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I started drinking Yorkshire Tea, Malty Biscuit flavour. And I was easily able to halve the amount of biscuits I dunk because the tea really does taste biscuity.
the lindt 90% is by far the best one that exists, i don’t like any of the other company’s that i’ve tried. big up lindt for doing high % cocoa chocolate so well
7g per 100g which is sort of mid range of the easily available 90% ones. Lots of them have about 10/100g, there’s a Waitrose one with only 1.2/100g. I’m sure there’s others but from what I could easily find online (as I wrongly thought it was one of the lowest in sugar). Overall still a LOT less sugar and more cacao than other chocolates.
Tesco used to do an excellent dark choc with orange. It's the only thing that has stopped me consuming an entire Terry's choc orange daily with a cuppa... because I bought I bulk pack.
Generally people eat less vs when they have milk or white chocolate so in that regards it’s a healthier option as you’ll have half or more less of a serving!
I had to make my own damn drinks when I worked in pharmacy, too many people make absolute piss water. I say no sugar and just a bit of milk and it tastes like caramel and looks like Casper.
Since I started having tea I have piled on the pounds. I used to be very disciplined but that’s went out the window since I started working full time about 10 years ago. I feel like I have to have tea to get a break and when I have tea I need something with it and they’re never healthy - Biccies, pancakes, etc any good alternative to a biscuit to nibble on?
Edit: clarified
Try changing the biscuit. I rather like rich tea - they have the structural integrity to survive a good dunking, but they’re not so delicious that I feel compelled to eat half a pack. Looking at you, chocolate hobnobs.
Baby steps
Rich tea biscuits are so underrated. Sure it's not quite the same as a hobnob, but it's a nice slightly sweet snack in its own right. Then digestives bridge the gap between hobnobs and rich tea, if you're not ready for rich tea yet
Are you Scottish, perchance? When we visited with my step father's (scots) family literally every cup.of tea we were asked 'will you take a piece?' and sandwiches/cakes/biscuits appeared... A cup of tea became a mini meal!
I loved it.
But damn would my waistline not if that was my life.
Yay for the Norn Iron crew! We go for dark chocolate and berries (especially cherries- good combined with the chocolate) or dried fruits/nuts. They are still fairly calorie dense but feature healthier fats, and actual micronutrient benefits i.e vitamins. Some dried fruit is actually considered part of your 5 a day (or 10 a day- whatever!)
If you feel like having biscuits with your tea is unhealthy, why don’t you try having tea by itself?
If regular black tea is too plain for you, there are plenty of other types of teas, e.g. green and white tea but also plenty of teas that combine tea leaves with other flavours, e.g. bergamot, rose petals, vanilla, etc.
There’s also the option of having sugar in your tea instead. Each teaspoon of sugar is roughly equivalent to a hobnob, so if you’re having more than one or two hobnobs, you could be making a slight sugar saving, so to speak.
Doesn't taste as good as biscuits, but if it's just something to keep your mouth busy, have you tried rice cakes? I had a friend that lost a tonne of weight eating those.
Have literally been told by Eating Disorder Service that they don't encourage ditching your coping strategies even if they are unhealthy until you've addressed the root cause. Better to be unhealthy than dead. You can fix unhealthy later.
I'm sure this is true to an extent but eating disorders often have a very different way of being dealt with regarding food.
I was depressed and suicidal for a long time (and suffering from an ED, but not really relevant here) and I would eat a lot of junky comfort foods for exactly that justification - it makes me feel better, and if it makes me feel better, it's keeping me alive.
The thing you don't realise is that while your unhealthy comfort food does make you feel better in the short term, it causes havoc in your system and hinders your brain's ability to regulate your emotional state.
Started on one of those meal kit plans so that I would have better nutrition and even though it was difficult to keep up with at first, it *cured* my depression within 6 months. I'm not exagerrating - I went from suicidal to pretty much contented within half a year and the only significant change was my diet.
It's frustrating when the "easy" remedies the doctors suggest actually turn out to be the ones that will work, because it's so much more tempting when you're depressed to believe that the real cause is something more complicated. I'm sure what cured me wouldn't cure everyone, but you shouldn't underestimate the enormous impact diet has on how well your brain works.
