People are only just realising the reason they feel and look bloated after having a cup of tea or coffee in the morning. One of the first things many of us do after getting up is put the kettle or coffee machine on to have a drink.
A morning dose of caffeine can be essential for people who have to get up early for work, have children or just need five minutes to enjoy a drink ahead of a busy day.
But did you know one ingredient in your morning cup of tea or coffee could be causing you to bloat? Olivia Molyneux, A gastro dietitian based in London, explained that putting even a drop of milk in your morning coffee or tea could cause people to bloat.
She said: « If you’ve ever felt bloated after your morning cuppa or your midday cappuccino, it might not actually be the drink itself, it could be that splash of milk.
« Black tea and coffee on their own usually don’t directly cause bloating, although they can trigger other IBS symptoms. But regular cow’s milk contains lactose, and if you’re lactose intolerant, then that lactose from your milky latte or that splash of milk across multiple cups a day won’t actually be fully digested.
« Meaning it reaches the colon where it’s then fermented and this can cause bloating. »
According to the NHS, lactose intolerance is when you get symptoms, such as tummy pain, after eating food containing lactose, a sugar found in dairy products.
People may also suffer from other symptoms that are not related to your digestive system, such as headaches, tiredness and joint or muscle pain. The symptoms can be prevented by eating smaller portions of foods that contain lactose or avoiding them completely.
Olivia, who posts tips on how to look after your gut health on her TikTok account @olivia_the_dietitian, urged people who think they could be lactose intolerant to speak to a medical professional before taking any further steps.
She said: « Before you go making any sudden changes to your diet, if you think you might be lactose intolerant, I always recommend working with a dietitian to guide you through that structured trial and reintroduction to make sure you’re not cutting out foods unnecessarily. »
One person commented under Olivia’s video to ask for advice due to her suffering from bloating after just drinking water.
The person said: « So interesting! How would you justify bloating in someone who doesn’t have lactose intolerance, like even water causes bloating? »
Olivia replied: « Super glad you found it interesting. There could be many reasons someone experiences bloating and to get to the root cause/help manage it, many factors like your individual medial, dietary and lifestyle factors would need to assessed by a professional (such as GP, gastroenterologist or specialist gastro dietitian). Hope this helps. »
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