Help! I don't want to give up tea :(

[Daytripper]

Hi everyone!

Quick intro- I'm 26, crohnie for ten years, currently on fortnightly humira, always flaring on and off :ytongue:

This may seem like a daft problem with all the other things we have to put up with.....but I will get to it....

Basically I'm a big tea fan. I love the stuff, I have quite a collection of teas on my shelf at home, peppermint, ginger, green teas and so on. I drink them all in abundance without a problem.

Now, my big love is black tea with a spoonful of sugar and coconut milk....mmmm....it comforts me and makes me happy no matter what day I'm having. However my tummy does not quite agree....after my lovely cuppa my tummy will do a little gurgle and I start feeling a dull ache in the all familiar right side of my tum.

So for this reason I always give it up for a few months, but I always miss it and always, sadly, long for it (could I sound anymore british??) So then I will try it again, and have the same problem! It's an on again off again love affair....with a cup of tea.

My question is....does anybody else get the same problem? Are there any ways to tackle the issue so that I can drink it? Is there any advice out there? I drink green tea and I do like it, but it's just not the same!

Bit of a daft problem I know, I just don't want to give my tea up! P

Thanks everyone :heart:

 

[InkyStinky]

Hi! It's not a daft problem when dang IBD messes with life!

A couple questions came to my mind:

I think black tea has a little bit of caffeine - do you think that could be an issue? Have you tried decaf black tea?

Do you use coconut milk and sugar in your other teas without issue?

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I am also wondering if it could be the coconut that's bothering you, not the tea. Personally, I cannot digest coconut at all - it's my #1 trigger food and even a tiny bit of it will make me ill for days. Is there a reason that you're using coconut milk - are you lactose intolerant? There are many other milk substitutes. I personally really like almond milk and cashew milk (I'm lactose intolerant).

I also cannot handle caffeine, but for me it gives me migraines - it doesn't actually seem to bother my digestive system. I do herbal, caffeine-free teas to avoid having a migraine. You mentioned peppermint and ginger teas, and those should be herbal & caffeine free. Chamomile is another one that's caffeine-free.

 

[JoFowler]

I had to dump caffeinated coffee, but I tolerate 2 cups of tea per day. I use regular milk, not much.

It could be the coconut milk? I tried coconut juice before - BIG MISTAKE!!

 

[Daytripper]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I have coconut milk because I can't do dairy at all, blows my tummy up like a balloon unfortunately. I could try it without the coconut milk, however I use the same coconut milk in my smoothies and they don't give me an issue, I also put it in my other drinks like rooibos tea without a problem. I do love the sound of almond and cashew milk though, I think I will give them a try! It could be the caffeine, I am going to definitely try the decaf versions of black tea to see if that helps. Does anybody know if there are a particularly tasty decaf black tea, or do they just taste the same as regular? I know I can't handle coffee, but I gave that up no problem, it's the tea I'm struggling giving up! It's like some kind of addiction!

 

[my little penguin]

DS drinks a lot of herbal non caffeinated tea
Instead of sugar he used honey since it's easier on the gut
Good for the throat but still tastes sweet .
Milk alertnatives
Hemp
Flax seed
Almond
Soy
Cashew
Rice
Goat

Basically any nut can be soaked over night
Drained and put in a blender with water
Strain and instant milk of your choice
Works for coconut as well
Might be the additives in it

Good luck

 

[JoFowler]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I have coconut milk because I can't do dairy at all, blows my tummy up like a balloon unfortunately. I could try it without the coconut milk, however I use the same coconut milk in my smoothies and they don't give me an issue, I also put it in my other drinks like rooibos tea without a problem. I do love the sound of almond and cashew milk though, I think I will give them a try! It could be the caffeine, I am going to definitely try the decaf versions of black tea to see if that helps. Does anybody know if there are a particularly tasty decaf black tea, or do they just taste the same as regular? I know I can't handle coffee, but I gave that up no problem, it's the tea I'm struggling giving up! It's like some kind of addiction!

Tetley makes a good decaf

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I can't even do decaf tea - apparently, decaf tea still contains some caffeine. Not as much as regular tea, but there is still a little caffeine in it. The amount of caffeine in decaf tea is still enough to give me a migraine, so I can only do true caffeine-free herbal tea. So, Daytripper, if you find you're still having issues with decaf, you may need to switch to completely caffeine-free tea.

 

[JoFowler]

I can't even do decaf tea - apparently, decaf tea still contains some caffeine. Not as much as regular tea, but there is still a little caffeine in it. The amount of caffeine in decaf tea is still enough to give me a migraine, so I can only do true caffeine-free herbal tea. So, Daytripper, if you find you're still having issues with decaf, you may need to switch to completely caffeine-free tea.

Yikes! I pretty much cried when I gave up coffee- it was triggering my reflux big-time. But so thankful to get some tea into me, some caffeine! When you walk around in a fog all the time...lol

 

[kellehbeans]

Most of the big brands of tea such as Yorkshire Tea and PG Tips all do their own decaf versions. I can definitely report that they all taste like the originals, so I don't think you'll have much of a problem! However, I'd stay away from Morrison's own brand decaf and also Lidl's own as they are not that great tasting!

 

[Jennifer]

I wonder if the sugar might be the issue since you've had the coconut milk with other drinks without a problem and you're able to drink Green tea without a problem which also has caffeine. Black tea contains 14-70 mg of caffeine compared to green tea which has 24-45 mg in 8oz (depends on how strong it is really, have you tried not letting it steep as long?). http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-l...healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20049372 Have you tried a different kind of sweetener like honey instead?