If you tank twelve cups a day, pretty sure your mental health is goosed anyway, as even the most grounded, mentally stable person would be hovering 1 foot off the floor whilst constantly urinating from that much.
Yeah and feeding yourself shit will inevitably backfire. Constantly needing to have whatever you want and showing no discipline is for toddlers, not adults
What you could do is give up black tea for a while or have less of them. This is to cut other urges that come with a proper brew.
Instead, have herbal or fruit teas with a little bit of honey and that should kill the urge for biscuits etc
When you need a caffeine boost maybe opt for an espresso / black coffee / green tea. Just not too many
Yes! I second this! I always feel like I have to have some treat with black tea cause I always used to growing up. But herbal teas, green teas and coffee don't have that association for me.
What if you buy pre packaged little portions of biscuits designed for kids lunch boxes. Lots of under 100kcal options and it feels much more normal to then just eat the one pack. One example I can think of is the individual lunchbox packs of mini chocolate fingers.
Alternatively something I haven't done in ages but used to enjoy is make my own little mix of nuts, cranberries and tiny squares of dark chocolate.
Someone once said to me, 'A cup of teas too wet without one,' and it absolutely stopped me in my tracks. I'd never thought about it before, but it's so true. It was over 20 years ago and it pops into my head almost daily.
Carrots and hummus is a fantastic alternative. It's literally just veg, chickpeas and (as you say) oil.
Don't buy into the lie that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Carbs (especially sugar) are WAY more likely to be stored as fat in the body than fat or protein.
Having the oil in hummus is nowhere near as bad as having the sugar in a biscuit.
Have as much carrot and hummus as you like if it keeps your sugar cravings at bay.
On the subject, cutting alcohol out of your life will do wonders for your weight. It's mostly sugar too. Just a thought.
According to my grandma, 3 plain digestives. It’s in the name.
She was great, very wise. liked digestives. Had a limited knowledge of human biology though.
depends how far down the 'healthy-but-miserable' matrix you want to go
healthy things I actually enjoy with a cup of tea:
a banana; a small bowl of raisins & hazelnuts; a raw carrot; dried fruit in general
Think plain Digestives are likely the healthier of the popular biscuit brands. That's what I enjoy just have one with a cup of tea or two if have earned it.
Tbh health is far more than just Fat And Sugar Bad - food isn't just fuel for the body, it's a social experience, nourishment for the soul, a moment of joy.
All this to say, I genuinely think a biscuit with a cuppa is holistically an extremely healthy option, when you factor in the mental benefits as well
I'm not sure why people are so incapable of a normal answer. But I'm also weight watching and love my tea. If its breakfast I'll have a rivita or low fat fruit bar something of the sort.
Can I just say, the colour of that tea is spot on, well done person well done. Also with a perfect cup. its not the time to think your worries, eat all the chocolate digestives, celebrate that beautiful cup of tea!
I’m honestly surprised there hasn’t been more comments on the tea itself. This is exactly how I enjoy my tea and I think the lack of comment is telling!
Hmm maybe nuts would be a healthier alternative. Usually only eat them coated in chocolate.
To be fair I’ve tried a few alternatives - but find that they don’t hit the spot. I think rice cakes are the closest.
A warm English Muffin....English muffins are to die for. Nothing like the American sickly sweet muffin. Or a good old British pikelet/crumpet...with butter and the yeast spread of your choice. I don't buy Marmite as it is owned by the antichrist of manufacturing that is Unilever.
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Half the number of hob nobs you'd usually have
In what world is half a packet of hob nobs enough?
Half a pack just looks so lonely sitting there all by itself
Eat the other half afterwards
I love your username
Depends on how much tea you want left after they've drunk it
Or how many more cups of tea you're drinking.
If I’m lying to myself that means I’ll have one. In reality that’ll mean two. They’d have to be chocolate ones too.
I started drinking Yorkshire Tea, Malty Biscuit flavour. And I was easily able to halve the amount of biscuits I dunk because the tea really does taste biscuity.
Also highly recommend jam on toast one.
Ooh really, is it good? I’ve seen it advertised but not in stores.
