Do herbal teas have gut health benefits, too?
Yes! Herbal teas are high in antioxidants which may be gut-supportive and provide other health benefits as well. However, for maximum gut health benefits, we recommend incorporating black, green, and/or white teas into your tea routine. These teas contain catechins and theaflavins, types of antioxidant polyphenols that act as prebiotics to support a healthy balance of gut bacteria.
If you are concerned about the caffeine content in black, green, and white teas, you might be interested to read more about how the caffeine in tea doesn't affect most people as negatively as the caffeine in coffee. This is because tea contains an amino acid called l-theanine, which supports a calm and focused state, helping to counteract the "jitters" or crashes you might associate with caffeine.
The caffeine in tea is also bound to catechins to form a larger molecule which takes more time for your body to break down and digest, thus creating a time-released effect of caffeine unique to tea.
Unless you have a medical reason for avoiding caffeine, we recommend starting your day with one cup of black, green, white, or oolong tea and seeing how you feel, especially if you are trying to support optimal gut health.
