Green Tea Intermittent Fasting: Benefits and Side Effects

Are you a green tea drinker? If your answer is between “Yeah, from time to time” to, “For sure I enjoy green tea”, then congrats. Gather together green tea admirers since it’s high time to uncover the best qualities of this beverage. 

Spoiler alert: there are a bunch of them. It may be hard for you to wrap your head around all of them, and even if you’re not enjoying this blissful drink, you might want to give it a try. 

Green tea is an award-winning beverage not only for its qualities but also for its ability to peacefully exist within intermittent fasting regimes.  

Let me explain, there are many drinks you shouldn’t include in the fasting periods – tea doesn’t belong to them. Many individuals following certain fasting methods promptly incorporate tea since it boasts almost zero calories. 

If you’ve just started your intermittent fasting regime or plan to do it in the future, don’t hesitate to include tea in the list of foods and beverages. 

Today I’m going to help you find out more about green tea intermittent fasting: benefits and side effects. 

Can we drink green tea while intermittent fasting?

My dear readers, you can drink green tea while intermittent fasting. Among other Zero Calorie Drinks for Intermittent Fasting, this one is my favorite. 

By the way, you can easily call them fasting teas, as they don’t break any fast at all. Here’s why. 

Nutrition

Just take a short glimpse at the nutrition of green tea made by FoodData Central. 

Eight brewed ounces of green tea contains the following nutrients:

• Calories: 2.37
• Sodium: 2.37 mg
• Fiber – 0 mg
• Added sugars – 0g
• Protein: 0.52g
• Carbs: 0g
• Fat: 0g (4). 

No wonder this low nutrition cannot break your fast. Therefore, you’re allowed to drink herbal tea while intermittent fasting without a guilty conscience. Your main job here is to avoid sugary additives, such as:

• sugar
• honey
• syrup

Just make sure beverages you consume during one fasting window stick to 50 calories or lower. If you consume more calories, you may be breaking your fast. 

Okay, so now you are probably more relieved about having your cup of tea during the fasting period. Let’s take a closer look at the potential advantages of drinking green tea. 

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What does green tea do while fasting?

Let’s shortly revise the notion of intermittent fasting. This involves not eating for a certain period of time each day or week (11). Have you ever tried intermittent fasting on your own? 

If you have, I’m sure you have come across a couple of side effects after trying it: 

• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Hunger
• Nausea
• Headaches (11).

No wonder, even the mildest methods of intermittent eating plans might be tough for beginners. 

Your feelings of exhaustion take you over, you crave food, and your mood starts joggling between irritability and anger. That said, green tea can help you overcome some of these negative outcomes more easily. 

Check out the relieving green tea benefits during fasting periods:

1. You will be hydrated. 
2. You may curb your appetite.
3. You may improve your mental health. 
4. You may start sleeping better.
5. You may improve your heart function.
6. You might reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. 

You will be hydrated

Remember I told you about the negative effects of intermittent fasting, like fatigue, dizziness, or tiredness? You may be able to avoid these by staying hydrated. Since tea barely offers any calories, you can consume it, reducing the potential side effects of dehydration. 

Drink tea along with water to contribute to your daily fluid needs. Hydration is your key way to function well not only during the fasting period but your typical eating regime.

You may curb your appetite

Drink green tea and you might suppress your appetite. Slightly. You will feel a lot of hunger when you start your intermittent fasting journey. The thoughts about delectable dishes will take over your mind until you pull yourself together and do something about it. 

In this case, drinking sugar-free tea while fasting is said to be a healthy way to curb your cravings (13). 

You may improve your mental health

It’s not a surprise that hunger can make us angry, irritated, and perplexed. Recall the last time you’ve talked to someone or worked simultaneously thinking about another slice of paradise – food. 

Green tea intermittent fasting 16/8 or during other fasting regimes is going to be your mental health saver. Why? 

