When is the Best Time to Drink Ginger Tea? An Easy Guide
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Drinking ginger tea is a great way to improve your health, but when is the best time to drink it? Most experts recommend drinking ginger tea in the morning, but it really depends on your reasons for drinking ginger tea.
In this article we will look at the best time to drink ginger tea for weight loss, acid reflux, digestion and more, because the best time really depends on what you are trying to accomplish with your ginger tea.
Best Time in General to Drink Ginger Tea
If you are drinking ginger tea because of the health benefits but not for a specific ailment, then really the best time is to drink it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
This way you will get the most benefit from the antioxidants and other nutrients in ginger that can help improve your overall health.
Best Time to Drink Ginger Tea for Acid Reflux
Ginger is an all-natural help for acid reflux and heartburn. In fact, a lot of commercial antacids contain ginger in them to help neutralize stomach acid.
So, if you are drinking ginger tea to help with acid reflux or heartburn, the best time is 30 minutes before a meal. This will help prevent the stomach acids from getting into your esophagus and causing pain.
Experts suggest drinking ginger tea for acid reflux up to two times per day, but they warn that this is to be used occasionally and shouldn’t be used as a treatment for chronic heartburn or acid reflux. (source)
Best Time to Drink Ginger Tea for Weight Loss
Ginger has several properties that lead people to believe it can help with weight loss: it decreases inflammation, stimulates digestion and can help suppress the appetite.
Ginger usually isn’t used alone for weight loss. It’s usually used with apple cider vinegar and lemon. You can brew ginger tea itself or add ground ginger to green tea along with the apple cider vinegar and lemon.
If you are trying to lose weight, then you should drink ginger tea first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. (source)
Best Time to Drink Ginger Tea for Digestion
Ginger is great for stimulating digestion and helping with nausea, cramping and other digestive issues. If you are drinking ginger tea for these reasons, the best time to drink it is after a meal.
I used fresh ginger tea when I was pregnant to help with morning sickness. I also kept the candied ginger on hand for when I felt nauseous and wasn’t around my tea. Ginger ale or ginger water are also used for morning sickness.
This way the ginger will help your body digest the food you just ate, help relieve the delayed emptying of the stomach and hopefully prevent any stomach pain or cramping. (source)
Drinking Ginger Tea Before Bed
A lot of people like to drink ginger tea before bed because it can help with indigestion and nausea. So if you struggle with indigestion or heartburn, or just want to help your body digest a particularly heavy meal, you might want to consider a nice cup of lemon ginger tea before bed.
Lemon Ginger Tea Benefits Before Bed:
- Soothes indigestion
- Can help with nausea
- Can help reduce nasal congestion
- Can help with constipation
- Is anti-inflammatory
- Helps keep you hydrated
Read more about all of these health benefits here
So, how do you go about making the perfect cup of ginger tea for your situation? We are going to share with you our favorite ways to drink ginger tea.
Why We Love This Easy Ginger Tea Recipe
My boys are huge fans of ginger, they even like to eat the crystallized ginger candy, so ginger tea is perfect for when one of them has an upset stomach.
So we make ginger tea for digestion and acid reflux (we have one kiddo who struggles with acid reflux), I also make it for weight loss.
Ingredients in Our Ginger Tea Recipe
Green Tea
Yep, I add green tea to my recipe! Green tea is super anti-inflammatory, and since I’m going to be heating water for my ginger anyway, I love to throw a green tea bag in as well.
Green tea is great for weight loss but it is also good for our other ailments mentioned above. Feel free to leave this out if you choose. The ginger root and other ingredients will still flavor this tea beautifully, or you can sub black tea if you have it.
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Fresh Ginger Root
I don’t like to use powdered ginger or a premade ginger tea unless I don’t have any fresh ginger handy. You can easily pick up fresh ginger at any grocery store in the produce section, and I feel it gives the best benefits.
Just slice it thinly so you can get the most raw ginger flavor and benefits from this amazing root.
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Lemon
Ginger and lemon go together really well and the lemon adds a nice boost of Vitamin C which is great for our immune systems.
It also helps to cut the bitterness of the ginger root and makes this tea more palatable for those who are new to drinking it.
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Honey
Honey is my favorite way to sweeten this tea, but you can use sugar, stevia, monk fruit or any other sweetener you prefer.
Honey itself also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and can help with colds or a sore throat, so if you are going to sweeten, I’d recommend raw honey for sure.
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Apple Cider Vinegar (Optional)
This is an extra ingredient for those wanting the health benefits of apple cider vinegar and for those looking to help lose weight with ginger tea.
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Water
Of course we will need some nice filtered water to make our tea!
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How to Customize This Easy Ginger Root Tea Recipe
As I mentioned earlier, this recipe is great for those struggling with weight loss, indigestion or heartburn. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding you can leave out the green tea and just drink the hot ginger tea on its own.
For a cold or flu, try adding a few slices of fresh turmeric root to your recipe to make turmeric ginger tea. Turmeric is a great anti-inflammatory and can help boost your immune system.
For sinus congestion, add a pinch of cayenne to this recipe. The cayenne will help to break up the mucus and clear your sinuses.
You can also concentrate this recipe to make a ginger shot to take after meals if you don’t want to sip tea.
Easy Lemon Honey Ginger Tea
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 green tea bag
- 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger sliced thinly
- 1 tsp lemon juice fresh lemon is best
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar optional
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil.
- Remove from heat and add ginger and green tea and steep for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the tea bag and ginger slices and add the lemon juice, honey and apple cider vinegar.
- Stir well and enjoy!
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Common Questions about Ginger Tea
Ginger tea is good for many things including weight loss, digestion, heartburn, nausea and more.
It depends on your reason for drinking ginger tea. If you are drinking it for indigestion, you will notice relief within a few minutes. For other reasons, such as weight loss, it could take a few weeks to see results.
Yes, you can drink ginger tea every day if you’d like. Just be sure to listen to your body and don’t overdo it if you start to feel nauseous.
Yes, fresh ginger is always better than ginger powder if you have the option. Fresh ginger has more health benefits and tastes better in my opinion.
Powdered ginger can be used in a pinch, but I really recommend using fresh ginger root if at all possible.
Homemade ginger tea will last in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just be sure to store it in a glass container with a lid.
So, when is the best time to drink ginger tea?
The answer to this question really depends on your reasons for drinking ginger tea. If you are drinking it for weight loss, then experts say that the best time to drink it is in the morning on an empty stomach.
If you are drinking it for indigestion or heartburn, then the best time to drink it is after a meal. And if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you can drink ginger tea anytime that is convenient for you (check with your doctor for how much is safe for you to drink).
So there you have it, an easy guide to the best time for drinking ginger tea. Experiment and see what works best for you. And enjoy the delicious benefits of this amazing root!
Related: Best time to drink detox tea
