When to drink green tea before or after meal? When is the best time for you to take your green tea?
- In the morning?
- Before you hit the gym?
- After a workout?
- On an empty stomach?
- Whenever you feel like it?
Confusing, right?
So, what’s the correct answer?
For you to get the most out of green tea, you need to understand the best time to take it. In this article, we will help you answer this question. So, relax.
We will look at the best times to take your cup of green tea to achieve the best results. So, fill up your cup of green tea and join me as I take mine.
Dos and don’ts of taking green tea
With all the numerous benefits that green tea has, should you drink any time you feel like it?
Well, not really.
There are some basics that you should consider before taking to achieve the desired benefits. These include:
1. Do not take your green tea on an empty stomach
As much as starting your day with a cup of green tea gives you the much-needed concentration during the day, you should not take it on an empty stomach. Green tea on an empty stomach may affect your stomach balance adversely.
You can opt to take a fruit before enjoying your cup of tea or take a glass of warm water with lime or honey.
2. Do not take your tea late at night
Although the caffeine levels in green tea are not as high as in coffee, they still have effects that stimulate your central nervous system and keep you alert. As such, taking green tea at night may interfere with your sleep pattern.
Consequently, lack of sleep may increase your stress levels which in turn has negative effects on your weight loss journey.
3. Do not reuse green tea bags
As a rule, you should not use a green tea bag more than two times. First, the caffeine level in an already used green tea bag is high. As such, if you were taking green tea to avoid the high caffeine levels in coffee, a reused green tea bag beats the logic.
Secondly, a wet tea bag is more prone to microbial infestation, which may have adverse health repercussions.
4. Do not take your tea immediately after a meal
You are probably wondering, “Why can’t I enjoy my cup of green tea after I have taken lunch?”
Well, many people make the mistake of taking green tea immediately after a meal without realizing that the tea inhibits the absorption of nutrients. The caffeine and tannins in the tea act as an obstruction to the absorption of the nutrients.
Therefore, you should take green tea 30-45 minutes after eating.
5. Drink more water
Green tea is a diuretic: meaning, it increases the production of urine. Thus, you may experience frequent urination. Therefore, you should take more plain water to prevent dehydration.
6. Limit yourself to 2 to 3 cups a day
However much you love your tea, whether cold or hot, you should not have more than three cups a day.
Period.
Green tea is rich in antioxidants and other natural plant compounds such as flavonoids and tannins. Thus, excess intake of green tea may lead to toxicity which can lead to liver damage.
To emphasize that I’ll repeat it…too much of the green tea will lead to toxicity.
When is the best time to drink green tea?
1. In the morning
A soothing cup of green tea is an excellent way of starting your morning as it gives you the much-needed boost to focus and concentrate. It has enough caffeine to provide the energy you need to push through the day.
Unlike coffee, green tea contains L-theanine amino acid that prevents caffeine rush. As such, the caffeine will give you sustained energy for long hours.
You can also drink green tea in the evening, but you should be careful about which tea you choose. For example, you can opt to take cold green tea in the evening as it has lower caffeine levels than hot green tea. You can also use the old mature tea leaves or the roasted ones that have less caffeine.
2. Before workout
If you are taking green tea intending to lose some weight, then it would be best to have a cup before you exercise.
A study has shown that consumption of GTC (green tea catechins) can reduce body weight and fat. GTC influences the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity which increases energy expenditure and promotes the oxidation of fat.
A combination of catechins and caffeine about 90 minutes before workout increases the oxidation levels during exercise. If you want, you can increase the steeping time and temperature so that you can extract more catechins and caffeine.
Note that caffeine and catechins are bitter, which means your cup of tea will not be very pleasant. The bitterness should be the least of your worries since your objective is to maximize the benefits of your green tea in the weight loss journey.
A cup of green tea after a workout can also help to replenish and refresh your body.
3. Every time
Do not get me wrong. I do not mean that you should have a cup of tea after every minute. As mentioned earlier, three cups of green tea are enough for a day.
However, unlike a cup of tea in the morning that is good for keeping you alert, every cup of green tea counts if your goal is to have a glowing skin.
Apart from offering the necessary hydration, green tea also contains anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, it can help to clear acne and deal with other skin-related issues such as photo-aged skin, dark circles around the eyes and much more.
Green tea is beneficial to your skin both from inside and from outside. Therefore, apart from drinking the tea, you can have a facial steam bath with green loose leaf tea to enjoy smoother and more glowing skin.
So should you drink tea before or after a meal?
For you to get the best results, having a cup of tea before taking a meal would be the best option. However, green tea on an empty stomach may affect your stomach negatively. Therefore, you should avoid taking it before eating.
If you have liver or stomach problems, it would be best for you to take your tea with a meal or after a meal, but you can consult your doctor for more instructions.
At the same time, you should not take green tea immediately after the meal as it may inhibit the absorption of nutrients in the meal. You should wait for at least 30-45 minutes after taking your meal.
If you wish to get the best experience, you can learn the basics of pairing tea with food. For instance, green tea can pair with desserts perfectly.
Conclusion
There is no doubt about the health benefits of green tea. Green tea is a great way to start your morning as the caffeine keeps you alert and gives you the energy to start your day.
It also helps to prevent skin damage and hydrate it to have constant glowing skin.
Additionally, taking tea decreases your chances of getting a heart disease.
The question, however, has been on the best time to take your cup of tea. Is it before or after the meal? It would be best to take the green tea 30-40 minutes after your meals so that it doesn’t inhibit the absorption of nutrients or have adverse effects on your stomach or liver.