First of all, green tea benefits your brain – I assume one of the most vital organs in your body. The effects include: 

• sustained attention
• memory
• suppression of distraction
• relaxation (6).

That’s not all. In fact, research suggests that the catechins in green tea, such as EGCG, may combat free radicals, protect brain cells from damage, and delay or prevent the death of these cells. Catechins can also protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease (2).

To sum it up, feeling cranky during intermittent fasting is fine, especially at the beginning. Yet, the consumption of herbal tea might make you less cranky and bring you additional benefits. 

Read more: Parsley Tea Benefits, Side Effects, and Recipe

You may start sleeping better

Who doesn’t enjoy a nice nap or sleep? We all adore sleeping as during this time we relax and immerse ourselves in the world of captivating dreams. 

Some kinds of tea boast soothing qualities. One research found that the scent of jasmine tea has a sedative-like effect on mood (12). 

Your sleep is vital for your overall health. With enough sleep, you may get sick less often, sustain a healthy weight, and lower the risk of serious health problems. You think more clearly, your normal mood helps you interact with other people more easily, and solve problems faster (7).

Since intermittent fasting has exploded as an effective way to lose weight, without good sleep, that weight loss might become harder to achieve. 

You may improve your heart function

Your heart – another essential organ allowing you to exist on this planet. You should take care of your heart. A past study in 2006 shows the connection between drinking tea and reduced mortality due to cardiovascular disease (8).

The study observed 40,000 Japanese participants aged 40–79 for 11 years, starting in 1994. It found that the participants who drank more green tea per day had a reduced risk of mortality due to cardiovascular disease (8).

You might reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease

• The study in 2010 reviewed the beneficial effects of green tea. They may include reduced risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. (3).

Do you still have doubts about whether to drink tea or not during intermittent fasting? I’m sure you don’t. The overall green tea intermittent fasting benefits not only make this process smoother but also promote your well-being. 

Does green tea kick you out of ketosis?

No, green tea doesn’t kick you out of ketosis. Tea is a low-calorie beverage that can be easily enjoyed on a keto diet – as long as you keep it plain and don’t add sugar or other sweeteners. 

Ketosis is the metabolic state when your body burns fat for energy instead of glucose. During the ketogenic diet, the number of carbs you consume decreases (10).

Since green tea has no carbs at all, you can drink it on the keto diet as well. 

Can I drink green tea while fasting for weight loss?

Green tea intermittent fasting weight loss is a great combination. In fact, a review in 2010 on green tea states that green tea supplements, containing catechins or caffeine, have a small but positive effect on weight loss and weight management (14).

However, considering green tea as the main way to lose weight is not right. Treat it as an additional bonus to truly efficient ways: 

• exercising
• a healthy balanced diet
• better sleep
• enough hydration

Don’t treat green tea as a magical pill to trim the fat. Only with the abovementioned techniques I’ve listed your chances of getting in shape healthily will rise. 

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How to make green tea step by step?

Making the best tea for intermittent fasting is easy. Here’s a step-by-step instruction to create zesty tea with ginger.

Ingredients: 

1. Three cups of filtered water
2. Four green tea bags
3. One tablespoon of peeled and thinly sliced ginger root
4. Two tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus four slices for garnish
5. Two tablespoons honey

Instructions: 

• Bring water to almost a boiling point. Remove from heat.
• Place tea bags in a pitcher and toss in ginger slices. Pour hot water over the tea bags. Let the bags steep for 8-10 minutes. Remove the tea bags. Add some lemon juice and honey.
• Serve warm or iced (1).

Besides beverages, there are many Intermittent Fasting Meals you can mix with your tea ceremonies. 

Does green tea have side effects?

Green tea seems too good to be true. Well, it’s not the case since you have seen the evidence of its positive effects with your own eyes. 

So what, are there no downsides? In fact, there are a few side effects you should be wary of before making herbal tea a priority beverage. 

