Here's Why You Shouldn't Drink Bubble Tea Regularly

Boba milk tea, often called bubble tea or tapioca milk tea, can include any number of added ingredients, such as fruit or honey. But the starring ingredients are milk, tea and sago, which are tapioca pearls.

While milk and tea are certainly nutritious, boba milk tea typically contains a large dose of added sugar. This is something to take into consideration if it's a drink you enjoy regularly.

"Some boba or bubble teas can be sugar- and calorie-bombs, with upwards of five tablespoons of sugar and 300 calories in a 16-ounce serving," shares Emily Cooper, RDN of Sinful Nutrition.

A 16-ounce cup of boba milk tea is equal to a single serving. A 16-ounce cup of boba milk tea contains:

• ‌Calories:‌ 240
• ‌Total fat:‌ 3 g
• ‌Cholesterol:‌ 0 mg
• ‌Sodium:‌ 38.4 mg
• ‌Total carbs:‌ 56 g
• ‌Dietary fiber:‌ 0 g
• ‌Sugar:‌ 40 g
• ‌Protein:‌ 0 g
• ‌Calcium:‌ 38% Daily Value

• ‌Total fat:‌ A 16-ounce cup of boba milk tea has 3 grams of total fat, which includes 0 grams of unsaturated fat, 3 grams of saturated fat and 0 grams of trans fat.
• ‌Carbohydrates:‌ A 16-ounce cup of boba milk tea has 56 grams of carbs, which includes 0 grams of fiber and 40 grams of sugar.
• ‌Protein:‌ A 16-ounce cup of boba milk tea has 0 grams of protein.

The benefits of boba milk tea are very limited. The only redeeming nutritional components of the drink are the brewed tea and calcium provided.

A serving of boba milk tea contains 38 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for calcium. This is a mineral Americans commonly under-consume, according to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Calcium is needed for keeping our heart and other muscles functioning properly, hormone secretion and nerve transmission. One of its most significant roles however, is helping build the structure of our bones and teeth, as well as helping them function.

Being deficient in calcium puts you at risk for osteoporosis, or weakening of the bones.

Boba milk teas are made with various teas from black to green to oolong. Drinking tea is linked to helping boost your immune system, helping to reduce inflammation and even providing some protection from cancer and heart disease, according to Penn Medicine.

But, the benefits of tea are outweighed by the less healthy components of boba milk tea, like the added sugar and syrups. To reap the benefits of tea, you'd be better off enjoying a cup without any added sugar.

When it comes to nutrition and health, boba milk tea leaves a lot to be desired.

Boba milk teas are considered a sugar-sweetened beverage, according to a March 2016 study published in ‌Food Science & Nutrition‌. A serving contains 40 grams of sugar, a majority of which is added sugars. And it's not just the sweetened teas or fruit flavorings.

"The tapioca pearls, or 'bubble' part of bubble tea are sometimes soaked in a sugar-water solution before being added to a sugar-sweetened tea beverage, which can add up to a lot of empty calories in one sitting," explains Cooper.

We overdo it when it comes to our sugar consumption, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. On average, we take in about 88 grams of sugar per day. The recommended limit for women is 24 grams and for men, 36 grams of added sugars.

Studies show that liquid carbohydrates and sugars like boba milk tea are less filling than solid forms, which causes people to feeling hungry despite the number of calories consumed, per the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Boba milk tea contains dairy from the added milk or creamer. If you're lactose intolerant, it's most likely that you'll want to skip this beverage unless you use a non-dairy alternative milk, like almond milk.

The boba pearls, or bubbles, are made out of tapioca pearls. Tapioca is made from the cassava root. The pearls are gluten-free, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation but you'll want to ask when buying a boba milk tea if the entire beverage is in fact gluten-free. Other added ingredients may include gluten.