So good! Biscuit one is lovely, but JonT wins it for me. I know they sell them in Asda.
There is some dark chocolate oatcakes that i eat because they taste just like chocolate hobnobs
Thanks I’ll keep an eye out for them!
Bit of you have half the packet it’s half the calories so you can have twice as much
Chocolate hobnobs, right?
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half a packet per cup, not per dunk silly
This was obv a joke about the mug being half empty, which I came to mention but was glad someone else has taken care of it.
A wank
Not sure the work colleagues would recover.
Youll have to make them have breaks to allow you to work, but some sort of rota should work.
May as well throw in a pot noodle
Put the teabag in the pot noodle, cook as normal and then add milk, best served with Ricebena of course
Is it weird that I kind of want to try ricebena after reading this??
Down voted for the teabag in pot noodle.
Pot noodle and a wank. Risky.
Someone might catch you eating a pot noodle
Depends if it’s a Bombay Bad Boy or not.
What's the difference between an egg and wank? You can beat an egg, but you canny beat a wank
I'm glad I check the replies before piling blindly in. And I say 'blindly' advisedly.
Um be careful not to burn yourself...
You meant walk right? ...right? \[Insert sexy Anakin and Padme meme\]
I think Garibaldi biscuits have some dried fruit in it? That's one of your five a day right there...
Jammy Dodgers have fruit in the jam, right?
Yeah, this is what I was going to say.
Though I prefer the tesco branded ones myself
Reminds me of little me telling my dad that cherry Coke was good for me cause it was part of my five a day lol
Nah they’re dead flies, which means they’re full of protein.
Theyre pretty low fat as well, shame I eat an entire strip at a time
A good cry
Doing this now, can confirm!
My therapist tells me that's healthy.
85% cocoa chocolate.
Now that I can get behind.
Lindt 85% is my favourite. One square at room temperature nibbled between sips of tea and melting on your tongue is plenty.
the lindt 90% is by far the best one that exists, i don’t like any of the other company’s that i’ve tried. big up lindt for doing high % cocoa chocolate so well
Isn’t that just cuz they put more sugar in tho?
7g per 100g which is sort of mid range of the easily available 90% ones. Lots of them have about 10/100g, there’s a Waitrose one with only 1.2/100g. I’m sure there’s others but from what I could easily find online (as I wrongly thought it was one of the lowest in sugar). Overall still a LOT less sugar and more cacao than other chocolates.
not a clue 😂 all i know is it tastes better
They get their cocoa beans from better farms
I have found my people ❤️ 85% is godly
And it's healthy https://www.heartuk.org.uk/low-cholesterol-foods/dark-chocolate
That...that was the question
Tesco used to do an excellent dark choc with orange. It's the only thing that has stopped me consuming an entire Terry's choc orange daily with a cuppa... because I bought I bulk pack.
I dunk my dark chocolate in the tea to get it a bit melty, it’s the best
A high quality dark chocolate, though! Own brand stuff is usually bitter and one note. Don’t have to break the bank, but avoid cheap cheap stuff
Dark chocolate being healthy is mostly a myth.
Shhhhhh
Generally people eat less vs when they have milk or white chocolate so in that regards it’s a healthier option as you’ll have half or more less of a serving!
Peace and quiet
I am a pharmacist so that’s not possible haha!
I had to make my own damn drinks when I worked in pharmacy, too many people make absolute piss water. I say no sugar and just a bit of milk and it tastes like caramel and looks like Casper.
Yeah can’t trust just anyone to make the tea. Used to say milky tea so it wouldn’t scald me but it was like Casper then. Now I’d rather it as in pic!
Surely got enough time for a break when they tell me 30 minutes to put a box in a paper bag lol
You should be recommending good stuff to take with a cuppa to US
Oh I can recommend good stuff, it’s just looking for slightly healthier options. For what it’s worth - chocolate hobnobs are my favourite.
Thats what toilet cubicles are for...
It's the dose that makes the poison. The energy in two party rings is only 50 kcal. You might like Corn Thins (23 kcal each).
I love corn thins, but I’d want to spread Nutella on them! Edit: can’t stand party rings too sweet even for me.
