Fox News Digital talked to a nutritionist and dietitian for her recipe for a “medicine ball” tea that she says helps with colds, sore throats and stuffy noses.
With cold and flu season in full swing, many people are turning to teas for a bit of respiratory relief.
One drink that people swear by at Starbucks has been dubbed the “medicine ball” for its supposed curative properties.
The drink was created in Oct. 2016 as a mixture of tea, steamed lemonade and honey, a Starbucks spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The once “secret-menu” drink became very popular and was added to the official menu as “honey citrus mint tea” in 2017, the spokesperson added.
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The beverage consists of “green tea with soothing herbal notes of chamomile and hints of spearmint and fruit flavor, served with steamed lemonade and a touch of honey for a tea that comforts from the inside out,” the Starbucks website notes.
Along with that, however, is a lot of sweetness. There are 30 grams of sugar in a “grande” size, says the Starbucks website.
A registered dietitian shared how she makes her own version of the drink – with her own twist.
“This is one of my favorite recipes to help fight the winter sniffles and soothe sore throats, thanks to the combination of honey and teapigs green and peppermint teas,” registered dietitian and nutritionist Kelsey Kunik told Fox News Digital. Teapigs is a brand of teas.
Kunik, based in Michigan, writes for the website “Graciously Nourished.”
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Green tea, she said, “is packed with natural antioxidants to support a healthy immune system” — and the addition of peppermint tea could help sooth sinuses.
Also, “honey acts as a natural cough suppressant and throat soother,” she said.
By making the drink at home, you have “more control over the ingredients in this recipe” than you would from ordering it at a store, said Kunik.
A way to “significantly reduce” the amount of sugar in the beverage is to “use a light lemonade or squeeze a lemon into hot water in place of lemonade.”
6 ounces lemonade
6 ounces water
1 tablespoon honey
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1 green tea with peach (Kunik likes the teapigs brand)
1 peppermint tea (optional) (Kunik also likes the teapigs brand for this)
Add lemonade to a large mug and microwave for 30 to 60 seconds until just warmed.
Add 6 ounces of hot water (just off the boil) to the mug and steep one teapigs green tea with peach for 5 minutes.
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After 3 minutes, add one teapigs peppermint tea sachet and let that steep for the last 2 minutes.
Stir in one tablespoon of honey (or more if you like it sweeter) and enjoy.
This recipe is owned by Kelsey Kunik, RDN, and was shared with Fox News Digital.
