Trendy new social media sugary drink bubble tea has more calories than a Big Mac
HEALTH experts are warning of a sugary drink increasingly popular with kids that has more calories than a Big Mac.
Trendy bubble tea blends tea, milk and chewy tapioca balls.
It comes in a variety of flavours and colours — making it a popular choice for TikTok videos and Instagram snaps.
Yet it can contain up to 800 calories in a single cup — the same as 50 sugar cubes and way more than a Big Mac’s 550.
Aisling Pigott, of the British Dietetic Association, said the drink is often promoted as an “everyday purchase” due to the perception of tea being healthy.
She added: “It is aimed at pre-teens who see a fun, tasty drink with bright, fashionable colours.
“So we have a toxic combination of ‘Instagrammability’ and young people with a disposable income.
“That’s not to say people should never enjoy unhealthy things as a treat. But it is dangerous to normalise high calorie, but low nutrient dense foods.”
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Bubble tea has been popular in Taiwan for decades.
The first UK shop selling it opened ten years ago and there are nearly 250 today.
Birmingham’s Bullring alone has four. This year, Google searches for the drink were ten times what they were in 2016.
And videos on TikTok featuring the #BubbleTea hashtag have nearly three billion views.
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