"Drinking tea immediately after a meal is like drinking poison!" This view, recently circulating on major health websites, has been questioned by many veteran tea lovers who enjoy a cup after a meal. Mr. Wang, who is nearly seventy, is one of them. He told reporters, "I've kept this habit for over 20 years, how come I'm not poisoned? I don't believe it!" Mr. Wang is a tea enthusiast. Recently, he went to the hospital for indigestion, and after the doctor learned of his habit of drinking tea right after meals, he advised him to quit, considering it the main cause of his condition. Mr. Wang feels this claim is unfounded: "Look at any restaurant in Guangzhou, don't they serve tea before and after meals? If this habit is so bad, why are so many people still enjoying morning tea every day?"
In response, Professor Liu Youzhang from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine believes that calling drinking tea immediately after a meal "drinking poison" is an exaggeration. However, it is indeed not advisable to drink large amounts of tea, especially strong tea, about 20 minutes before or after a meal. This is because it can dilute gastric juice and affect digestion. He quoted the view of Li Shizhen, saying that tea is bitter and cold in nature, and proper consumption can indeed reduce "heat" and benefit the body. However, improper consumption is not only beneficial but can also be harmful. Traditional Chinese Medicine holds that "bitter and cold substances will harm the spleen and stomach." Excessive tea drinking will first damage the spleen and stomach, and "once the spleen and stomach are damaged, a hundred illnesses can arise." Mr. Wang's indigestion may also be related to his long-term habit of drinking tea after meals. Liu Youzhang reminds that the elderly, like Mr. Wang, should remember the ancient advice of "light tea, warm drinking to preserve longevity," as drinking light, warm tea is more beneficial to health.
Medical Guidance / Professor Liu Youzhang, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Tea Drinking for the Elderly
Remember "Light Tea, Warm Drinking"
Liu Youzhang points out that as a beverage, tea is widely recognized as the best among the world's three major beverages (coffee, cola, and tea). From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, tea has effects such as clearing the head and eyes, promoting urination, resolving phlegm-heat, quenching thirst, and reducing "heat." For people with headaches or "internal heat," doctors often use tea as a guide when prescribing Chinese medicine. Modern medical research on tea has found that drinking tea can inhibit malignant tumors; tea polyphenols and caffeine prevent cholesterol from rising in the human body, helping to prevent myocardial infarction; tea polyphenols promote blood vessel patency, delay and prevent the formation of lipid plaque in the intima, and have inhibitory effects on arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and cerebral thrombosis; tea tannic acid can kill various bacteria and has preventive and therapeutic effects on stomatitis, pharyngitis, enteritis, and dysentery. Furthermore, drinking tea can strengthen teeth and brighten the eyes, aid in weight loss and fitness, and relieve summer heat and quench thirst, which is incomparable to any other beverage.
"However, everything in excess is a bad thing. No matter how beneficial tea is, excessive and unreasonable consumption can affect health. So, how can one drink tea for health?" Professor Liu says that Li Shizhen actually provided guidance in his 'Compendium of Materia Medica' long ago. Li Shizhen believed that "tea is bitter and cold, the yin within yin," and is best at reducing "heat." As "heat is the root of a hundred illnesses," when heat is reduced, the body feels comfortable. However, the "heat" in different people can be of "deficiency" or "excess" types. "For the young and strong with healthy stomachs, the fire in the heart, lungs, spleen, and stomach is often abundant, so tea is suitable for them." But "for those with deficiency-cold and weak blood, long-term drinking will make the spleen and stomach aversive to cold, and the vital qi will be secretly damaged," and it can even lead to "blood not nourishing the complexion, causing a sallow, withered, and weak appearance," resulting in various internal injuries. He reminds that the elderly have weakened digestive function and should remember the four words "light tea, warm drinking" when drinking tea. He explains that the ancients' saying "light tea, warm drinking to preserve longevity" emphasizes that drinking light, warm tea is more beneficial to the health of the elderly.
Six Taboos
Patients with urinary stones should avoid drinking tea
Professor Liu states that to drink tea for health, there are many things to pay attention to. He reminds that tea should be avoided in the following six situations.
1. Avoid drinking large amounts of tea before or after meals
It is not advisable to drink tea about 20 minutes before or after a meal, as it will dilute gastric juice and affect food digestion. Tea contains a large amount of tannic acid. Tannic acid and the protein in meaty foods will synthesize tannic acid protein with astringent properties, slowing down intestinal peristalsis and easily causing constipation. In addition, drinking tea on an empty stomach can also hinder digestion and even cause "tea drunkenness" symptoms such as palpitations, headache, dizziness, and irritability. In severe cases, it can lead to gastritis. The correct practice is to drink tea one hour after a meal, and it should not be too strong.
2. Patients who are weak, malnourished, or anemic should avoid drinking tea
Tea has the function of breaking down fat. Malnourished people who drink tea will break down fat, making malnutrition worse. Tannic acid in tea can react with iron in food, forming a new substance that is difficult to dissolve, making the body unable to get enough iron. Over time, this can cause iron deficiency in the body and even induce anemia. Therefore, anemic patients should not drink tea.
3. Patients with urinary stones should avoid drinking tea
Urinary tract stones are usually calcium oxalate stones. Because tea contains oxalic acid, it can form stones with the calcium excreted in urine. If patients with urinary stones drink large amounts of tea, it will aggravate their condition.
