While fasting is an ancient practice, it has also found a valued, healthy place in our modern world. I have practiced intermittent fasting for several years now and I have often wondered if some of my no-calorie beverages, including tea, would break my fast. Alternatively, are there teas that are actually good for fasting? If you’ve ever wondered the same things, stay with me.
Herbal teas, green teas, and black teas with no additives do not break a fast. Sweeteners, artificial sweeteners, or creamers added to tea would break a fast. To maintain a fast, include only plain teas with no added ingredients.
In addition to covering the teas that don’t break a fast, let’s also dive into the various types of fasts and the best teas to drink during your chosen fast.
You will also want to read my overview article Does Tea Break a Fast? Plus 5 Ways Tea Supports Your Fast.
Remember that if you have any health concerns or are new to fasting, please check with your health care partner before beginning.
Which Teas Don’t Break a Fast? 11 Teas to Try
You can enjoy a variety of teas during intermittent fasting. In fact, health experts have identified types of tea that do not break a fast. This gives you a variety of teas to choose from that not only help curb cravings, but also add comfort, health benefits, and flavor to your fast.
“Tea is a perfect addition to your fasting experience.”
TEA CROSSING
Each tea in this list offers differences in composition, flavor, boldness, and other qualities to add enjoyment to your fast.
Each type of tea in the list also provides you with additional health benefits to give your body an extra boost and also complement your fasting goals.
Here are 11 teas to incorporate into your fast:
Tea #1: Black Tea
Black teas that are safe for fasting regimens offer a broad range of choices to satisfy your craving for flavor variation. The flavor is strong and dark.
You may choose from Assam black tea Yunnan, or Irish Breakfast blends if you prefer a malt-like taste. Lapsang Souchong tastes smoky, Ceylon black tea is slightly chocolaty, and English Breakfast is a good choice if you prefer a full-bodied flavor.
Other acceptable blends include Earl Grey, flavored with citrus and bergamot, Kenyan black tea for an astringent profile, or Darjeeling with floral and fruity notes. Keemun black tea offers a fruity profile that is similar to wine, and Masala Chai tea with heavy spices including peppercorns, cloves, and cardamom can stimulate your taste buds.
The research has shown that black tea is rich in antioxidants that protect the cells in your body from oxidation. It supports heart health at a cellular level.
Tea #2: Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is in the herbal category and (like all herbal, tree root, and flower infusions) is technically considered a tisane, not a true tea. It is made from the flowers of the Chamomile plant producing a light and mild flavor.
Chamomile tea has been used for centuries as an herbal remedy for relaxing and promoting sleep. A cup of this tea can help you to unwind before bedtime, or to calm the jitters during the daytime. The compounds that help to calm you are not strong enough to put you to sleep, but it can take the edge off. It is also believed to support good digestion.
Tea #3: Ginger Tea
Ginger tea (also considered to be a tisane) is made from the root of a ginger plant. It is used as a flavoring in baking, and it has been used as a natural therapeutic since ancient times.
Since Ginger contains a long list of health-promoting compounds it is one of the healthiest teas you can drink. in its pure form without additives, it can give you a spicy flavor boost while it supports improved health for all the systems in your body.
Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory, so it can help with joint or muscle conditions. It has long been used to treat stomach and digestive ailments, menstrual cramps, and more. It also offers antioxidants to boost immune health, along with anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral benefits.
It’s good for use with fasting because it helps to curb hunger cravings.
Tea #4: Green Tea
Green tea is good for fasting because it gives you a wide choice of flavors that are safe for your regimen to curb cravings.
Some of the healthiest and safest green tea blends include Gyokuro with a strong and savory profile, Dragon well for a nutty flavor, Laoshan with a sweet yet fasting approved note, or Biluochan for a strong aroma with a fruity taste. Any green tea that does not have artificial flavors, soy, or sweeteners is safe for fasting.
Green tea helps to boost your immune system with antioxidants. It is also known to support brain health and promote mental alertness. It supports heart health and it is highly prized because of its natural weight loss benefits that support all types of fasting and enhances the effects.
Tea #5: Matcha Tea
Matcha is like green tea kicked up a notch. Matcha offers all of the same health benefits that green tea offers except in greater quantities. Because you’re consuming the whole leaf and not the leftovers after steeping, you can expect to drink way more health-promoting antioxidants and the amino acid L-theanine.
Research shows that there is about 137 times more of the antioxidant EGCG in matcha than in green tea. According to Healthline, an 8-ounce cup of hot green tea can contain between 50 and 100 mg of EGCG. That means green tea might contain 10 mg, and matcha would contain well over 6,000 mg.
Tea #6: Hibiscus Tea
Hibiscus tea is in the herbal tisane category. It gives your tastebuds the sensation of sweetness and tartness at the same time. It has been compared to the flavor of cranberries and it’s safe for inclusion in a fasting strategy.
