It’s the quintessential British beverage — with most of us guzzling at least two cups everyday.
But if you choose to have your cup of char with lunch, dinner or certain snacks, be warned of the little-known health risks.
According to pharmacist and nutritional therapist Deborah Grayson, drinking tea or coffee with particular foods, like red meat and leafy green vegetables, could increase your chance of developing severe nutrient deficiencies.
Specifically, the chemicals in these hot drinks are known to stop the body absorbing iron — a mineral that is vital for transporting oxygen around the body, giving us energy and a strong immune system.
Those who drink tea with iron-rich food could be unknowingly putting themselves at risk of deficiency
‘If you always have tea with your meal, you could become anaemic,’ Ms Grayson told The Mirror.
She added that this the risk of anaemia — severe iron deficiency — is particularly high if you are a woman who has menstrual periods.
Foods that are a ‘no-no’ with tea and coffee include iron-rich meals like steak and roast beef, as well as green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli and kale.
Studies have found that a number of chemicals in tea and coffee can block the absorption of iron, including polyphenols, which are thought to guard against inflammation.
As well as in tea and coffee, polyphenols are also found in foods like fruits, vegetables and spices — albeit at much lower levels.
Red meat is high in iron, and studies show roughly a fifth of vegetarians suffer deficiency
Tannins, which are also found in wine, as well as oxalates, are also known for their iron-blocking effect.
It’s thought that around eight per cent of UK women have iron deficiency anaemia, and around three per cent of men.
Symptoms can be debilitating; including extreme exhaustion, hair loss and repeated infections.
Ms Grayson offered other ‘mealtime mistakes’ that can have a damaging impact on our health.
For instance, she advises those with a poor appetite who are looking to gain weight or muscle to refrain from drinking too much of any liquid with meals.
‘The presence of liquid in the stomach can actually reduce the amount of food you’re able to eat,’ she says.
‘So if you are someone who has a poor appetite then only have sips of water, if needed, can help you to eat a more normal amount of food.’
Deborah Grayson, a pharmacist and nutritional therapist, has offered little-known tips to aid digestion and ward of deficiencies
Switching up the type of salad you eat might help ease ‘post-meal digestive symptoms’.
Ms Grayson says bitter leaves, like rocket and chicory, ‘stimulate the digestive process and can help the body prepare to fully digest the food we eat’.
Other tips include eating not later than three hours before you go to bed, and refraining from lying down after a meal to avoid reflux symptoms.
What’s more, sitting at a table, rather than on a sofa, makes it easier for the digestive system to break down the food and reduces the risk of indigestion, Ms Grayson says.
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