Does Green Tea Break a Fast? Can You Have Green Tea While Fasting?

Drinking green tea without any calorie-increasing additives won’t break your fast. Green tea with sugar or honey may stimulate an insulin response. Green tea has several benefits that may complement your fasting journey. You can consume it during fasting and feeding periods.

What Is Green Tea?

Green tea comes from the same plant as regular black tea—camellia sinensis. It’s made of the plant's unoxidized leaves. It’s not as processed as its siblings, black tea or oolong tea. This type of tea is known for its many health benefits, and its consumption goes back centuries.

Green tea shouldn’t be confused with herbal tea. The latter comes from herb plants, spices, and fruits. Unlike most herbal teas, green tea contains caffeine.

How Many Calories in Green Tea?

Brewed green tea has just a few calories. That’s because no measurable carbs, proteins, fats, or sugars exist. A cup of green tea without any kind of additives is about three calories. This is not enough to break a fast and bring the body out of ketosis.

If you want to find the calories of a specific brand of green tea, you can do it in the Fastic app. With a rich database of foods and drinks, you can instantly find out the calories of what you’re about to consume. It helps you make informed choices and make your intermittent fasting effective.

Green Tea Additives: What Can Break a Fast?

We know that green tea doesn’t break a fast on its own. However, some additives might. Sugar or honey pack enough calories to break your fast. Avoid adding any nutritive sweeteners that may increase the calorie count of your tea.

Non-nutritive sweeteners (both natural and artificial) are generally safe to add to your green tea, as far as breaking the fast is concerned. You may use natural zero-calorie sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit, or you could go with artificial sweeteners like sugar alcohols like erythritol or aspartame.

Be moderate with the use of artificial sweeteners. Although they don’t break a fast, they might have potential side effects.

Besides zero-calorie sweeteners, you may add lemon juice, cardamom, cloves, ginger, or cinnamon to your green tea. These additions won’t bump up the calories but will make your green tea even healthier and tastier.

How Much Green Tea Can I Drink During a Fast?

The research on the optimal amount of green tea to drink is divided. Some studies show that even a cup of green tea a day can provide benefits, whereas other studies focusing on specific illnesses showed that multiple cups of green tea are the best. For instance, an extensive research study on stomach cancer showed women who consumed five or more cups of green tea a day reduced their risk.

Most studies on green tea used three to five cups a day, so it’s safe to say that this range is optimal. It’s also best to space out these cups throughout the day, especially during fasting.

Keep in mind that green tea contains caffeine. Too much and too frequent consumption of caffeine may lead to headaches, anxiety, sleep, and digestive issues. Ensure you’re consuming caffeine in moderation. If you drink coffee while fasting, perhaps stick to a cup of green tea only.

Benefits of Green Tea

You’d be surprised by just how good drinking green tea can be for your health. It has been studied extensively, with multiple studies showing how green tea helps prevent certain diseases. Let’s look at these health advantages:

Rich in Antioxidants: Green tea contains antioxidants, mainly catechins like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). These compounds help prevent oxidative stress, which is linked to chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease.
May Boost Brain Function: Green tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid that promotes relaxation and focus. It also has caffeine, which can enhance alertness and cognitive function. Drinking green tea may reduce laziness and improve focus.
Can Promote Weight Loss: Green tea can slightly boost metabolism and increase fat burning. It may also help reduce the absorption of fat from the diet. As per an analysis, the weight loss effect of green tea on overweight individuals is very little. So green tea alone won’t do much. But it may be combined with healthy diet and exercise.
May Lower the Risk of Heart Disease: Green tea can improve cholesterol levels by reducing LDL ("bad") cholesterol and increasing HDL ("good") cholesterol. It may also help lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation.
May Reduce the Risk of Certain Cancers: Some studies suggest that green tea may help protect against certain types of cancer, including colon, prostate, and breast cancer. This may be due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
May Improve Blood Sugar Control: Green tea can improve insulin sensitivity and help regulate blood sugar levels, making it a good choice for people with type 2 diabetes or those trying to lose weight.
May Boost Immune Function: Green tea may help strengthen the immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells. A review confirmed that tea may modulate the body's different types of immune systems.
May Reduce the Risk of Neurodegenerative Diseases: Some studies suggest that green tea may help protect against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. A recent research study discovered that a compound in green tea breaks down a protein, tau, associated with Alzheimer’s.

Drink Green Tea Worry-Free

You may consume green tea without additives if you’re fasting for weight loss, gut health, or even autophagy. If you want to make it sweet, only use non-nutritive, zero-calorie sweeteners like stevia, aspartame, erythritol, etc. Not only will drinking green tea help you hydrate, but it will also offer numerous health benefits.

You don’t need to drink green tea when fasting. You may also drink it during the feeding window. It may help with the digestion of the food you eat during your eating window in intermittent fasting.

Remember that to lose weight, you should also follow a healthy diet that limits your calorie intake without compromising on nutrients. The Fastic app provides easy calorie tracking and nutritional recipes. With support from the Fastic app, your fasting regimen can become super easy and provide the results you’re looking for.

Disclaimer: Speaking with a health professional before beginning intermittent fasting or a diet program is advised. There may be side effects for people with certain medical conditions.