Research has shown that Hibiscus tea helps your body to manage cholesterol levels while supporting heart and liver health. It’s also full of antioxidants to build your immune system response.
Tea #7: Mint Tea
Mint tea is another natural remedy that has been used for centuries. Peppermint is known for its benefits for treating digestive problems such as an upset stomach. The leaves of the mint plant give off a pleasant mild taste. It can help to satisfy hunger cravings by giving you a dose of flavor that is safe for your fast. The natural oils also promote relaxation of spasms in the gut without adding calories or the effects of caffeine (because there isn’t any).
In addition, studies have shown that mint tea can reduce feelings of fatigue and help you to feel more alert.
Tea #8: Oolong Tea
Oolong tea comes in several varieties that can help you to change up the flavor. If you prefer a sweet or fruity tea, Tie Guan Yin or Feng Huang Dan Cong are good choices. Whitetip Oolong tea is crisp and fruity, Baozhone and Pouchong are more delicate, and the heavier darker flavors come from Red Robe and Tung Ting varieties.
Oolong is loaded with antioxidant compounds that help to boost the function of the immune system and it’s believed to support both brain and heart health.
Tea #9: Pu-erh Tea
Pu-erh tea undergoes a fermenting process that gives it a rich and dark flavor.
The aging process of the leaves affects the flavor, which gives you more safe choices when you’re fasting. Ripe Pu-erh has been fermented the longest, composing for several months for an earthier flavor. Younger versions of this fermented tea offer a fruitier and sweeter flavor without adding calories.
Health benefits of Pu-erh include high doses of antioxidants for the immune system, heart, and even skin health. Caffeine promotes mental alertness.
Tea #10: Rooibos Tea
Rooibos (pronounced “roy-boss”) tea originates from the Aspalathus linearis shrub in South Africa. This red herbal tea has a naturally sweet, subtle, and earthy taste and can be enjoyed as a hot or cold beverage.
Rooibos tea is herbal with no caffeine. It gives you a sweet and earthy flavor with a few floral notes. This is also a fermented tea that is filled with antioxidants that are good for your immune system and your heart. This tea is set apart because of the fluoride minerals including manganese and calcium for promoting healthy bones and teeth.
Tea #11: White Tea
White tea has the most delicate flavor within the true tea classification. It’s also lower in caffeine than most other non-herbal teas, so it isn’t as likely to give you the jitters. The earthier flavored varieties include Gong Mei and Bai Mu Dan. The leaves are minimally processed, so the antioxidant catechin levels are high.
The compounds found in white tea help to reduce inflammation in the body while promoting good dental and brain health.
What is Intermittent Fasting and Can Drinking Tea Help?
Top medical and nutrition experts support intermittent fasting as a way to kick start your metabolism to burn off stored fat deposits in the body.
“Intermittent fasting is a dietary schedule that follows a strict timeline for when to consume foods and beverages that contain calories.”
TEA CROSSING
It’s a complicated physiological process that takes place, but it’s not hard to understand how this kind of fasting works. Drinking certain kinds of tea during a fast has been shown to enhance the benefits of fasting to promote even faster weight loss and additional health benefits.
Let’s take a more in-depth at what intermittent fasting is, how it works, and how tea can be the perfect partner for your fast.
What is Intermittent Fasting? A Basic Explanation
Intermittent fasting is a dietary schedule that follows a strict timeline for when to consume foods and beverages that contain calories.
It’s a tool for weight management and in some cases, for preventing or reversing some types of health conditions.
According to John Hopkins Medicine, intermittent fasting includes depriving the body of calories for a set number of hours each day to make your body burn fat at a faster rate.
Although there are many different ways to do intermittent fasting, all methods are based on setting up regular fasting and eating times. It amounts to a regular and consistent schedule for each. When your body becomes accustomed to its new schedule for eating and fasting, it signals a metabolic switch that delves into fat stores instead of burning the most recent calories you consume.
The key concept is to deprive the body of calories for prolonged periods to force it to tap into stored fat reserves.
Going too long without food can make your metabolic system hold onto calories longer, so it’s best to choose a schedule that is shorter in duration when you’re first starting.
Research conducted through clinical trials reported by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health supports the use of intermittent fasting regimens that are in shorter duration for increasing metabolic functions and speeding weight loss. An extra benefit that was discovered through their studies on intermittent fasting is that it also helped to regulate healthier blood pressure levels in the participants.
How Can Drinking Tea Enhance Intermittent Fasting?
Drinking tea during an intermittent fast can help in quite a few different ways.
It’s healthy for your body, it gives you a choice of flavors that make going without food easier, and it can help to curb any cravings that might arise. There are also health benefits associated with tea. Some of the benefits include a metabolic boost to enhance the fat-burning process.
