We’ve ad enough of sugary drinks; brew up some cold brew tea for healthier kids

With obesity levels on the rise, try these top tea tips to encourage healthy habits for children

Have you seen in the news recently celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver has started a campaign to ban junk food advertisements on TV until after the 9 pm watershed. He is also encouraging the government to put tighter controls in place on what ads kids see online, in the street and on public transport. But why? And what does this have to do with eteaket? Let’s find out!

Why has Jamie #adenough?

The University of Adelaide have recently completed a study on food advertising. It is the most comprehensive study of its kind because they monitored four TV channels in Australia for 24 hours and over different times of the year. They found that junk food was advertised twice as many times as healthy foods were and that children could be exposed to as many as 1,000 junk food ads on TV in a single year and on one single TV channel. That adds up to approximately 5 hours continuous viewing time which is bound to have an impact. The most frequently advertised foods were, snack foods, crumbed/battered meats, fast food and sugary drinks.

The study also found that parents often found themselves unaware of the fact that consuming fattening junk food could be addictive for children and could lead to complications like obesity and chronic illness. It is now understood that from the age of three children recognise unhealthier junk food brands more than healthy ones. This study did not collect data on children being targeted on other media platforms like social media, at bus stops, on billboards or on sports fields.

The reason we should care is simple. Obesity is at an all time high with a quarter of 2-10 year olds being overweight and one third of all 11-15 years old being classed as obese in the United Kingdom. It is time to change the way children are being fed, hydrated and influenced so that they can live healthy and fulfilling lives.

Campaigns like Jamie Oliver’s shed light on the fact that change needs to happen and that it is our job to protect the littlest members of society. We can do this by supporting Jamie’s campaign, helping our children make healthy choices and fuelling our children with the good stuff. At eteaket we value all of the young tea drinkers and we think we have a way to help!

Helping your children fall in love with tea.

I am sure you are all aware of the blooming marvellous health benefits tea offers you and your children. Tea is a great alternative to sugary drinks and is an easy way to make sure your children are getting the vitamins and nutrients they need to grow and learn. Have a look at some of our tea tips and revolutionise the way you hydrate!

Cold Brew Tea

Cold brew is a great substitute for juice. Simply place your tea in a bottle or jug and add some cold water. We recommend about 2 tsps of tea leaves (or 2 tea bags) per 500ml liquid. Leave to brew overnight or if the container is smaller you can leave it for as little as three hours. Strain out your tea and hey presto your tea is ready for consumption! The best teas for the job are eteaket’s Cranberry Apple Riot, Strawberries and Cream or Sea Buckthorn Blend, which are all fruit infusions with zero caffeine!

 Ingredients/equipment:

 A tea of your choice

A jug or bottle

Water

Image copyright Hario

Strawberry Milk Recipe

Are your kids craving some flavoured milk? Skip the sugary stuff and make them this recipe!

Ingredients/equipment:

 Cold Strawberries & Cream infusion

Oat milk (or whichever milk you prefer)

Honey

A jug or a bottle

Brew the Strawberries & Cream tea with water overnight. Strain out the tea leaving the cold brew behind. Half fill your jug or bottle with the cold brew tea and top up with the milk. In our experience oat milk works the best. Add a small squeeze of honey. Mix together with a spoon. Then enjoy! Don`t forget to be creative. Try one of our different teas like our Chocolate Abyss tea for the ultimate decadent milky treat without the bad stuff.

Tea Ice Blocks

Ice block weather is on its way!  Whip up these tea ice blocks and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your children are enjoying a tea treat!

Ingredients/equipment:

 Cold brewed tea

Ice block moulds

Fruit (optional)

Pour your ready made cold brew into some ice block moulds and put them in the freezer for when everyone’s craving a cold sweet treat. Want to spice them up? Add some fruit into the mix, some strawberries would be perfect alongside strawberries and cream, blueberries would be divine with cranberry and apple and some small cubes of watermelon would be great with our sea buckthorn tea!

Tea-rific!

By introducing your children to the magic of tea, you are not only providing them with a beverage which is full of good stuff but you are installing healthy habits into their diet which will help them out for years to come! Tea is extremely versatile and can be used to make a number of yummy products so have fun with it and see what you can invent!

Keeping up with eteaket.

If you make any of these recipes make sure to tag us in the photos using #eteaketmoment or tagging us in the post! We love to see all of your tea adventures! Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with our latest news and blogs.

Want to be part of our newly launched ‘Tea Tribe’? Sign up to our newsletter via our website, in our Concept Store or Tea Room and receive:

– Unique deals

– Invites to events

– Access to our reward program

– We will send you our newsletter so you can keep up with all things eteaket!

– receive a free takeaway tea on your birthday!

Sophie xx