Having a cup of tea after a meal is a pleasure for many. In fact, drinking tea immediately after a meal is unhealthy for your body and can lay the groundwork for anemia in the future.
Huo Junsheng, Director of the Food Science and Technology Office at the National Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, stated: "Drinking tea right after a meal introduces a large amount of water into the stomach, which is busy digesting food. This dilutes the digestive secretions produced by the stomach, thereby impairing its ability to digest food. Furthermore, tea contains a large amount of tannic acid. Drinking tea after a meal causes undigested protein in the stomach to bind with the tannic acid, forming a hard-to-digest coagulated substance that interferes with the digestion and absorption of protein. More importantly, tea hinders the body's absorption of iron. Drinking tea brewed from 15 grams of dry tea leaves after a meal can reduce the absorption of iron from food by 50%. Over the long term, this can affect a person's digestive function and even lead to iron-deficiency anemia." [China Food]
Many people also like to drink tea after a large meal, believing it can aid digestion and cut through the grease. In reality, this is also very unhealthy for your health. Director Huo told reporters: "The large amount of tannic acid in tea combines with protein to form tannic acid protein. This substance has an astringent effect, which slows down intestinal motility and can easily lead to constipation."
Director Huo emphasized that to avoid symptoms of anemia, it is more appropriate to drink coffee or tea about 1 to 2 hours after a meal, after the stomach has emptied. It is also advisable to consume more iron-rich foods in your daily diet, such as green leafy vegetables, red beans, and pork liver, to prevent a deficiency in heme.
He suggested that it is best to drink black tea in the evening. Because green tea is unfermented, it has a high content of tea polyphenols and is more irritating to the system. Black tea is fully fermented and therefore less irritating. Tea should not be brewed too strongly. Drinking tea on an empty stomach can inhibit gastric acid secretion, interfere with digestion, and in severe cases, can even cause symptoms of 'tea intoxication' such as heart palpitations and headaches.