Nutrition experts tea with no additives that are unsweetened preserves the integrity of your fast, while adding extra benefits. A study that included more than 1,400 participants showed that drinking tea during intermittent fasting enhanced weight loss, improved blood sugar levels, and enhanced cardiovascular health. It also improved mental wellbeing.
Green Tea is the Top Choice
The study above also showed that green tea is the most effective type to drink during a fast.
It helps to curb hunger by delivering amino acids, proteins, and a host of vitamins and minerals. Green tea is packed with catechins which are powerful antioxidants. It destroys free radicals in the body that can lead to disease, without harming healthy tissue. It also lowers bad cholesterol levels.
It is the method of processing green tea that makes it so healthy and useful during fasting. Steaming the leaves helps it to retain useful compounds that are good for skin health while defending the body from viral and fungal infections.
Green tea makes significant healthy contributions to the body when fasting.
What Types of Intermittent Fasting are There and Can You Drink Tea?
Intermittent fasting can be done in a lot of different ways.
Some research even suggests that it’s good to change up your fasting schedule for the best results in weight management.
Drinking tea is allowed in most kinds of intermittent fasting regimens, but there are a few of them that do not allow you to drink tea during the fasting periods.
The Harvard School of Medicine studies show that variations in intermittent fasting schedules increase positive results. Fasting for 8-hour periods has better results over five weeks for health with fewer hunger cravings. It further suggests that eating earlier in the day benefits metabolic processes more effectively. Decreases in appetite were noted along with lower blood pressure and insulin levels.
The 7 Types of Intermittent Fasting
Experts recommend choosing the type of intermittent fasting that fits in best with your lifestyle. This increases your odds of successfully meeting your health and weight management goals.
There are 7 different intermittent fasting methods that are generally recommended:
5:2 Intermittent Fast
This type involves eating your regular diet for 5 days without calorie counting, then consuming a diet that restricts the total calorie count to 500 for women and 600 for men, per day for 2 days.
Time-Restricted Fast
This type of fast involves going without eating for 14 hours with no calorie consumption. It helps to stimulate fat cell metabolism at a more rapid rate. The fast involves establishing an eating time at any time between 9 in the morning to 5 at night. It’s ideal for people who prefer to eat their meals earlier in the day and it helps to avoid late-night eating. If your lifestyle allows for regular eating schedules, this may be ideal.
Overnight Fast
This type of fast involves fasting for 12 hours each day without consuming calories. It works best when eating periods are between the hours between 7 am and 7 pm. The overnight fast is the equivalent of cutting out all snacks and late dinners, but you must be aware of how many calories you consume if your goal is weight loss.
Eat Stop Eat
This type of intermittent fasting calls for the implementation of two 24 hours fast within a week, along with a resistance training exercise regimen. Responsible eating is highlighted as a key concept for weight loss. It’s a matter of consuming fewer calories than you burn within the week.
Whole Day Fast
This is also a 24-hour fast period. it includes consuming between 5-600 calories with 24 hours of fasting in between. You must plan your diet carefully to ensure that you get the nutrients your body needs in one meal, while watching the calorie count, however, this type of fast is more challenging because of the hunger pangs and cravings it elicits. Tea can help curb these cravings.
Alternate Day Fasting
Alternate Day fasting schedules allow you to fast every other day, allowing 500 calories on the fasting days. You can eat normally on the non-fasting days. The benefit of this type is by the second week most participants had a reduction in hunger, although the first two weeks were difficult with your hunger at more comfortable levels by week four.
Choose a Day Fast
This method involves choosing any day of the week, either once or twice, for a 16 hour fast. Choose a day fast is a type of intermittent fasting that is good for people with constantly changing schedules. It allows for more flexibility. Eating during the fasting days is permitted during a specified 8 hour period.
What is a Water Fast and is Drinking Tea Allowed?
Water fasting is a specific type of fast.
True water fasting prohibits the consumption of anything other than water for the specified period.
Tea is generally not allowed during the fasting period.
The average water fast lasts between 24 to 72 hours. Longer fasts should be supervised by a healthcare partner because there are potential dangers to the kidneys, heart, and other internal organs for persons who have other health conditions. Your health care partner may approve a supervised fasting period of more than three days.
Who Should NOT Engage in Water Fasting?
Medical News Today confirms that not everyone can safely engage in water fasting.
The medical experts recommend that people under 18 years of age, those who breastfeed or are pregnant, anyone with an eating disorder, or those with other health-related issues should avoid water fasting unless recommended by their physicians.
Although there are potential dangers associated with water fasting, there are also benefits.
The Benefits of Water Fasting
Short-term water fasting can be beneficial for some people. When cleared by your attending physician, you can improve some health conditions.
