“Why does green tea make me nauseous?
Why would your favorite cup of green tea make you feel like throwing up?
Don’t worry. A number of people experience nausea after taking a cup of tea. So what causes it?
Could it be that you are taking it on an empty stomach? Or the tannin in the tea is making you nauseous?
What causes nausea when you drink green tea?
What causes you nausea when you drink a cup of green tea has nothing to do with the brand of tea that you are consuming. It also does not matter whether you took it hot or cold.
The reason behind your nausea comes down to two factors: whether you took it on an empty stomach or the level of tannin in the green tea.
1. Tannin
The bitter tang on your cup of tea comes from a component in green tea known as tannin.
So what is tannin?
Tannin is a compound that naturally found in tea. Whenever you brew your green tea for more than two minutes, tannin seeps into the brew. The high the level of tannin in your cup of tea the more bitter it will taste.
When you consume tannin, especially on an empty stomach, it makes you nauseous.
As such, to lower the level of tannin in your tea, brew it at lower temperatures and for less time.
Alternatively, you can try adding milk to your cup of green tea. Milk helps to bind the tannin and prevent you from feeling nausea.
2. Taking tea on an empty stomach
Green tea can irritate your stomach when you brew it too much. Also, you should not take it before eating as it increases the acid levels in the stomach.
Too much acid in the stomach results in digestive issues such as acid reflux, nausea, and constipation.
Brewing your tea with hot water makes the side effects even worse because it extracts more tannins. As such, you can consider brewing your tea with cold water that does not extract tannin.
If you love your green tea hot, then you can brew it under low temperatures and for less time.
Additionally, if you consume too much green tea, it may cause diarrhea. If you have an irritable bowel, then it is time to stop taking green tea.
If you want to avoid the side effects, then you should avoid taking green tea before eating. You should take your cup of green tea 30-45 minutes after taking a meal since green tea may also inhibit the absorption of nutrients in the meal.
Alternatively, you can serve it with biscuits or any other snack.
If you have stomach ulcers or acid reflux, then you should avoid taking green tea as it increases acidity.
Other side effects of green tea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89eOY-iZ4kU
Apart from nausea and stomach upset, green tea has other side effects, including:
1. Sleeping problems
Green tea contains caffeine, which stimulates the central nervous system and keeps you alert.
Taking a cup of green tea in the morning helps to give you the much-needed concentration throughout the day.
However, note that if you take green tea at night, it will still have the same effects. As such, you will probably have a hard time falling asleep. It might end up disrupting your sleep pattern leading to mood swings, irritability, and low-stress tolerance.
Additionally, some of the compounds in your cup of green tea can prevent the release of the melatonin hormone that helps you to sleep.
2. Iron deficiency
The antioxidants in green tea inhibit the absorption of iron into your body. This can be an issue for those with anemia or any other iron deficiency disease. As a precaution, you should avoid taking green tea if you have anemia.
Adding lemon to green tea can help you deal with this challenge. Lemon contains Vitamin C, which promotes the absorption of iron.
You can also choose to take your cup of green tea 45 minutes after taking a meal so that your body will have enough time to absorb the iron in your meal.
3. Headaches
The caffeine in coffee may cause headaches for some people. If you suffer from constant headaches, avoid taking green tea daily.
4. Dehydration
Green tea is a natural diuretic that causes excessive urination, which leads to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. Dehydration can further cause problems like lethargy, fatigue, and headaches.
5. Dizziness
Caffeine can make you feel lightheaded or dizzy when you consume too much of it. Caffeine decreases the flow of blood to the central nervous system and brain, which leads to motion sickness. It is therefore advisable to take tea in moderate amounts.
6. Liver disease
High consumption of green tea can damage the liver and lead to liver diseases. Too much caffeine can overwork the liver leading to liver problems.
To avoid these side effects, you should take up to 3 cups of tea per day.
7. High blood pressure
According to a study by Publimed.gov, taking green tea makes your blood pressure rise due to the presence of caffeine. Green tea may also interfere with some medications meant for blood pressure, which can be dangerous.
If you have issues with your blood pressure, you should consult your doctor before taking green tea.
8. Bone health
Some compounds in green tea may make the absorption of calcium in your body a challenge, which may affect the health of your bones.
If you have a bone disease, you should limit your daily green tea consumption. Calcium supplements can also support the health of your bones.
9. Risks during pregnancy
Caffeine, tannins, and catechins all lead to higher risks if you are pregnant. If you take more than two cups of green tea per day, it may lead to miscarriages and defects in children during birth.
Caffeine can also be passed to the infant through breastfeeding. As such, you should consult your doctor about how much green tea you can take while breastfeeding.
Green tea has many health benefits, including reducing the risk of getting heart disease, cancer, and so on. It also helps to keep your skin glowing always.
However, it also has some side effects, which include nausea, headaches, pregnancy risks, stomach problems, iron deficiency, and so on. Nausea, for example, is caused by taking too much tannin on an empty stomach.
One of my best strategies to counter most of the side effects is to take green tea in moderation.
You should also consult your doctor if you have any underlying medical issues before taking green tea.
If you have more questions, drop them down on the comment section and I will do my best to answer them.