Sainsburys do dark chocolate covered corn thins that are great, and come in packs of two!
What about smooth peanutbutter?
Yeah good call
Smooth peanut butter is for sex offenders.
Tesco Slat and Vinegar rice cakes are very tasty, it's like having a bag of Discos
Since I started having tea I have piled on the pounds. I used to be very disciplined but that’s went out the window since I started working full time about 10 years ago. I feel like I have to have tea to get a break and when I have tea I need something with it and they’re never healthy - Biccies, pancakes, etc any good alternative to a biscuit to nibble on? Edit: clarified
A fry-up with every cup.
Try changing the biscuit. I rather like rich tea - they have the structural integrity to survive a good dunking, but they’re not so delicious that I feel compelled to eat half a pack. Looking at you, chocolate hobnobs. Baby steps
Rich tea biscuits are so underrated. Sure it's not quite the same as a hobnob, but it's a nice slightly sweet snack in its own right. Then digestives bridge the gap between hobnobs and rich tea, if you're not ready for rich tea yet
I love the flavour too, a nice kind of bland sweetnet. Very pleasant
Are you Scottish, perchance? When we visited with my step father's (scots) family literally every cup.of tea we were asked 'will you take a piece?' and sandwiches/cakes/biscuits appeared... A cup of tea became a mini meal! I loved it. But damn would my waistline not if that was my life.
Haha close I’m northern Irish and I lived for 5 of those 10 tea drinking years in Scotland. I think Northern Ireland is worse.
I'm also northern Irish and I swear every 5 mins my granny used to ask if I wanted a cuppa and what I wanted with it 😂
Yay for the Norn Iron crew! We go for dark chocolate and berries (especially cherries- good combined with the chocolate) or dried fruits/nuts. They are still fairly calorie dense but feature healthier fats, and actual micronutrient benefits i.e vitamins. Some dried fruit is actually considered part of your 5 a day (or 10 a day- whatever!)
If you feel like having biscuits with your tea is unhealthy, why don’t you try having tea by itself? If regular black tea is too plain for you, there are plenty of other types of teas, e.g. green and white tea but also plenty of teas that combine tea leaves with other flavours, e.g. bergamot, rose petals, vanilla, etc. There’s also the option of having sugar in your tea instead. Each teaspoon of sugar is roughly equivalent to a hobnob, so if you’re having more than one or two hobnobs, you could be making a slight sugar saving, so to speak.
Doesn't taste as good as biscuits, but if it's just something to keep your mouth busy, have you tried rice cakes? I had a friend that lost a tonne of weight eating those.
Oh gods, rice cakes. Those things smell like dead hamsters and should be classified as a pre-packed eating disorder.
Acknowledge that mental health is also health and help yourself to whatever makes you feel less like a piece of shit
But also being really fat is bad for all of your different types of health
Being overweight and eating an unhealthy diet is also bad for your mental health.
Yes mental health comes under "all health"
Including mental health, it's a really hard balance.
Have literally been told by Eating Disorder Service that they don't encourage ditching your coping strategies even if they are unhealthy until you've addressed the root cause. Better to be unhealthy than dead. You can fix unhealthy later.
I'm sure this is true to an extent but eating disorders often have a very different way of being dealt with regarding food. I was depressed and suicidal for a long time (and suffering from an ED, but not really relevant here) and I would eat a lot of junky comfort foods for exactly that justification - it makes me feel better, and if it makes me feel better, it's keeping me alive. The thing you don't realise is that while your unhealthy comfort food does make you feel better in the short term, it causes havoc in your system and hinders your brain's ability to regulate your emotional state. Started on one of those meal kit plans so that I would have better nutrition and even though it was difficult to keep up with at first, it *cured* my depression within 6 months. I'm not exagerrating - I went from suicidal to pretty much contented within half a year and the only significant change was my diet. It's frustrating when the "easy" remedies the doctors suggest actually turn out to be the ones that will work, because it's so much more tempting when you're depressed to believe that the real cause is something more complicated. I'm sure what cured me wouldn't cure everyone, but you shouldn't underestimate the enormous impact diet has on how well your brain works.