If you and your health care partner agree that water fasting is right for you, these are the potential health benefits:
- Can Decrease Heart Disease
- Can Reduce Obesity
- Can Help to Manage or Reverse Diabetes
- Can Lower High Blood Pressure
- Can Lower High Cholesterol
What is a Modified Fast and How Can You Include Tea?
A Modified Fast is a method that takes an aggressive approach to weight loss.
It is a fast that allows you to enjoy your favorite tea beverages as long as it contains no additives such as sweetener or creamers that would add extra calories. This diet severely restricts the consumption of starchy foods/carbohydrates.
No-calorie tea is allowed on this type of fast.
The primary foods allowed in a modified fast include lean meats and protein supplements along with a few vegetables that do not contain starches. The foods are usually prepared at home to control the ingredients and keep out unwanted fillers and extra calories.
Because this type of fast is generally monitored and supervised under the care of a heath provider, there is usually a weekly visit to a clinic for support and monitoring. This helps anchor the new eating modification techniques.
Here are the components and potential benefits of a modified fast:
- Decreased hunger due to low-calorie protein supplements
- Rapid weight loss
- Appetite-suppressant supplements are allowed
- Zero-calorie beverages, such as tea, are allowed
- It’s useful as transition fast to more advanced weight loss methods
The Advantages of Drinking Tea on a Modified Fast
Drinking tea on a modified fast can give you the satisfaction of diverse flavoring to break up the monotony of the food choices.
Certain teas can help to improve your overall health by giving you an extra boost of immune-strengthening antioxidants. Teas with caffeine can enhance mental alertness as well as promote healthy digestion.
Think about how important it is to create a bridge when you change your eating habits. Your body could use a transition when you make dietary changes.
Can Tea Help to Curb Hunger During Fasting?
Tea absolutely can help to curb hunger when fasting. Tea can take away hunger sensations in a few different ways. It can act as a filler in your stomach and make you feel content. Certain types of tea contain compounds that make you feel more satisfied, and some of them have mild appetite suppressants.
Which Teas Curb Hunger? 4 Teas to Try
Nutritionists offer four excellent choices for teas that are the best for curbing hunger. If you eat because of stress, then these beverages can satisfy this tendency without adding a single calorie or breaking your fast.
Here are 4 teas that can help to curb hunger during your fasts:
Tea #1: Black Tea
Black tea is aromatic and contains flavonoids. The bold taste brings you a degree of tastebud satisfaction. You can choose from several different black tea blends to obtain a variety of flavors that please your senses of taste and smell.
Tea #2: Mint Tea
There are a few different varieties of mint tea that can make you feel satisfied. The oils in mint leaves do not add calories. They offer a different experience for your nose and tastebuds. The aroma can make you feel relaxed and less agitated. The taste can help you to feel full. The water used in brewing the tea is filling. The best benefit is the smell and taste. Mint tea offers a distraction from hunger.
Tea #3: Green Tea
Green tea comes in a broad range of flavor choices and blends. All green tea that is free of sweeteners and fillers is healthy for your body, and some have a great flavor that can help you to feel more satisfied. Like other teas, green tea beverages contain water. H20 is the best for filling you up, but some of the unique flavor blends give you the sensation of eating. One of the best benefits of green tea during a fast is that it contains an antioxidant called EGCG, which boosts a hunger-suppressing hormone in your body. Drinking tea helps to curb your desire to eat food for a few hours after consuming the tea.
Tea #4: Matcha Tea
As we’ve covered above, matcha tea is a type of green tea that is processed entirely differently. It generally comes in a highly potent powder form and offers extraordinary health benefits:
- Increased Metabolism
- Good for digestive health
- Lowers risk of Diabetes
- Lowers Blood Pressure
- Improves skin
- Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
- Lowers Cholesterol
- Anti-Inflammatory
- Cancer-Fighting Properties
- Caffeine Boost Without the Crash
When you’re fasting, one of the best ways to tone down your hunger pangs is to drink tea. We can conclude from the research done on this topic that tea satisfies your psychological need to eat by filling your stomach and allowing you to go through the same motions as eating.
The aroma and flavor are also satisfying, and some teas contain compounds that curb your appetite without the need for supplemental drugs.
The Physical and Psychological Benefits of Drinking Tea
Nutrition experts recommend drinking freshly brewed tea to make you feel fuller. Your stomach is receiving added content with the result that you will feel fuller. The aroma and taste of the tea will be similar to eating food. When this combines with the natural flavors, the experience can be satisfying.
On the psychological end of the situation, sipping tea involves the motion of moving the cup or glass to your mouth. The movements you make when you drink tea has a psychological effect that is associated with eating food. Just this alone can give you a sensation that is associated with eating and feeling full.
Drinking tea is one of the healthiest ways to deal with hunger when fasting. It is a perfect addition to your fasting experience.