What Are The Best Teas For IBS

‘Which teas are safe for IBS?’ This is a question you may want to be asking your dietitian.

You know that staying hydrated is important for your IBS control. But, you may feel frustrated in having to drink just water – it is bland and fairly boring.

This conundrum may leave you a little frustrated and actually unable to stick to the increased fluid intake that you need.

So tea can be a good option – it has more flavour than water, is warming and has little or no caffeine in it.

But don’t be fooled! Some tea can worsen symptoms. Now I must be clear in this post, no tea will ‘help sooth’ your symptoms but they do provide a handy hydration tool when used wisely.

This post will guide you on what teas and in what amount you can drink safely with IBS.

Ginger Tea

Ginger tea is a safe tea for IBS.

Ginger contains no FODMAPs or caffeine so it can be a nice way to hydrate! You can use either fresh ginger with hot water or a ginger tea bag.

Some people claim that ginger helps settle their stomach, but there is no scientific proof to back up these claims.

Peppermint Tea

Peppermint tea is a safe tea for IBS.

You can drink peppermint tea in the safe knowledge that it contains no caffeine or FODMAPs. Some people claim that peppermint tea helps their IBS symptoms, but there is no scientific proof for this.

Peppermint oil capsules have been proven to help IBS symptoms, but these would be much stronger than drinking the tea alone (1, 2).

If you have acid reflux, please avoid peppermint tea as it can flare symptoms.

Green Tea

Green tea is safe for IBS in moderation.

Green tea is safe for IBS is low FODMAP but it contains caffeine. You likely have not realised this and it is often where people go wrong.

You do not need to avoid green tea, just be mindful of the quantity. Find your own caffeine tolerance.

1 cup of green tea contains around 35mg of caffeine (3). For general health you should not exceed 400mg / day  or 200mg if you are pregnant / breastfeeding (4).

Teas To Avoid With IBS

There are several teas which you must avoid if you have IBS. This is due to their FODMAP content.

Please note, the following list is just some examples;

• Fennel tea
• Strong chai tea
• Chamomile tea
• Oolong tea

Is Kombucha Tea Good For IBS?

Kombucha tea is a fermented tea which claims to provide good gut bacteria.

While kombucha tea does contain some bacteria – it is unclear whether this is actually a probiotic or not. There is absolutely no proof that drinking kombucha will impact the bacteria in your gut.

You must also be careful because just 1 mug of Kombucha tea (around 250mls) is considered high FODMAP by Monash (5). This is due to the high content of fructans in the tea.

Bottom Line

Tea is a really useful way to get enough fluid in each day. You just need to be careful and avoid teas which contain FODMAPs as well as drinking too much caffeine.

What Is Your Favourite Tea? Comment Below ⬇️

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