My toothpaste tube has a lot of trademarks.

I think the United American Association of Tooth Whitening Professionalists gave it a seal of approval, and there’s some kind of compound called “dentibleach”. Makes for pretty packaging, but I still buy toothpaste based on how much I like the flavor because I think the rest of the stuff is bunk that I put up with. I think dentibleach tastes good.

Bottled iced tea is kind of like my toothpaste.

Some brands see it fit to plaster their labels with fake antioxidant badges, health claims and assertions that the beverage inside is Mother Nature’s breast milk. Scientists have known for awhile that bottled tea has less than 10% of the antioxidants of fresh tea (from 2005). But this week a few more studies have come out to really hammer the point home. Bottled tea just doesn’t have many (if any) antioxidants. No matter how pure and organic it is, the bottling process and time spent on the shelf degrade the antioxidants. Even if the bottle lists an impressive volume of antioxidants, that can vary greatly by how long the tea has been sitting on the shelf.

Now, if you like bottled iced tea, there is nothing wrong. Drinking it because you like it is beautiful. However, tea bottles are almost always loaded with sugar. Usually less than Coke, but what you’re drinking out of that bottle is more like Coke than a healthy serving of tea. Don’t be distracted by the badges, colors and advertising.

A better idea

Make fresh iced tea at home. Load it up with sugar or honey if you want, but then you’ll be getting antioxidants with your sweet water.

Do you drink bottled iced tea pretty regularly? Do you feel betrayed by your bottle? I’d love to hear what you think about bottled iced tea.