Stomach bloat drinking green tea?why? page

[primalprincess7]

I try to drink 2-4 cups of green tea a day. I like it and it makes me feel good. However, always after drinking it, my stomach gets reaaally bloated to the point of hurting! It takes a while for it to go back down too. Why would this happen? The ingredients just say decaffeinated green tea, that's it. Thanks.

[loafingcactus]

How does it make you feel good if it puts you in pain?

[primalprincess7]

lol well I feel like it helps me with my overall weight loss and health. but right after i drink it i get bloated. but it goes away. if i eat grains or dairy i bloat too so i really dont know how green tea would be the same as that yknow?

[Lira]

You could have an issue with tannins. Tannins are quite complex so I'm generalizing here but in high levels it seems they can irritate the entire digestive system. Yet another of those plant defenses.

They also can chelate with iron, leading to anemia.

I'm definitely a tea drinker but I think if it caused that kind of bloating in me I'd scale back. You could try eliminating it for a while and returning to it.

[Shell]

Could it be the chemicals used to decaffeinate it? Switch to a brand that uses water to decaffeinate. Does this happen if you drink caffeinated tea?

[primalprincess7]

hmm i don't know. i guess i will have to try it. i try to limit all caffeine intake though.

[Paleobird]

Try rooibos tea. More antioxidants than green tea plus no caffeine and not diuretic effect. I second what was said above about chemical decaffeination. It can sometimes be worse than the caffeine. Rooibos is caffeine free naturally and has a robust enough flavor to keep a reformed coffee drinker like me happy.

[primalprincess7]

never heard of it where do u get it?

[Chaohinon]

How long and hot are you steeping your tea? Anything longer than 2 minutes, in 175*f water, and you end up releasing a lot of bitter tannins. Unless you're adding cream & sugar, I find it it's better to steep a little on the cold side. Hot water has a "pushing" effect, while cold water has more of a gentle pulling effect.

If you don't have a thermometer, a good gauge for tea water is when small bubbles are just starting to rise to the top. And after 1.5-2 minutes, throw that bag away.

I second the roobios suggestion. It also has the benefit of low tannins, so you can steep much longer and get multiple uses out of each batch. Don't buy cheap, though, cause that shit tastes like sawdust. Yerba mate is similar, and despite being really bitter at times, has never given me a stomach ache.

[Paleobird]

Yerba Mate also packs a hefty caffeine punch.

I get my rooibos online at The Tea Spot