Is it possible to drink tea immediately after a meal?

Tea is one of the most popular drinks among people around the world. Today, it is highly valued not only in Britain and China - tea ceremonies are held everywhere. Tea has become not only a great way to quickly quench thirst, but also a means to clean up the body. The drink is used for weight loss, lemon and ginger are added to it, making it a remedy for colds. But because tea has become available to everyone, there is information about the culture of its consumption - almost everyone knows that it can bring both benefits and harm.

What are the benefits of tea for the body?

The composition of tea leaves contains more than three hundred various compounds and substances that are necessary for the human body. Among them can be noted:

• Tannins.
• Many types of essential oils.
• Pantocrine acid.
• Fiber.
• Magnesium.
• Potassium.
• Phosphorus.
• Calcium.
• Protein substances.
• Pectins.
• Vitamins C, B1, B2, P and PP.

This composition allows you to perceive tea not only as a tasty drink with a pleasant touch, but also as an opportunity to get a lot of necessary substances. Of course, you should not consider such an abundance of useful substances as a panacea for all diseases - still, you should use tea for therapeutic purposes only after consulting a doctor, and together with medicines prescribed by a specialist. Exactly the same way it is not worth thinking that tea is not useful for a person - this opinion is completely wrong.

Black tea contains more caffeine than the usual coffee drink. It can be noted that a cup of black tea in the morning is much better invigorating than the usual weak coffee with milk. The drink contains theophylline, which has a diuretic effect and excites the central nervous system.

Since catechins, similar to vitamin P, can also be found in the tea, the drink prevents the development of atherosclerosis by slowing down the oxidation of adrenaline and also improves the absorption of ascorbic acid. The presence of vitamin B2 ensures the normalization of metabolism, and PP improves intestinal function and enhances the absorption of carbohydrates.

Tea is used for weight loss - rich in vitamins composition allows to make up for the lack of necessary substances and keep the body in good shape. The drink can be consumed by people of any age, but in the presence of chronic diseases should be limited to one or two cups a day.

How to choose a quality tea

The experts say that only high quality black tea is beneficial for the body, that's why the choice of beverage is a very difficult task and very important. Guided by simple principles of choice, you can get a full range of vitamins and essential substances, spending a small amount of money.

First you have to decide on the type. There are dozens of varieties, and it is not only the standard green, black and red drinks. In many cultures, tea is consumed in different ways, which is why the product may look quite unusual. For example, in England it is customary to drink tea with milk, in Russia - with a bit of sugar or a slice of lemon, and in some countries it is even drunk with salt and spices.

When choosing a variety, you should be guided first and foremost by your own taste preferences and only then by fashion and cultural specifics. For example if you live in China, you should not always prefer yellow or green tea although that variety is recognized in this culture because of the absence of harmful additives and colorings.

You can tell the quality of the brew by the characteristic traits:

1. Leaf color. In most cases, quality black tea is usually a very dark shade, while green tea is green. If the leaves have lightened and turned brown, it means the tea is of poor quality or has been stored in unsuitable conditions.
2. A quality brew has a distinctive glow to it. If the leaves are dull and matt, the tea is probably of poor quality.
3. The brewing leaves should be about the same size. Fakes often have small leaves or grains of dust.
4. Foreign elements. In loose brews, you can often find fragments of tea sticks, and if the beverage was not stored properly, in the loose substance is real to consider and cardboard, and even foil.
5. Smell. A high quality beverage should have no extraneous aromas, such as metallic or burnt.

You can determine the quality by paying attention to the variety. Some varieties have particular characteristics that make it difficult to tell if they are of good quality.

How to brew tea correctly

At first glance, it seems that everyone knows how to brew tea. Of course, the basic skills of brewing the fragrant beverage were instilled in our childhood, but not everyone knows that improper brewing deprives tea of many useful properties. So often those who want to get the effect of brewing are left with nothing - it is not enough just pour the tea leaves with boiling water.

Before brewing, it is always worth checking the quality of the product. To do this, just look at the date of packaging - if the leaves are packed more than six months ago, it is likely that the desired taste and effect will not be achieved. The leaves should be a rich color without any extraneous inclusions.

Also, you should pay attention to the quality of water used for brewing - ideally it should be soft and clean, without impurities and chemicals. Some tea lovers even choose special teapots made of porcelain and faience - it is believed that such utensils help improve the taste.

The classic recipe for brewing tea looks like this: take a teaspoon of loose-leaf brew in the ratio of one cup of water. Pour boiling water over the leaves and let them steep for 5-7 minutes.

A little trick: it is better to pour water into the teapot in two parts. First, you need to pour half of the kettle, infuse the mixture for a couple of minutes, and then add water. In this way, the taste is richer.