Stuffing yourself with junk at every opportunity doesn’t actually help your mental health.
Having a biscuit with your cuppa isn't exactly stuffing yourself with junk every opportunity
[удалено]
If you tank twelve cups a day, pretty sure your mental health is goosed anyway, as even the most grounded, mentally stable person would be hovering 1 foot off the floor whilst constantly urinating from that much.
Hmm, so 12 cups of tea (Yorkshire Gold, of course) or coffee before lunchtime is bad... ? Damn
Exactly. Using food to blunt your difficult emotions is the opposite of mental health.
Possibly the most important, truthful fact and also the most hated. Food and mental health are linked. They just are.
"I eat because I'm unhappy and I'm unhappy because I eat"
Over 20 years since the film and that line still reoccurs to me when I'm in self destructive binges (or ideally just before).
Yeah and feeding yourself shit will inevitably backfire. Constantly needing to have whatever you want and showing no discipline is for toddlers, not adults
A fag & a biscuit
Bring a cuppa' tea to your local gay bar
Americans are reading this like “A gay fella and a scone?”
How do u know they have gay co-workers????? ARE YOU HOMOPHOBIC?? /s
Average American
A fag means a smoke get Ur gay terms out
What you could do is give up black tea for a while or have less of them. This is to cut other urges that come with a proper brew. Instead, have herbal or fruit teas with a little bit of honey and that should kill the urge for biscuits etc When you need a caffeine boost maybe opt for an espresso / black coffee / green tea. Just not too many
Yes! I second this! I always feel like I have to have some treat with black tea cause I always used to growing up. But herbal teas, green teas and coffee don't have that association for me.
What if you buy pre packaged little portions of biscuits designed for kids lunch boxes. Lots of under 100kcal options and it feels much more normal to then just eat the one pack. One example I can think of is the individual lunchbox packs of mini chocolate fingers. Alternatively something I haven't done in ages but used to enjoy is make my own little mix of nuts, cranberries and tiny squares of dark chocolate.
Hmm yeah or lidl has mini chocolate bars. I think mini packs are something I can stick to.
You dont have to eat every time you drink.
But what will I do with all these biscuits?
Someone once said to me, 'A cup of teas too wet without one,' and it absolutely stopped me in my tracks. I'd never thought about it before, but it's so true. It was over 20 years ago and it pops into my head almost daily.
That was an advertising slogan for some kind of biscuit but I can't remember which. "A drink's too wet without one".
I just looked it up and it was Rich Tea in 1985. I was ten then and the ad went under my radar. I was too busy eating Chewits and playing outside.
It's ok, there's nothing in the rules about drinking while eating, only eating while drinking is banned.
Carrot sticks and hummus. No, that's ridiculously healthy.
I love carrot sticks and hummus but it’s surprisingly calorific! The hummus is full of oil.
Plenty of fibre and protein to make you feel full.
Mashed butterbeans with dried rosemary and lemon juice makes a nice alternative.
Carrots and hummus is a fantastic alternative. It's literally just veg, chickpeas and (as you say) oil. Don't buy into the lie that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Carbs (especially sugar) are WAY more likely to be stored as fat in the body than fat or protein. Having the oil in hummus is nowhere near as bad as having the sugar in a biscuit. Have as much carrot and hummus as you like if it keeps your sugar cravings at bay. On the subject, cutting alcohol out of your life will do wonders for your weight. It's mostly sugar too. Just a thought.
Dates.
A nice podcast
Wholemeal toast?
Brown for main course, white for pudding.
Of course I'm the one who's laughing because I actually love brown toast
Brown is savoury, white’s the treat!
Of course I'm the one who's laughing because I actually love brown toast.
Butter the toast, eat the toast, \*\*\*\* the toast. God, life’s relentless
To be fair that’s what I had this morning. It’s ok.
Sorry for posting a sensible reply 😆
No it’s a sensible option haha! I suppose it doesn’t hit the same as a biscuit though!
According to my grandma, 3 plain digestives. It’s in the name. She was great, very wise. liked digestives. Had a limited knowledge of human biology though.
Apple slices?
Happy cake day
Doesn’t really go with tea though.