1. Caffeine. The first side effect is due to caffeine which tea has as well. Surely coffee is not the only drink with caffeine. Caffeine could be the cause of anxiety, tremors, irritability, and sleeping problems. Surely, it’s more likely for people who are either sensitive to caffeine or take large doses of it (9).
2. Tea also contains tannic acid which can stain teeth (9). Moderate drinking is necessary if you desire to boast a white-shiny smile. 
3. Green tea extracts may cause liver issues. Symptoms involve yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes, nausea, and/or stomach pain. If you’re facing these symptoms, stop using green tea and see your healthcare provider. The negative effects of green tea extract on the liver may depend on the dosage of green tea extract you consume each day (9).

What are the tea forms? 

You drink tea in one way but making green tea can involve various processes. This is due to the great variety of tea forms. The four major fasting tea forms are:

1. Tea Bags. They have crushed tea leaves inside and are used for brewing tea with hot water. You should place tea bags in a mug or teapot and then steep them in boiling water for a few minutes. 
2. Loose Tea Leaves. You use them to brew tea in a similar way, except they need a tea infuser or may be strained from the tea. Place the leaves in an infuser and steep in boiling water, or steep the leaves directly in water and with a tea strainer remove the leaves before drinking.
3. Tea Capsules. They are special pills containing high concentrations of tea. Since they are supplements, they are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. You should talk to your healthcare provider before trying them. 
4. Tea Strips. These tea products dissolve in hot water so there is no waste. 

<i><strong>Read more: </strong></i><a href=”https://betterme.world/articles/jasmine-tea-benefits/”><i>Jasmine Tea Benefits: Science Backed Reasons To Make This Your Favorite Drink</i></a>

Will drinking coffee break my fast?

Can You Have Coffee When Fasting? – you can get a longer version of the answer along with other essential details in the article. 

Here, you’ll get a shorter version of the answer: No, drinking coffee will not break your fast. The caveat to this lies in the type of coffee: it should be black and sugar-free. Whipped cream and other enticing additives will spoil the whole deal. 

By the way, as well as green tea, coffee may slightly suppress your appetite, making it easier to follow fasting regimes long term (5).

FAQs

• Does green tea spike insulin?

Green tea does not have enough calories or carbs to elicit an insulin response unless you add sugar or milk to it. On the other hand, the moderate consumption of green tea may be associated with improved insulin sensitivity. 

• Does green tea flush out sugar?

No foods or beverages can “flush out” sugar. Sugar in the blood following the digestion and absorption of a meal leaves the blood through the actions of insulin, which allows it into the cells to be turned into energy.

• Does green tea block carbs?

Some studies have found that an extract of green tea slows or reduces the absorption of carbohydrates in the digestive tract. However, it is not clear how or whether drinking green tea would have a similar effect. It is also possible that individual responses may vary.

• What drinks won’t break ketosis?

Wondering what to drink during the ketogenic diet? The keto-friendly beverages include all kinds of unsweetened teas, sparkling sugar-free water, plain coffee, bone broth, and keto-friendly smoothies. 

• What tea won’t break intermittent fasting?

Some of the best intermittent fasting teas are herbal teas, like peppermint tea, ginger tea, or chamomile tea. Fruit teas might be packed with additional sugars which could break your fast. Please note adding sugar or other sweeteners to your tea can break your fast. 

The Bottom Line

Today you have learned about green tea intermittent fasting: benefits and side effects. Let’s wrap them all up here to consolidate the knowledge. 

Green tea is a low-calorie beverage that perfectly fits your intermittent fasting regime. The tea itself may offer impressive benefits. 

By drinking green tea you may curb your appetite, improve your mental health, start sleeping better, improve your heart function, and reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. 

Additionally, green tea will keep you hydrated which is good for keeping stable during fasting periods. 

Green tea will not kick you out of ketosis and may even promote weight loss. 

The possible side effects of green tea include the negative impact of caffeine you can find in green tea, teeth stains, and possible liver issues. 

On a final note, don’t consume tea with ingredients you’re allergic to.