On the geno type diet website, you get these suggestions for meals every day.  The last two days he has had food with Green Tea.  This is one of those confusing things.  I thought it wasn't a good idea to drink 1/2 hour within eating foods for A's and AB's?  Is there something special about green tea or teas in general?  Or if it's not water is it OK to drink with a meal?  I've been really strict about this and wanting to know if I should not be so strict about it.  Anyone got any suggestions?

Tea in general always helped my digestion. Green or black.  

Quoted from JJR

geno type diet website.. suggestions for meals every day..last two days he has had food with Green Tea.  This is one of those confusing things.  I thought it wasn't a good idea to drink 1/2 hour within eating foods for A's and AB's?

I was of the understanding that no one should drink liquid w/ their meals. So I'm confused too.  

I know for A-type non-secretors, we need all the secretions in the mouth that we can get to help our digestion along. Some teas definitely give our digestions a boost. Maybe Dr. D. considers sipping different from drinking! Drinking a pint of liquid before a meal would definitely wash out a lot of digestive enzymes. It is the strangest thing, but green olives are the best thing I've eaten to help get the "juices" going! I bought four large cans of them last night processed with water and salt. I do rinse the salt off them, though. I LOVE these olives! I used to hate them in vinegar.

Tea and coffee help the stomac to produce  the acids and pepsine to digest the meal and hot  drinks in general don't bother this slow A digestion from severely hypoacid stomac of me as Dr D. wrote in LR4YT
I cannot drink at all sparkling water and cold drinks for at least one hour after my meal. When the hot weather peaks I can drink a little bit more room temeperature tap water  till 20 minutes before a meal and 45-50 after. Never with meals water, but all the rest of the day long! I do not care of small snacks, I drink what I like and when I like (compliant beverages).
Maria Giovanna

if drinking with your meals is an issue for you because of lack of gastric juices, then by all means don t drink....everyone is different.

But I eat soup with lots of broth.....

Yeah, soup never seems to bother me either.  I'll have to try this tea thing with dinner sometime.  I don't usually down it either.  Hmmmm...  Thanks for the tips guys.

eastern cultures have a cup before meals to get the digestive juices going

I've never had a problem drinking green/herbal tea before, during, or after eating.  But like Spring said, a pint of water would prob. slow things way down for me

I've never like to drink with my food, it doesn't agree with me. I will sometime sip some water if what I am eating is especially dry or spicy, but I'd never drink a whole glass with my meal. I have no problem drinking tea or coffee 5 or 10 minutes after a meal and usually do partake in a cup of either green tea or black coffee (sorry for all those who can't have coffee). One thing I've noticed though is that if I drink tea of coffee (especially green tea) before a meal when I am very hungry I will get hypoglycemic - it's terrible, I get all shakey and wobbly. There was a fantastic Japanese restaurant just down the road from a place I worked at in London and they would serve you free green tea while you sat and waited for your take away order. If I waited too long I would be in such a state by the time the food was cooked that I could hardly make it back to work to eat it   I have since learned (well mostly) to eat BEFORE I get ravenously hungry and to NEVER drink on very empty stomach.

I get a sense of that too.  Not quite as bad though.  But last night I was drinking Green Tea before dinner and I was hungry and it just seems to aggrivate my stomach for being empty and putting Green Tea in it.

I feel wonderful after drinking green tea whenever it is, and I have had hypoglycemic tendencies in the past. It would be very interesting to know what about it is triggering such a response in you two.  

My guess would be caffeine on an empty stomach.  Makes me really shakey too.  I can't drink a cup of coffee before a meal or too long after a meal without consequences.

Makes sense.  I buy the naturally decaffeinated green tea.  But I think there may be traces of it in there.  Either way, I think it just gets my stomach juices going and having nothing to gnaw on doesn't feel right.  

Quoted Text

Either way, I think it just gets my stomach juices going and having nothing to gnaw on doesn't feel right.

Ha! That is my feeling exactly if I don't eat five or so small meals in a day. Otherwise, I feel as if the 'zymes are eating up my stomach! This happens whether I'm "drinking" or not.

Quoted from 2330

I feel wonderful after drinking green tea whenever it is, and I have had hypoglycemic tendencies in the past.

I also feel great whether drinking green tea before, during or after a meal with no hypoglycemic problems arising as I used to do before when I would drink regular black tea.

I never really understood why that would happen, but reading this thread has shed some light on that.  Now I realize that the amount of caffeine in black tea would trigger the jitters and my stomach to feel upset on an empty stomach, but the amount in green tea doesn't.  

Tea Rose

Oh, does black tea have more caffeine than green tea?

Quoted from Ribbit

Oh, does black tea have more caffeine than green tea?

A book on tea that I have says the following milligrams of caffeine for 8 oz of each:

Black tea          40-50
Black tea, decaf   4
Green tea          20-30
Green tea, decaf   4
White tea          10-20

Tea Rose

I'm on the decaf routine.  Still love Green Tea though.  I was sipping chammomile while making dinner last night and it didn't seem to hinder digestion.  I probably won't be so strict with when exactly I drink my tea in relationship to food.  But just straight water I'll make sure to watch out for.

Dr. D's Sip Right for A's has a real caffeine kick..tasty too.. me likey.  

Thanks for sharing, everyone!  

I love any discussions about tea;  must be that Theanine in the tea leaf which makes us feel so good!

Quoted from Ribbit

But I eat soup with lots of broth.....

I think soup is different, because you would have salt and other minerals, possibly some fat and certainly vitamins in it. I am guessing it would digest more than a food than a liquid.
Maybe the same is true for green tea with its antioxidants etc.
I am quite sensitive re. digestion and I never have a problem drinking green tea with my food if we are eating out a Chinese Restaurant. Have to admit though that I never tried drinking the same amount of water to see what would happen...

wow, interesting, so that is why i too can not tolerate green tea on an empty stomach - especially first thing in the morning, or i will start feeling shaky and quite unwell.

I didn't think of hypoglycemia. i make sure to sip whilst eating or even afterwards these days.

I have coffee in the am and I'm good..I noticed that when I drink coffee with my meals it helps my digestion also..I never payed attention to it before pre BTD.