Acceptable tea?

bttory · Post by **bttory** » Mon Jan 09, 2017 7:52 am

Hi all,

I did some searching and found what you all had to say about coffee. I've cut it out (even decaf) as part of an elimination test I am doing, although I'll likely keep coffee out (because I do believe I am the type of person that it affects from a bowel movement perspective). I'd like to experiment with tea, but there are so many options, and I'd like to try one that people with MC have found to be "safe." Does anyone have any suggestions about type (black, green, herbal, etc.), caffeine content (decaf or not), and brand (if you have one you've found to be safe from the perspective of no hidden additives (gluten, soy, etc.))?

I really appreciate any insight you can offer. Thank.s

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Mon Jan 09, 2017 9:21 am

Hi B.

I'm okay with black or green tea as long as it is just black tea or just green tea. I'm ok with caffeinated or not.

A lot of the teas are flavored. Stay away from anything that is flavored. It can be tough to find a green tea that is not flavored.

The biggest challenge for me is finding tea that is in a tea bag and not a K cup. Most of the teas sold now come in the K cups.

I'm okay with Lipton. Currently I'm drinking Bigelow English Breakfast black tea that comes in a pink box.

I have my tea with SweetLeaf Natural Stevia Sweetener. I can generally find this at the bigger grocery stores. This is the only stevia I can tolerate. GF. Only ingredients are inulin soluble fiber, organic stevia extract, silica. A lot of the stevias have a lot of ingredients.

Post by **tex** » Mon Jan 09, 2017 10:16 am

I usually drink Folgers Black Silk coffee, but I've used Twinings Earl Grey Tea and Bigelow English Breakfast tea and Lipton without any problems. The only sweetener I use is sugar cubes.

Tex

Martha · Post by **Martha** » Mon Jan 09, 2017 10:52 am

I can drink black tea, green tea, and jasmine tea with no problems.

Herbal teas often have gluten or soy in them, although you can find plenty marked gluten-free. Identifying soy has been difficult for me. I called Tazo Tea (owned by Starbucks, I think), and got quite a run-around on the soy issue. They kept transferring me from one department to another, back and forth, for about an hour, until finally one girl brightly told me, "Oh, no, they don't have soy in them." By then, of course, I didn't believe her, thinking they just wanted to get rid of me. I gave the Tazo teas away.

I do, however, drink Celestial Seasonings Peppermint and Sleepytime, and have no trouble with those two.

I don't often use sweeteners in either tea or coffee, but when I do, I use sugar rather than any of the sugar substitutes.

Martha

Erica P-G · Post by **Erica P-G** » Mon Jan 09, 2017 12:19 pm

This is a good post....because I have been wondering if tea is an option for me or not at this stage in healing.

Thanks!
Erica

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Mon Jan 09, 2017 1:23 pm

like anything in MC world,
- double check ingredients/processing methods to minimise 'hidden' ingredients or risk of contamination

- try small amount, wait 24 hours, have another small serve, wait 24 hours, have another small serve. if after the third small serve, there are no reactions/symptoms then it is a keeper

bttory · Post by **bttory** » Mon Jan 09, 2017 1:56 pm

Thank you all for the great advice. I'll follow it and hopefully have no problems. If I run into any problems (or good finds!) I'll let you know. I appreciate the insight!

Marcia K · Post by **Marcia K** » Mon Jan 09, 2017 7:11 pm

I drink Bigelow green tea with no issues. It has gluten free on the label. I also drink peppermint tea with no issues. I always read the labels to make sure it is gluten free. If it isn't listed I google to make sure.

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Tue Jan 10, 2017 4:50 am

It is easy to get pure tea with no added ingredients if you don't buy the tea sold in grocery stores. I drink loose tea. My favorite is Jasmine pearls which is a green tea. Here are the online companies I have used: Rishi Tea, Upton Tea, Adagio Tea. I'm a purist I guess. The nice thing about these loose teas is that you can use the same leaves to make several cups of tea.

Jean

jlbattin · Post by **jlbattin** » Tue Jan 10, 2017 4:01 pm

I've been drinking Lipton tea pretty much since the onset of my CC and before. I don't have any trouble at all. The only time I've had a problem is when I was out somewhere and drank some that must have had some ascorbic acid or something like that in it in a restaurant and it caused me a little problem, so I usually just ask what kind of tea they brew if I'm out and if they add anything to it. I don't do well with any of the flavors or additives to it.

henrym · Post by **henrym** » Tue Jan 10, 2017 6:38 pm

Buckwheat tea (Soba-Cha)

dhouts · Post by **dhouts** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:02 pm

I discovered David's Tea out of Canada. They are slowly expanding into the United States. They are pricey but I love their product; none of it is wasted. They sell many flavors of loose tea and thus far I have not reacted to any of the flavors that I've tried. I used too drink bag tea but I'm not comfortable with the hidden ingredients and once I discovered David's Tea, I became a loyal customer.

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Thu Jan 12, 2017 12:01 pm

I'm with Jean....I use organic loose teas. I have read articles about the pesticides that can be on tea leaves because they aren't washed before processing.

You might try maple syrup or honey in your tea for a little sweetening.
But, stevia is one of the best sweeteners for your health, as you already know.