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If your lunch leaves you feeling bloated and sluggish, a cup of this warming drink may help

Reviewed by Dietitian Lisa Valente, M.S., RD

Key Points

• Ginger tea may help support digestion after lunch by reducing gas, nausea and bloating.
• Ginger contains active compounds that may speed digestion and relax intestinal muscles.
• Staying hydrated, managing stress, eating slowly and moving your body can all help.

If lunch leaves you feeling heavy or bloated as you push through the afternoon, you could find relief with a digestion-supporting beverage. While no single drink is a cure-all for tummy troubles, ginger tea may help move things along and soothe unpleasant digestive symptoms like bloating, gas or uncomfortable fullness.

Infusing ginger in water extracts several compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that support digestive function. Here’s how a cup of ginger tea after lunch can support better digestion.

How Ginger Tea Supports Digestion

If you’re feeling bloated, gassy, or nauseated after lunch, sipping on a cup of ginger tea could help you feel better. Here’s how it may make an impact on digestion after lunch.

It Helps You Digest Food Faster

If you experience lingering uncomfortable feelings of fullness after eating, ginger may help move things along. “Ginger contains active compounds, gingerols and shogaols, that speed up gastric emptying, allowing food to move from the stomach into the small intestine more efficiently,” says Whitney Stuart, M.S., RDN, CDECS. In several small clinical trials, people suffering from functional dyspepsia, including symptoms like uncomfortable fullness after eating, early satiety, and epigastric pain and burning, found relief of symptoms by supplementing with ginger.,

It May Reduce Gas and Bloating

The same compound that helps move food through the digestive tract more quickly also helps relieve the discomfort that can build up as food sits too long. “Ginger is known for its carminative properties, which help relieve gas and bloating by relaxing the smooth muscles of the intestinal tract,” says Stuart. As intestinal muscles are more relaxed, gas can move more easily, resulting in less build-up, bloating, and cramping.

It Helps Ease Nausea

If eating lunch leaves you feeling queasy, sipping ginger tea could help calm your stomach and ease nausea. Researchers have found that ginger may be helpful in reducing nausea and vomiting symptoms for those who are pregnant, have just had surgery, or are undergoing chemotherapy.

The compounds gingerol and shogaol work to inhibit serotonin and histaminergic receptors involved in nausea and vomiting. As they bind to different receptor sites than antiemetic medications, some studies have found greater improvements when pairing the two.

Other Tips to Support Digestion

A cup of ginger tea can help, but it will work best when paired with a few simple habits. Here’s what experts recommend to keep digestion running smoothly:

• Eat slowly. Rushing through a meal causes you to swallow more air and makes it difficult to listen to and honor your body’s fullness signals, which can leave you feeling bloated and overly full. Stuart recommends aiming for 20 chews per bite and putting your utensils down between bites to help slow your eating pace.
• Manage stress. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed, it’s likely affecting your digestion. “Our gut and brain talk to each other via our vagus nerve, and stress can directly affect how you digest food and how you tolerate foods, especially those with IBS,” says Nicole Ibarra, RD, LD. Deep breathing before eating and taking steps to manage your stress levels could make a big difference in your digestion.
• Stay active. Regular activity, like walking, yoga and cycling, can help improve gut motility. Not only does regular activity improve blood flow to the digestive tract and support a diverse gut microbiome, but it can also help regulate the gut-brain axis, reducing stress- gut issues.
• Focus on hydration. Along with ginger tea, drink plenty of water to keep your hydration levels up. “Staying hydrated is one of the most important health habits you can do to support healthy digestion and bowel movements,” says Ibarra.

Our Expert Take

If your lunch leaves you feeling sluggish, bloated, or even a little queasy, a warm cup of ginger tea is an easy way to support your digestion. Its active compounds speed up how quickly food travels through your digestive tract, relax intestinal muscles to relieve bloating and trapped gas and help calm nausea. Pair ginger tea with expert-recommended strategies for better digestion, like eating slowly, staying active and hydrated, and managing your stress to keep your digestive system running smoothly.