After the drink is brewed, the remainder of the tea leaves should be removed immediately. This is done to avoid any bitter aftertaste. Interestingly, some varieties of the drink allow you to brew it twice, preserving the taste.

Can I Drink Tea Right after a Meal?

Many people have gotten into the habit of drinking tea immediately after a meal since Soviet times - in many families it is already considered a tradition. But is it good for the body to drink the drink after a meal, and what harm can bring such a meal?

The benefit of drinking tea after a meal is only that a person satisfies thirst and gets rid of the taste of food and spices. A feeling of fullness sets in, even if the amount of food was insufficient to relieve the feeling of hunger. Traditional tea snacks - sandwiches, pancakes, and other treats - are also often used. Also tea after meals is drunk by those who want to lose weight - it is enough to eat a little for lunch or dinner, drink a hot drink so that the feeling of hunger disappears.

The harm of drinking any drink, including tea, after a meal is that the liquid dissolves the nutrients in the food, washes away the gastric juice, so the vitamins are not absorbed. This also applies to plain water, and even to the seemingly useful juice.

Opinions on this matter differ - some people are sure that there is no harm in drinking tea right after a meal, because the main thing is what kind of food a person eats. Interestingly, some nutritionists believe that you can drink tea only five hours after a meal. Of course, this option is absolutely unacceptable for many people.

How long after a meal is it possible to drink tea or coffee

Experienced nutritionists say that you can drink any drink no earlier than thirty minutes after the meal - that is, at the moment when the food has already left the stomach. They explain this by the fact that during this period of time all the useful substances from the eaten dish have penetrated into the body, and the gastric juice has time to do its work.

Another such caution is due to the fact that the liquid, getting into the stomach, slows down the process of digestion, resulting in impaired functions of the entire gastrointestinal tract. This applies to drinking tea as well as other drinks - coffee, water, juice, carbonated water. It is recommended to have tea as a separate meal, then there will be no harm to your health and all the useful elements will be assimilated by the body in full.

You can drink tea with your food

Just like drinking tea right after a meal, experts do not recommend drinking beverages during a meal. Of course, many people, especially when eating dry food, find it much more convenient to accompany their meals with a drink - it seems that this way the food is easier and quicker to get into the stomach.

It turns out that salivation, which plays an important role in the process of digestion, is significantly impaired when food is drunk. The amount of gastric juice secreted decreases, which can lead to gastrointestinal malfunction and soon to serious illness. Food in the stomach does not have time to undergo the necessary processing and stagnates, the natural process of fermentation begins, which leads to a bloated stomach and heaviness in the stomach.

When a person drinks tea with food, he swallows a large amount of air at the same time as the liquid. Air makes up most of the gases in the stomach, and the body simply does not have time to process all the substances, due to which there are also disorders in the digestive organs. If the body still requires liquid during meals, it is recommended to pay attention to liquid soups - they do not create such a danger to the body, because they contain a lot of useful substances.

Is it possible to wash down the medicines with tea?

Medical experts strongly recommend drinking any medication only with plain water. The fact is that the elements contained in the tea can affect the therapeutic process, and in some cases even slow it down.

If there is still a need to drink the medicine with tea, for example, there is no non-carbonated water on hand, it is recommended to use weak warm tea. This increases the chances that the medicine will quickly dissolve in the stomach and have a beneficial effect.

Often the medication is prescribed several times a day before a meal or during a meal, in which case it is strictly forbidden to wash down the medication with tea. In addition to the fact that the drink can interfere with the effects of the drug, it also has a negative effect on the absorption of food in the stomach.

It is not recommended to drink tea, if the treatment of the throat with an aerosol spray is made - the drink will simply wash away all the useful substances, the therapy will not bring results. When treating diseases of the gastrointestinal tract from drinking tea will also have to be abandoned.

Can I drink tea before meals?

With the consumption of a favorite drink before a meal is the same situation as with drinking tea after a meal. It is recommended to drink tea no later than half an hour before lunch or dinner. If you do it earlier, the drink will dilute the gastric juice after meals, and the necessary substances will not be absorbed by the body.

In thirty minutes the tea will have time to leave the stomach, and the gastrointestinal tract will be safe. You can safely enjoy the beneficial effects of the tea drink without worrying about the consequences.

Tea drinking today is a full-fledged culture. In every country this drink has its own history and unique traditions, which are often handed down from generation to generation. To enjoy it fully and preserve millenary traditions, we have to pay attention to the rules of its consumption, its benefits and harms, the right time, as well as the quality of brewing - then any tea drinking will be pleasant and useful. You should not be afraid to experiment - every body reacts individually, but it is still necessary to listen to its reactions.