I know that tannins interfere with your body’s ability to absorb non-heme iron. How long do tannins stay in your digestive system? As in, if I have a cup of tea first thing in the morning, for how long will those tannins impair my iron absorption?
Great question! You will want to wait 30 - 60 minutes before eating a meal after drinking tea. Liquids are eliminated from the body much quicker than solid foods, so once you’ve urinated after drinking your tea, you should be in the clear. To be sure you don’t impair absorption after you’ve eaten a meal, you’ll want to wait up to 4 hours before drinking tea; especially if you had a meal with adequate fiber, fat and protein, as these nutrients slow digestion and increases the chance of tannins interfering with the absorption of iron.
For additional caution, you could consume a food with vitamin C at your meal as this will overcome the inhibitory effects of iron from tannins. Black tea has the highest amount of tannins, herbal teas the lowest, and green teas are in the middle. Coffee and wine also contain tannins. It takes 50mg of Vitamin C to overcome 100mg of tannins. Here are a list of foods that contain 50mg of vitamins C:
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1/2 cup orange or lemon juice
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1 small orange, 1 kiwi, a few strawberries
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~5 strips of bell pepper (any color), 2 small raw banana peppers
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1/2 cup raw kale
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3/4 cup raw broccoli
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1 cup raw red cabbage
Vitamin C is destroyed during cooking so if you’re trying to reap the most benefits, eat it vitamin C-rich foods in their raw form.
Ask the RD: How long after drinking tea do tannins impair iron absorption?
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