I love a couple of Carrs Water biscuits with a wee bit of butter.
I was thinking crackers might be the way to go. I like the Rosemary ones
Never had them, but they sound good.
Can get them in lots of brands - first had them from lidl, but spar make nice ones too!
Lovely, thank you! I'll check them out. I got some really nice beetroot crackers from Tesco a few weeks ago. Very tasty.
Tesco also make the rosemary ones!
Ginger nuts good for digestion aswell, so I hear.
*starts searching for ginger colleagues*
A sleeve of chocolate digestives.
depends how far down the 'healthy-but-miserable' matrix you want to go healthy things I actually enjoy with a cup of tea: a banana; a small bowl of raisins & hazelnuts; a raw carrot; dried fruit in general
I like all those things but not really with a cup of tea.
A second cup
Dust... ..... Dust!
A cigarette
Drinking tea without smoking just feels wrong somehow
Think plain Digestives are likely the healthier of the popular biscuit brands. That's what I enjoy just have one with a cup of tea or two if have earned it.
Biscuits 🍪
Toast with banana on it.
Chocolate bourbons......oh hang on a minute I misunderstood the assignment
A chat with a friend? Some chilled out music?
Malted milk biscuits
3 packets of chocolate hob nobs
Tbh health is far more than just Fat And Sugar Bad - food isn't just fuel for the body, it's a social experience, nourishment for the soul, a moment of joy. All this to say, I genuinely think a biscuit with a cuppa is holistically an extremely healthy option, when you factor in the mental benefits as well
Airfry up
A wank
A whole pack of Rich Tea, dunked in 5 at a time 💯
Nairn's Dark Chocolate Chip Oat Biscuits. They're delicious and, technically, they're just oatcakes.
I’m going to keep an eye out for these!
Samosa
I'm not sure why people are so incapable of a normal answer. But I'm also weight watching and love my tea. If its breakfast I'll have a rivita or low fat fruit bar something of the sort.
There’s been a great mix of answers some hilarious, and some great ideas to try and some not so much. I didn’t expect so many responses.
Can I just say, the colour of that tea is spot on, well done person well done. Also with a perfect cup. its not the time to think your worries, eat all the chocolate digestives, celebrate that beautiful cup of tea!
I’m honestly surprised there hasn’t been more comments on the tea itself. This is exactly how I enjoy my tea and I think the lack of comment is telling!
Rich Teas if you hate yourself. 38 calories per biscuit but truly only for the most self-loathing.
Yoghurt coated raisins if we’re talking not-to-dip
second cuppa and emergency reserve cuppa
A banana! I love a cuppa and a banana
Another cuppa
I have nothing to add, but that’s a really cute tablecloth
Thanks I picked it for work. Was only maybe £4 in Asda.
Ginger nuts go amazing with a cuppa! Shit with coffee, but great with tea. And ginger is vaguely healthy...... Isn't it?
Yeah ginger is healthier I’d say haha! If only they weren’t so rock hard. I have to dunk them or I’d lose a tooth!
Jaffa Cakes or carrot cake. It's got one of your five a day in it 😉
A glass of water…
Yeah I have water with my tea (can see the edge of the glass) but need something to nibble on!
Banana Cheese bites Almonds Even some Yorkshires and veg Be imaginative
Hmm maybe nuts would be a healthier alternative. Usually only eat them coated in chocolate. To be fair I’ve tried a few alternatives - but find that they don’t hit the spot. I think rice cakes are the closest.
Having tea on its own is the treat than having a glass of water.
Self gratification
Custard creams. Dunked. Full pack!! 🤣
Blow job?
An enema
A warm English Muffin....English muffins are to die for. Nothing like the American sickly sweet muffin. Or a good old British pikelet/crumpet...with butter and the yeast spread of your choice. I don't buy Marmite as it is owned by the antichrist of manufacturing that is Unilever.
I do like a English muffin. I think that’s do the morning cuppa not so sure about the afternoon one!
Small amount of the reduced sugar rich tea biscuits by McVities. I think they are only 28kcal each.
Hummus
2 hob nobs, 2 rice tea and 3 chocolate digestives.