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Fasting can be a tough slog at times. Drinking glass after glass of water during your fasting window can get pretty tiresome over time. Every now and again you want to add a bit of flavor to your fast. A great way to do that is with a cup of hibiscus tea. The slight tart and tangy flower herbal tea is a great option.
Does Hibiscus Tea Break a Fast? Hibiscus tea has no calories making it ideal for anyone who is fasting and wants a great cup of hibiscus tea. As long as you don’t add anything like sugar or cream then you have a great option as an occasional water alternative while fasting.
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Does Hibiscus Tea Break a Fast?
As long as you are using just hibiscus leaves or a hibiscus tea bag for your cup of tea then hibiscus tea will not break your fast. This assumes that you are adding nothing to the tea and that you are steeping it yourself to be sure no additives are added to the tea.
Always check the label if you are buying bottled hibiscus tea as they are notorious for adding sugar and other ingredients to your tea making them unfit for fasting. The bottom line here is that a cup of pure hibiscus tea will not break your fast and can be a great alternative to water during a fasting window.
Why Is Hibiscus Tea Good For Fasting
The fact that our cup of Hibiscus Tea has no calories in it is the main reason why it is so great for fasting. I am part of the school of thought that any calories should be avoided during your fasting window and hibiscus tea fits into that view perfectly.
I would add that you want to drink water for the majority of your fasting beverages but a cup of hibiscus tea, or another tea, can make a great alternative every once and a while.
Can Hibiscus Tea Actually Benefit Fasting And Overall Health
One of the great things about drinking hibiscus tea during a fast is that there are quite a few ancillary benefits that you won’t get from a cup of water. Here are a few ways that hibiscus tea can actually enhance your fasting window.
May Aid Weight Loss
The calorie-free aspect of hibiscus tea really shines not only in a fasting window but any time of the day. At its most basic level, replacing a high-calorie drink with a cup of hibiscus tea is going to remove those calories from your diet. Intaking fewer calories, especially from your drinks, is a great way to aid your diet or weight loss program.
Loaded With Anti-Oxidants
As with many other flower herbal teas, Hibiscus tea is loaded with anti-oxidants. These contribute to your overall health by eradicating free radicals that cause a variety of health issues. Using hibiscus tea as an added source of anti-oxidants will benefit your overall health whether you are in a fasting window or not.
Naturally Sugar And Carbohydrate-Free
For all intents and purposes, hibiscus tea is carbohydrate-free making it not only great for fasting but also a good option for anyone on a keto or other low carb diet. Sugar is one of the most notorious carbohydrates and hibiscus is free of that sweetener as well. Too much sugar is one of the biggest threats to overall health, especially heart health(source).
Cutting sugar out anywhere you can be going to be hugely beneficial. No carbs, no sugar, no calories. It’s a good deal. Hibiscus tea is a great option both within and outside of your fasting window and as a general beverage for a wide array of different diets and lifestyles.
Can Hibiscus Tea Ever Break A Fast?
You have to be careful when selecting the type of hibiscus tea you want to drink while fasting because some of them will actually break your fast quite quickly. Let’s have a look at some of these potential fast breakers.
Hibiscus Tea Drinks May Break Fast
You will want to avoid packaged hibiscus teas during your fasting window. Drinks like Very Berry Hibiscus Starbucks Refreshers® have calories and sugars and will break your fast most likely. You will also find some of the hibiscus drinks in store from time to time and they should also be avoided if they have sugar or calories in them.
Sugar Is A No Go
As mentioned earlier, hibiscus tea is naturally sugar-free. If you add sugar to your tea it will wreck your fast. Sweeteners like sugar are probably the worst thing you can add to your tea while fasting. On a personal note, I never add sweeteners to any of my tea but adding a little honey or sugar during your feeding window is fine in moderation.
Cream Or Milk Will Break A Fast
Adding milk or cream to an herbal tea can help alleviate some of the bitterness and earthiness that is common in herbal teas, particularly in flower herbal teas.
The problem is that milk or cream adds calories making them unsuitable for use during a fasting window. Adding a tiny amount of milk should be avoided in my opinion, even though it would only introduce a few calories. Better safe than sorry and just keep your hibiscus tea as pure as possible.
Honey Will Break A Fast As Well
Honey only has a few calories per serving, around 20 calories (source). Raw honey has slightly fewer calories than regular honey. One school of thought regards anything less than 50 calories as ok for maintaining your fasted state.
Personally, I find that any amount of calories is a no-no for when I am fasting. It is just simpler to not intake any calories than to try and decide if 50 calories are ok during a fast. What about 52 calories, can your body really tell the difference.
My view of fasting is no calories during a fasting window. As a result, I would place honey on the no-go list for fasting. A couple of drops of honey would be fine if you are in your eating window, but other than that I would avoid honey in my hibiscus tea. The bottom line here is that honey will break a fast especially if you add more than a teaspoon or so to your hibiscus tea.
Artificial Sweeteners Are A Grey Area
Even though they have no calories artificial sweeteners may cause insulin levels to spike in some people which would pull you out of your fasting state. As a general rule, more intermittent fasters tend to shy away from using any form of artificial sweetener.
It is up to the individual to determine how these artificial sweeteners are going to affect their fast. I personally avoid them completely just to be on the safe side, but your mileage may vary.
How To Make A Cup Of Hibiscus Tea
Making a cup of Hibiscus tea is pretty straightforward. It is, after all, just hibiscus flowers and hot water. Here are the nuances to look out for when making a single cup.
- Water Temperature at around 212°F
- 10oz of good bottled spring water or filtered tap water
- 2 teaspoons of dried hibiscus flowers or a single hibiscus tea bag
- Steep 5 to 10 minutes or to your personal taste
That’s really all there is to it. If you want to make a bigger batch add loose-leaf hibiscus to the boiling water and make a whole pitcher. You can even chill the hibiscus tea and have iced hibiscus tea whenever you want a nice refreshing class.
Does Hibiscus Tea Have Caffeine?
One last little added benefit of hibiscus tea is that it is naturally caffeine-free. Hibiscus tea is an herbal tea and not derived from the Camellia Sinensis, or tea plant.
Since hibiscus tea is not a true tea but rather an herbal infusion it contains no caffeine. Blending it with other teas like black or green tea would add caffeine into the mix.
Blending hibiscus with other herbal teas will keep it caffeine-free while adding new flavors to the mix. Hibiscus and Lavender Tea is a great example of this type of herbal blend.
The Hibiscus Tea Finish
That wraps up our look at what makes hibiscus tea such a great option for all you fasters out there. Does hibiscus tea break a fast? Not if you make it properly. So have a nice cup of hibiscus tea during your fasting window and be confident in the fact that it will not pull you out of your fasted state.
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful day.