Morning sunshine!
It’s another beautiful sunny day here! All you people who don’t have to go to work on this gorgeous Saturday are some lucky ducks!
As usual, I’m enjoying a liquid breakfast of H2O, green smoothie and Starbucks grande soy chai.
Have I told you how much I love chai??
It’s not just Starbucks chai, either. I’ll take one anywhere, anytime.
I had my first chai when I was 16 years old. I was attending the local community college via the Running Start program, and one of my classmates asked me to try his one day. I had heard of it… they served it at the coffee stand at the student center at the college… but it kind of intimidated me a bit, since it was nothing like I had ever tried before. After all, I was a die hard fan of caramel macchiatos, and don’t you dare try to take them from me. However, I went along with my classmate and tried a sip of this strange chai tea stuff. It was amazing. It tasted like Christmas. And so, a love was born.
Three years later, on summer vacation from university, I was hired at a chai stand at our local mall. A chai stand? Yeah, a chai stand. It’s like a coffee stand, but instead, specializes in chai tea. We had vanilla chai, chocolate chai, traditional spice chai, and tons of flavors to mix in to make a wild array of chai flavors. My favorite was always a traditional spice chai with half the standard amount of sugar free caramel with soy. It was so creamy and amazing, I can even imagine it sitting here now.
Even before I was a vegan I have always enjoyed chai with soy milk, rather than cow’s milk. Maybe it’s just the vanilla flavor, but I think that the sweetness of the soy milk adds to the flavor of the chai. Even if you drink cow’s milk on a regular basis, I highly recommend trying a chai with soy.
So what’s so awesome about chai tea, you might ask?
- It’s a black tea, which means that it is high in antioxidants.
- The spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black pepper, and fennel) in chai can help aid and support digestion.
- Chai can be anti-inflammatory, mostly because of the ginger. Can help relieve arthritis.
- Contains less caffeine than coffee.
- Chai is often used in Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, although in these cases the specific blend would be tailored to the individual.
I almost exclusively drink tea, instead of coffee, because coffee has such an acidic effect on your body. Acidity in your body makes it a toxic environment, that is more inviting for disease and ailments. To learn more about acid/base balance in the body, I highly recommend reading Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr. This book changed my life, and is actually what really convinced me, ultimately, to become vegan.
Anywho… get outside and enjoy this amazing Saturday for me, maybe even with an iced chai! I’m gonna get my booty to the office now, so I’ll ttyl!
What’s your favorite kind of tea?
When did you try chai for the first time?
❤ Lindsay
Lindsay Loves Veggies 