Intermittent fasting is the best way to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. But while at it, it’s essential to stay hydrated with water or herbal drinks like chamomile tea. However, it is best to avoid breaking fast unintentionally, which can decrease autophagy or create digestive discomfort.
So, does drinking chamomile tea break a fast? If you make this herbal tea properly, its low-calorie nutritional value won’t cause you to break your fast.
Read on for an overview, detailed nutritional value, and the benefits of drinking plain chamomile tea during the fasting period.
Overview of Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is a herbal drink you brew from dried chamomile plant flowers. Unlike other herbal teas like ginger tea, chamomile tea won’t break a fast because it doesn’t contain calories. Instead, it has a mild floral aroma and a slightly sweet taste due to its natural compounds
, such as apigenin, chamazulene, and bisabolol.
Thanks to its nutritional value, chamomile tea will keep you fasting regardless of how much you drink it. Better yet, it can potentially treat various conditions like digestive complications and anxiety. Additionally, it has anti-inflammatory properties too. Here is a breakdown of its nutritional value.
Nutritional Value of Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea contains the following in every 8-ounce serving:
| Carbohydrates, by a difference | 0.47 (g) |
| Protein | 0 (g) |
| Energy | 2.37 (kcal) |
| Sugars, total | 0 (g) |
| Calcium, Ca | 4.74 (mg) |
| Magnesium, Mg | 2.37 (mg) |
| Iron, Fe | 0.19 (mg) |
| Potassium, K | 21.33 (mg) |
| Carotene, beta | 28.44 (mcg) |
| Folate, DFE | 2.37 (mcg_DFE) |
| Cholesterol | 0 (mg) |
Advantages of Drinking Chamomile Tea During Intermittent Fasting
There are several health benefits you get by drinking chamomile tea in your fasting window.
Hydration
Like many herbal teas, chamomile tea keeps you hydrated during intermittent fasting. Because this tea is mostly water, it is a hydrating drink. Additionally, it has compounds like terpenoids and flavonoids, which have anti-inflammatory properties. These properties protect your body from cellular damage due to free radicals. Furthermore, these properties reduce inflammation, as it can lead to dehydration.
• Better Sleep
You can also sleep better if you drink herbal teas such as chamomile tea during your fast. This is because it relieves stress and anxiety by promoting relaxation. The natural sedatives in it contribute to this benefit. Additionally, it has apigenin, which binds with brain receptors and brings about calmness.
As a result, you will have better hunger regulation due to proper hormonal balance, which in turn contributes to weight loss. However, these benefits depend on how one makes chamomile tea. It’s best to do it as shown in the video below. Watch it and follow the procedure to make plain chamomile tea that will give you better sleep without breaking your fast.
• Improved Digestion
Drinking chamomile tea can also improve digestion, which is essential during intermittent fasting. Proper digestion helps with nutrient absorption from the food you take in the eating window. It also helps maintain energy levels and regulate metabolism, thus contributing to effective weight loss. Drinking a cup of chamomile tea after a heavy meal can help with digestion and reduce acid reflux, bloating, and stomach gas.
• Boosts Immune System
Similar to other herbal teas like echinacea, chamomile tea can also boost your immune system. This is thanks to its antimicrobial properties, which prevent the growth of viruses and bacteria. Its antioxidant properties also reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in your body.
• Skincare
Because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, your skin can also benefit from drinking chamomile tea. It protects the skin from damage caused by free radicals. Additionally, it protects your skin from swelling caused by acne or eczema. Chamomile tea also contains compounds that may help with wound healing.
How to Prepare Chamomile Tea
- Bring some water to a boil on a stovetop or in a kettle.
- Place the chamomile flowers or tea bag in the teapot with the boiled water, then cover the teapot.
- Give it 4-5 minutes to brew.
- Strain the tea from the pot and enjoy!
Leftover chamomile tea can be stored in the refrigerator for around 3-4 days.
When Does Chamomile Tea Break a Fast?
Because chamomile tea has no calories, drinking it does not break a fast. However, there are some circumstances in which calories are added to the tea, which will cause you to break your fast by drinking it. These are as follows:
• Added Sweeteners
Adding sweeteners like sugar raises the calorie count of your chamomile herbal tea. This will cause the brew to break your fast. These sweeteners include any type of sugar, such as honey, maple syrup, and so on.
Furthermore, other types of high-calorie ingredients that you should avoid putting in your tea are agave nectar, dried fruits, and artificial sweeteners such as saccharin. Although some of these sweeteners may contain zero calories, they can stimulate the insulin response due to their composition. Therefore, you should check the ingredients when buying pre-made herbal drinks.
• Added Milk
Adding milk to your chamomile tea will also break your fast because it contains calories. Furthermore, milk contains proteins and carbohydrates, which stimulate insulin release and digestion. Therefore, it would be best to refrain from adding milk to your herbal tea while on an intermittent fast if you don’t want to break it.
Instead, opt for unsweetened coconut or almond milk or any other low-calorie non-dairy alternative. Furthermore, such non-dairy options have no calorie impact. However, drinking your chamomile tea plain is best, especially if you’re unsure of the calorie count of any milk you want to add.
Conclusion
Drinking herbal tea is essential for your hydration during your fasting regimen. However, some teas, like ginger herbal tea, break a fast due to their high calories. This article answers the question: Does chamomile tea break a fast? The answer is that drinking plain chamomile tea doesn’t break a fast because it has zero calories.
However, adding milk or sweeteners to your tea can increase its calorie count, thus breaking your fast. Watch the above video on how to properly make this herbal tea. Furthermore, if you are buying pre-made herbal tea, make sure that it doesn’t contain unwanted sugar.