When Fasting Can You Drink Tea?
There are some things to keep in mind when drinking tea during a fast. It’s important that you stick to plain, unsweetened tea during your fasting window. Adding fixings like sugar, nectar, or milk can push you over your calorie limit.
Drinking green, black, and herbal tea can be a great way to stay hydrated during intermittent fasting. However, it’s important to know when you can or cannot drink certain types of tea.
Caffeine
Some forms of tea contain caffeine, which is not considered to be safe for IF, especially in those who experience heartburn, poor sleep or anxiety. It can also interfere with your energy levels and trigger insulin responses. It’s recommended that you avoid chai tea, bubble tea (a milky Taiwanese beverage made with chewy tapioca balls, sweetened milk and sugar syrup) and any other flavored beverages with added calories or carbs while fasting.
However, if you’re in the mood for something a little different than water during your fast, try green tea with chamomile blossoms and bergamot bits or rooibos yerba mate tea. This type of tea contains low amounts of caffeine, which won’t impact your ability to stay hydrated during the day. It’s also rich in antioxidants and may help reduce the risk of some types of cancer, boost cardiovascular health and protect against neurodegenerative disorders.
Sweeteners
Tea without any sweeteners is safe to drink during an intermittent fast, however, many people enjoy drinking tea with milk and/or sugar. These types of beverages break a fast and are best avoided.
Rooibos tea, which is caffeine-free, may also help reduce digestive discomfort that can occur during an intermittent fast. This type of tea has been shown to help people manage stress, lower cholesterol levels, and reduce oxidative stress.
In addition, some IF-friendly additives that can be added to tea include lemon or lime and ginger. These ingredients are low in calories and can add a pleasant flavor to your tea without breaking a fast.
Other additives
If you’re following a fasting protocol that allows for flavored tea, stick to unsweetened varieties without any added milk or sugar. This includes black, green, oolong, and rooibos tea. This also applies to herbal teas, such as chamomile, lavender, and bergamot.
During the fasting window, drinking tea can help curb hunger pangs and make sticking to your IF plan easier. Moreover, certain types of tea may even boost your metabolism. This is because some teas contain catechins, natural plant compounds that promote fat-burning processes in the body (3).
If you want to give your IF-friendly tea some extra flavor, consider adding a squeeze of lemon or slices of ginger. Both ingredients are low in calories and provide a burst of tangy, citrusy goodness. In addition, a little bit of acidity can help neutralize the bitterness of some teas. This is particularly true of green and oolong teas, which tend to be a bit more bitter than others.
Water
Tea is a great option during intermittent fasting because it’s low in calories and has appetite-suppressing effects. It can also boost energy levels and help people resist cravings during a fast. However, some people should avoid caffeine-containing teas, especially if they have health conditions such as heartburn or caffeine sensitivity.
If you’re following an intermittent fasting plan, you should stick to water, lemon juice-spiked water and unsweetened teas. This is because any type of drink that contains sugar or milk will cause an insulin spike and break your fast. While water-only fasting is generally safe, it’s not recommended for anyone with diabetes or those who take insulin or other medication to regulate blood glucose. In addition, extended water-only fasts can impact exercise performance, with research suggesting that endurance exercisers may feel more fatigued after a 24-hour period without food. (9) (10) (11) (14). Moreover, it’s best for people who struggle with eating disorders to avoid water-only fasting altogether.