Ginger Tea

Why ginger tea is rated low

Plain ginger tea is low FODMAP. Ginger root steeped in hot water leaves very little fermentable carbohydrate in the drink, so the rating holds at "Any typical portion". That rating is estimated from what the tea is made of rather than from a measured serving, and it covers ginger and water only. The moment the drink picks up honey, a sweetened syrup, a fruit blend or ordinary milk, you are no longer drinking the food this rating describes, and the add-ins are what decide where it lands.

What changes your risk

• What goes into the mug The low rating belongs to ginger and water. Honey, agave syrup and high fructose corn syrup are all high FODMAP sweeteners, and stirring one in changes the drink far more than the ginger ever could.
• Blended tea bags Many ginger blends add dried apple, pear or other fruit pieces, chicory root or inulin. Read the ingredient list, because those additions can push a bag that says ginger on the front out of the low range.
• Instant crystals and ginger soft drinks Powdered ginger drink sachets and fizzy ginger drinks are usually built on sweeteners first and ginger second. They are a different product from steeped ginger root and do not share its rating.
• Milk in the brew A milky ginger chai made with ordinary milk adds a dairy load that plain ginger tea does not have. Lactose-free milk keeps the creamy version closer to the plain drink.
• The rest of the meal A low drink still adds to the meal's total. If the same sitting already includes onion, garlic, wheat bread or fruit, the tea is not a free pass, so think about the whole plate rather than the mug alone.

What else works

If you want a warm, low FODMAP drink in the same spirit, plain peppermint tea and ordinary black or green tea brewed at a normal strength are the usual companions to plain ginger tea. Sweeten any of them with maple syrup, table sugar or rice malt syrup instead of honey or agave. The lookalikes that are not the same thing are honey and lemon ginger drinks, ginger blends with dried apple, pear or chicory root, ginger soft drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, and chai lattes made with ordinary milk.

How to keep it low

The simplest way to keep this low is to make it yourself: slice fresh ginger root, pour hot water over it, let it steep, and strain. Peeled ginger root keeps well in the freezer and grates straight from frozen, so there is always some on hand. If you buy bags, choose ones whose ingredient list is ginger and nothing else, and add your own sweetener afterwards so you control it. At a cafe, ask whether the ginger tea is made from fresh root or from a sweetened syrup or concentrate, because the syrup versions are the ones that change the picture.

Common questions

is ginger tea low fodmap

Yes. Plain ginger tea made from ginger root and hot water is rated low at "Any typical portion". The rating is estimated from what it is made of, so it covers the plain brew, not versions with honey, fruit pieces or ordinary milk.

can i have ginger tea with honey on low fodmap

Honey is a high FODMAP sweetener, so it is the part of the drink to swap out. Maple syrup, table sugar or rice malt syrup sweeten ginger tea without changing its low rating.

is ginger tea ok during the elimination phase

Plain ginger tea fits the elimination phase because it is rated low at "Any typical portion". Check bagged blends for fruit pieces, chicory root or inulin, and keep the sweetener low FODMAP.

are ginger tea bags the same as fresh ginger tea

Only when the bag contains ginger alone. Blends that add dried fruit, chicory root or flavoured sweeteners are a different product and can land higher than plain ginger steeped in water.