Lipton Diet Green Tea is a bottled beverage you can buy at many grocery and convenience stores. There are several different varieties of this product, including Lipton Diet Green Tea with Citrus, Lipton Diet Green Tea with Watermelon and Lipton Diet Green Tea with Mixed Berry Flavor. Lipton Diet Green Tea provides certain health-promoting ingredients, but it also contains caffeine and artificial substances that may have undesirable health effects.
Nutrition
Diet Lipton Green Tea is a calorie-free source of hydration that can help you meet your daily fluid intake needs without adding calories. An 8-oz. serving of Lipton Diet Green Tea contains 0 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g carbohydrates and 0 g sugars. The Mixed Berry flavor also has 100 percent of your daily vitamin C needs. Lipton's Diet Green Tea is low in sodium, providing only 1 percent to 3 percent of the recommended daily intake per serving, depending on the flavor. Green tea is a good source of dietary flavonoids that may reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. According to Lipton, each 8-oz. serving of its Diet Green Tea provides 61 mg of flavonoids.
Caffeine
Teas are a common source of dietary caffeine, and Lipton Diet Green Tea is no exception. According to the manufacturer, each 8-oz. serving contains 11 to 12 mg of caffeine -- about half the amount of caffeine in the same amount of cola. However, if you drink the entire 20-oz. bottle, you'll be getting a more significant 27.5 to 30 mg of caffeine. While moderate caffeine consumption of less than 250 mg per day is not associated with serious health problems in healthy people, people who are sensitive to caffeine may experience side effects such as fast heart rate, restlessness and difficulty sleeping. According to MedlinePlus, your doctor may recommend you avoid caffeine altogether if you are pregnant or have certain health conditions such as coronary heart disease or peptic ulcers.
Artificial Ingredients
Although Lipton Diet Green Tea contains healthful ingredients like green tea and water, it also contains artificial ingredients. The Watermelon and Citrus flavors both contain the artificial sweeteners sucralose and acesulfame potassium, while the Mixed Berry flavor contains the artificial sweetener aspartame, artificial food dyes yellow 5 and blue 1, and industrial chemicals such as calcium dissodium edta, potassium sorbate and phosphoric acid. While research is incomplete on the health dangers of these ingredients, people have reported side effects from aspartame consumption, and according to Center for Science in the Public Interest, substantial evidence links artificial food dyes to hyperactivity in children. The chemical preservative calcium dissodium edta is associated with side effects including intestinal cramps and kidney damage, according to Oregon State University.
Natural Alternatives
If you want to enjoy bottled iced tea without ingesting artificial chemicals that may cause side effects, you can try an all-natural, unsweetened or naturally sweetened product. Lipton PureLeaf teas, which come in Unsweetened Black and Green Tea with Honey flavors, contain no artificial ingredients. Lipton PureLeaf teas also have a higher flavonoid content than Lipton Diet Green Tea, although they also have a higher caffeine content; the Green Tea with Honey Flavor has 16 g sugar per 8-oz. serving. Other manufacturers that specialize in natural teas sell all-natural, unsweetened, bottled green tea. And of course, you can make your own iced tea.
References
- The Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center; Tea; Jane Higdon, Ph.D.; January 2005
- Pepsi Product Information: Caffeine
- MedlinePlus; Caffeine in the Diet; May 2009
- MedlniePlus; Sweeteners; May 2009
- NPR; FDA Probes Link Between Food Dyes, Kids' Behavior; April Fulton; March 2011
- Oregon State University College of Health and Human Sciences Food Resource: Calcium Dissodium, edta
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