APEX Legacy · a way of life

Sweet Tea

The South's drink. A 16oz glass can carry 30-40g of sugar — that's the equivalent of a Snickers bar, consumed with every meal.

Compiled by APEX Legacy from published research and documented food history, under the editorial direction of Jonathan Jackson, Founder. How we write and review these pages →

Why it is ours

Sweet tea is more than a beverage in Black Southern culture. It is hospitality. It is grandmother's house. Any health conversation that does not honor this is a conversation that will not be heard.

What it does

A standard 16oz restaurant glass of sweet tea contains 30-40g of added sugar. At 3 glasses per day — a common consumption pattern — that is 90-120g of added sugar from sweet tea alone. The AHA recommends under 25g of added sugar per day for women and under 36g for men. Sweet tea is the single highest-volume hidden sugar source in everyday Black American eating patterns.

How it is cooked

To make a gradual reduction: cut the sugar in your sweet tea recipe by 25% each week over four weeks. Most people cannot detect a 25% cut from full sugar.

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