Some people have a very easy time cutting the sugar and hopping right on the keto train, full steam ahead. For the rest of us, those sugar cravings can be downright painful, especially at first.

There are a number of herbal teas that can be beneficial to you on the keto diet for a variety of reasons, but today we’re going to be focusing on some herbal teas that are just downright tasty.

Cutting sugar, when you’re used to eating a lot of it everyday, can actually cause you physical pain and discomforts, most commonly in the form of headaches. This is your body trying to adjust, and going through actual withdrawal. It’s not the worst thing to experience once, and that’s because it reminds you just how much control we give sugar over our bodies.

Aside from the legitimate physical addiction to sugar, part of these cravings simply come from a desire for some type of distraction. Emotional eaters will understand this. Pacing around the kitchen, opening the fridge door for the 10th time as if there will suddenly be new snacks in there. Instead of reaching for sugary treats and drinks, try these herbal teas.

A note on caffeine and drinking tea before bed

Some herbal tea blends will contain actual tea leaves, others will just contain a variety of herbs, which are still referred to as tea even thought they don’t come from the Camellia sinensis plant. Generally speaking, unless it has actual tea leaves, there won’t be any caffeine. Some people prefer herbal teas over regular teas because they don’t want caffeine before bed.

For most, it’s not something to worry about. For example, if you found a nice green tea with some lemon balm or spearmint or another nice herbal flavor mixed in, you can drink green tea before bed, there’s not THAT much caffeine, unless you’re hyper-sensitive to it.

3 ways herbal teas help reduce sugar cravings:

Firstly, there’s the ritual itself. The act of preparing the tea, from boiling the water, measuring the loose leaves or the tea bag, pouring them together, waiting for the tea to steep, cool down, and finally getting to it enjoy it.

For serious tea drinkers, this is almost like a form of meditation. For everyone else, it’s still a good way to distract yourself from your craving, especially when the light at the end of the tunnel is a delicious, warm cup of tasty tea.

Secondly, the tea is going to fill you up, and better than just a normal glass of water could, because it actually has a taste and is satisfying. There’s just something “heavier” feeling about a glass of tea compared to a glass of water, maybe the warmth also has something to do with it.

Thirdly, do you ever eat junk foods because you feel kind of sluggish and out of energy, but not necessarily because you’re hungry? Certain teas, green in particular, have a mixture of caffeine and l-theanine, which is used to promote focus, mood, and clear headedness while giving you just enough of a boost to make the most of the day.

Here are five herbs that you can use to make tea…

You can find pre-made blends including these particular herbs listed below, or you can simply make your own blends by mixing them together in different ratios, steeping a cuppa, and seeing how you like it.

The goal here is to find something that you find tasty and flavorful. Right off the bat, let’s make it clear – herbal teas aren’t going to taste as sweet as candy or even a low carb sugar free Italian ice recipe, but it’s all about experimenting with flavors and learning to enjoy tastes based on their unique intricacies and complexities, rather than an abundance of sweetness.

5. Mint Tea

Mint is a go-to, it’s refreshing, warm, and comes in a few different varieties. It works great for mixing your own blends of herbal tea. Peppermint, spearmint, take your pick. Literally. Pick it, dry it, steep it, it’s that easy, or even use fresh mint if you prefer.

4. Lemon Balm Tea

Lemon balm is delicious, and is another herb that goes great in a variety of blends and mixes. Lemon is such a versatile flavor, and lemon balm gives us a unique take on it.

3. Carob

Carob, if you haven’t tried it, is a bit of an acquired taste. It’s a great way to wean yourself off of chocolate and towards an earthier, herbier flavor. Carob and mint tea is a delicious combo that may not be exactly as satisfying as a piece of dark chocolate raspberry cake, but can still hit the spot – especially once you’ve developed a taste for it.

2. Echinacea Tea

This herb is often used to boost the immune system, people take it when they get colds, typically. There are a number of alleged health benefits surrounding Echinacea, with varying degrees of research to support them. It also makes a great addition to an herbal tea blend.

1. Chocolate, Orange & Mint Tea

Out of all of the options we’ve gone over so far, this is probably the tastiest combo. You can get bags of tea that are already mixed with these flavors, or you can steep mint leaves, infuse oranges, and mix it in with a little cocoa powder.

When you remove the sugar that you normally associate with these flavors, you’re able to experience them in a deeper way, because you aren’t masking most of their taste behind the sweetness. This process helps you appreciate the sweetness in much smaller amounts, and allows you to enjoy sweet treats like low carb cannoli mousse all the more.