4. Avoid drinking tea before bedtime
It is best not to drink tea within 2 hours before going to bed. Drinking tea can excite the spirit, affecting sleep and even causing insomnia. This is especially true for new green tea, which can easily excite the nerves after consumption, making insomnia even worse.
5. Avoid drinking overnight tea
Tea is best when brewed and consumed fresh. This is because tea left for a long time not only loses nutrients like vitamins but also easily becomes stale and sour, which can easily make you sick. Even high-quality tea will have its tea soup变质 due to oxidation and microbial growth if left too long after brewing. What one should pay attention to is not whether the tea has been left overnight, but how long it has been left. For example, if tea is brewed at 7 AM and not drunk until 5 PM, the time it has been sitting is about the same as overnight tea. Therefore, when tea has been left for a long time, especially on a hot day, and the color of the leaves and soup has changed, it should not be drunk.
6. Avoid drinking spoiled tea or the first infusion
If not stored properly, tea can easily become moldy due to moisture absorption. Spoiled tea contains a large amount of harmful substances and bacteria and must absolutely not be consumed. In addition, modern tea can inevitably be contaminated by pesticides, fertilizers, dust, and other substances during cultivation, processing, and packaging. The first infusion of tea is actually for washing the leaves and should be poured out quickly before adding more water. This way, the brewed tea will be more hygienic.
Eight Precautions
The elderly should not drink excessive amounts of raw green tea
In addition, the following eight special groups should be cautious when drinking tea:
1. Patients with ulcers should be cautious about drinking tea
Drinking tea can increase gastric acid secretion, increasing stimulation to the ulcer surface. Often drinking strong tea can worsen the condition. However, for mild patients, some light tea can be consumed 2 hours after taking medication. Adding sugar or milk to black tea can help reduce inflammation and protect the gastric mucosa, and also has a certain effect on ulcers. Additionally, drinking tea can block the synthesis of nitroso compounds in the body, preventing cancer mutations.
2. Patients with neurasthenia should be cautious about drinking tea
The caffeine in tea has an excitatory effect on the central nervous system. Patients with neurasthenia who drink strong tea, especially in the afternoon and evening, may experience insomnia, worsening their condition. If they really want to drink some, they can have a little light tea in the morning.
3. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should be cautious about drinking tea, especially strong tea
Tea contains a large amount of tea polyphenols and caffeine, which have many unfavorable factors for the growth of the fetus in the womb. Therefore, pregnant women should drink little or no tea. Breastfeeding women who drink strong tea will have too much caffeine enter their breast milk. When the infant suckles, it can indirectly cause excitement, leading to less sleep and more crying.
4. People who are drunk should be cautious about drinking tea
Tea has an excitatory effect on the central nervous system. Drinking strong tea after being drunk will加重 the burden on the heart. Tea has a diuretic effect, which can cause toxic aldehydes in alcohol to enter the kidneys without being fully decomposed, causing significant irritation and harm to the kidneys. Therefore, for people with heart or kidney disease or poor function, they should not drink tea after alcohol consumption, especially not large amounts of strong tea. For healthy people, they can drink a small amount of tea, and after sobering up, eat a lot of fruit or drink vinegar in small sips to speed up the body's metabolism and alleviate the symptoms of drunkenness.
5. Be cautious about using tea to take medicine
Tannins and theophylline in tea can have chemical reactions with certain drugs, especially when taking sedatives, tranquilizers, iron-containing blood tonics, enzyme preparations, and drugs containing protein. Tea polyphenols are prone to reacting with iron in these drugs to form precipitates, so it is not advisable to use tea water to take medicine to avoid affecting the efficacy. In addition, Chinese medicines such as ginseng, Codonopsis, Corydalis, Datura, Cyathula root, ephedra, Uncaria, and coptis should not be mixed with tea water. Generally, it is not advisable to drink tea within 2 hours after taking Chinese medicine.
However, when taking certain types of vitamin drugs, tea water can be used, because the tea polyphenols in tea can promote the accumulation and absorption of vitamin C in the human body, helping to enhance the drug's efficacy.
6. Patients with coronary heart disease should be cautious about drinking tea
The caffeine and theophylline in tea are stimulants that can enhance heart function. For coronary patients with a fast heart rate, premature beats, or atrial fibrillation, drinking large amounts of strong tea will speed up the heartbeat, often leading to an attack or worsening of the condition. Therefore, such people can only drink some light tea. Conversely, patients with a heart rate generally below 60 beats per minute should drink more tea, which is not only harmless but can also increase the heart rate and have a synergistic effect with drug treatment.
7. Children should be cautious about drinking strong tea
When the tea concentration is high, the content of tea polyphenols is too high, which can easily react with iron in food to cause iron-deficiency anemia in children. Preschool children can drink some coarse or light tea because coarse tea has a lower content of tea polyphenols, and the tea concentration should be controlled to about one-third of that for adults.
8. The elderly should be cautious about drinking excessive amounts of raw green tea
Excessive consumption of green tea can strongly irritate the gastric mucosa, easily causing stomach pain. Even for strong young people, drinking too much green tea can make the stomach uncomfortable, which is commonly known as "scraping the stomach." If the elderly accidentally buy relatively raw green tea, it is best not to brew it directly. It can be placed in an iron pot without grease and slowly stir-fried over a low heat to roast off its raw, green aroma until it emits a light chestnut fragrance, then the heat can be turned off. After this treatment, the brewed tea will not be too "scraping the stomach," but because the elderly's digestive function has weakened, they should also pay attention to drinking in moderation.