The Best Kind Of Tea To Drink After You Eat
An after-dinner cup of tea might do more than keep you cozy on a chilly evening: The right blend can actually help you digest your meal. For centuries, peppermint has been used to aid digestion, in addition to many other benefits, from breath freshening to headache relief (via Healthline).
Sipping warm, hot water alone can help boost digestion by helping the body move food through the digestive system (via Healthline). And adding peppermint into the mix can aid the process even more: Research has shown that use of peppermint essential oil has helped patients with irritable bowel syndrome relieve symptoms like abdominal pain, so if you find yourself feeling uncomfortable after a meal, sipping a cup of peppermint tea may ease that pain. It can also help avoid overindulging: Health coach Elizabeth Rider notes that some people may also find that drinking a cup of peppermint tea after dinner curbs cravings for dessert (via Elizabeth Rider).
Rider recommends making your own tea with fresh peppermint leaves by pouring hot — not boiling — water over five to seven peppermint leaves. Allow it to steep for five minutes, then remove the leaves and enjoy. If you prefer, you can find pre-packaged options in your tea aisle at the grocery store.
You can also try ginger tea
If you don't like the taste of peppermint tea or you prefer something a bit spicier, ginger tea has also been shown to aid digestion. WebMD reports that ginger improves saliva flow and aids digestion while lowering blood sugar at the same time. Compounds found in ginger, called gingerols and shogaols, have been shown to improve stomach contractions and speed stomach emptying, which can help ease symptoms like bloating, gas, and indigestion (via Healthline).
Like peppermint tea, you can buy ginger tea in most grocery stores, or you can use the plant itself to create your steamy mug of tea. It's simple: Slice a few thin sections off of a piece of ginger root, then allow them to steep in boiling water for five to ten minutes, then add honey to taste (via Verywell Fit).
It's worth mentioning that while it might be tempting to sip a 'detox tea' after a meal, especially a heavier one that leaves you feeling like you've overindulged, it might be wise to skip those: Most teas claiming to detoxify the body unfortunately do so by creating a laxative effect.