Drinking tea after a meal helps digestion? The key is how you drink it!

"A cup of tea after a meal helps digestion and relieves greasiness" may be a "health secret" that many people are familiar with. However, can drinking tea after a meal really help digestion? Recently, experts from the National Health Commission clearly pointed out at a press conference that this statement is not entirely accurate. Today, let us uncover the truth about drinking tea after a meal and see how to drink tea so that you can enjoy the fragrance of tea without hurting your stomach.

The "double-edged sword" ingredient in tea

Tea contains many ingredients, among which tea polyphenols and theophylline are the main "digestive factors". Tea polyphenols can stimulate the secretion of gastric juice and help break down fat and protein in food, while theophylline can enhance gastrointestinal motility and speed up the passage of food in the intestine. However, tannic acid in tea is a "troublemaker". It will combine with iron and protein in food to form a complex that is difficult to absorb, which not only affects the absorption of iron, but may also cause indigestion.

The best time to drink tea after a meal

Drinking tea immediately after a meal sounds pleasant, but it is not scientific. When you have just finished a meal, your stomach is full of food and gastric juice is actively breaking down the food. If you drink tea at this time, the tea will dilute the gastric juice, reduce the concentration of gastric acid, and interfere with the normal digestion process. In addition, the tannic acid in the tea will combine with the iron in the food, affecting the absorption of iron. Long-term use may lead to iron deficiency anemia.

So, how long after a meal is it appropriate to drink tea? Experts suggest that you should drink tea at least 30 minutes to an hour after a meal. At this time, the food in the stomach has been initially digested and the concentration of gastric juice is relatively stable. Drinking tea can help further decompose the food without putting too much burden on the stomach.

Strong tea vs weak tea: Choice is important

The concentration of tea is also crucial. Although strong tea has a strong flavor, it contains high levels of caffeine and tannic acid, which can irritate the gastric mucosa and easily cause stomach discomfort, or even aggravate gastritis, gastric ulcers and other stomach diseases. In contrast, weak tea is milder, which can not only play the role of tea in aiding digestion, but also will not cause excessive irritation to the stomach.

Different body types, different choices

Drinking tea depends not only on the time and concentration, but also on choosing the right tea according to your physical condition. For people with cold stomach, green tea is cold in nature and may aggravate stomach discomfort, while warm tea such as black tea and dark tea is more suitable. If you already have stomach problems, it is recommended to choose fermented tea, such as Pu'er tea, which is less irritating to the stomach.

Conclusion

Drinking tea after a meal can help digestion, but the key is "how to drink it". Only by mastering the correct time, concentration and tea selection can tea really become a good helper for health preservation. Next time when you pick up a cup of tea, you might as well think about these small details first to make tea drinking more scientific and healthy.