Spilling the tea: 'Nutrition clubs' in Cape, Jackson offer teas loaded with vitamins, nutrients

Brightly colored, layered drinks with flavors such as Gator Bite, Carnival and Bombpop, and ranging from red to purple and every color in between have taken social media by storm. But, what exactly are loaded teas?

They are stevia-sweetened drinks with a kick of caffeine sold at shops, known as "nutrition clubs," which are popping up all across the U.S., including six in a 30-mile radius of Cape Girardeau, including Jackson, Perryville and Sikeston. Not to mention, there are clubs in Kennett, New Madrid, Portageville and Dexter.

A Peace, Love & Nutrition drink.Submitted

Jeannie Johnson opened Peace, Love, & Nutrition, 1735 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, in November with co-owner and brother Terry Phillips.

Johnson hadn't heard of loaded teas until May, when a club opened in Portageville, where she lives, and she began researching the business, eventually deciding to open a nutrition club in Cape Girardeau.

The term "loaded tea" refers to the beverages being loaded with vitamins, nutrients and caffeine.

Loaded tea shops are called "nutrition clubs," as a requirement of Herbalife, a global nutrition and weight management company that has been around for more than 40 years. Club owners have to be distributors of Herbalife products and use them in the teas and protein shakes.

G and G Nutrition, 511 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson, has been open for three weeks and is focused on "helping people in the community find healthier options to treat themselves instead of the typical sugar-filled options," manager Whitney Gorton said.

G and G Nutrition is owned by Perry and Morgan Middleton, Grant Gray and Taylor Gorton.

Peace, Love & Nutrition drinks at the store in Cape Girardeau.Submitted

In general, the teas start at around 20 calories and customers can choose from more than 100 flavors and five add-ins, such as fiber or collagen.

"I know it's a little overwhelming," said Johnson, as the flavors are listed on a giant blackboard inside the store. They are working on a printed menu to list the top 40 teas arranged by sweet, tart or in the middle, along with the main flavors. "We can't ever list all the flavors because then the other clubs will have our recipes."

Johnson said all clubs are different as they are independently owned and operated.

"They don't all have the same recipes or even pricing," she said.

Both clubs offer four different levels of caffeine, in addition to options for those that are sensitive to caffeine.

"For people who may have blood pressure issues or for whatever reason don't want a lot of caffeine but they want to enjoy the drink, there are options of different levels," Johnson said.

The levels of caffeine in the beverages begin at 85 milligrams, which is similar to one cup of coffee. Level two has 160 milligrams of caffeine, level three has 200 milligrams and level four has 275 milligrams of caffeine.

The caffeinated teas use an Herbalife product called Liftoff, an effervescent ingredient containing vitamins, minerals and caffeine, along with ginseng and guarana for focus and mental clarity. The caffeine naturally comes from the different types of teas in the blend, such as black and green tea.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, caffeine can be part of a healthy diet for most people, but too much caffeine may pose a danger to a person's health. Depending on factors such as body weight, medications being taken, and individual sensitivity, "too much" can vary from person to person.

Business has been "really good" for Peace, Love, & Nutrition. Being the first nutrition club in the area, Johnson said they worked to educate the public about what loaded teas are.

"We delivered samples to well over 150 businesses in about a three to four week period, trying to get the word out," she said.

The most popular flavor at Peace, Love, & Nutrition is "Izzy Azalea," named after one of their eight team members.

In addition to the popular teas, both clubs also offer 30 to 40 flavors of protein shakes with around 24 grams of protein and under 250 calories. Peace, Love, & Nutrition is adding protein waffles to the menu soon, using the protein shake mixes.

The most popular tea at G and G Nutrition is strawberry bon bon.

"It tastes like those candies you used to find in your grandmas purse," Gorton said.

"Business has been great," Gorton added. "Jackson has shown us so much support. It's been better than we expected. We have absolutely loved being able to serve such a wonderful community."