standard British tea, no fancy stuff.

I've always drank black tea, but you need to have it fairly weak especially on an empty stomach otherwise it make you feel nauseous.

Thanks Dean, that will have explained the sickness I felt yesterday morning.

Jem, glad to help. Try just dunking the bag in a couple of times only - just colour the water. X

Must admit I am really enjoying my "proper" tea today.

I was on a very low calorie diet a few years ago and had to drink tea without milk. After experimenting with Rooibos, green etc I settled on Ceylon tea because I don't like anything herbal, flavoured or fragrant. Like the OP I just like normal tea. Ceylon tea brews very light and is less bitter than normal (PG,Tetley etc) teas but is still what I would describe as a normal tea. Because it is light and not so bitter I find it much more palatable without milk than others.
At the moment I am drinking my tea with milk as I only have a small amount anyway and for the very few calories added to a few brews a day by adding milk it's not worth spoiling my brew for. Having just read the article from the Telegraph posted (link) above I might reconsider this in the next few weeks depending on how my weight loss goes. (just started 5:2 last week - only 2 fasts completed)

Jem wrote: Dominic, it was something Dr Mosley said about try to drink tea and coffee without milk. There is a scientific reason but I can't quote it without trawling back over to Twitter where he posted it - I'm sure someone can - IG something or other?

Thanks Jem yes I think it is about IGF-1 (lots more discussion at http://www.52fastdiet.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=34). I just heard him on the radio (link at http://www.52fastdiet.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=210) and there he again explains that he avoids milk in tea and coffee on fast days. Though he doesn't mention IGF-1, he thinks it may be important to avoid any calories intake for prolonged periods (12 hours as he does it because he has breakfast and dinner on a fast day) because it promotes release of Neurotrophic Factor (a new term to me, but it relates to the work of Dr Mark P Mattson who appeared in the original Horizon programme).

I have been trying some coconut-based milk (Koko product) as a potential milk substitute, I think it avoids the IGF-1 problem and it has only about half as many calories as semi-skimmed. Unlike soya milk it doesn't curdle in coffee. But it still has some calories of course. I might try Woody_UK's tip about Ceylon tea - I too find ordinary British (Yorkshire!) tea too bitter without something added.