Look no further if you’re wondering whether green tea or matcha is compatible with your dietary needs. Matcha and other green teas from Japan are regarded as one of the most well-tolerated beverages in the world.
What’s more, is that unlike most any other energy drink (incl. coffee!), matcha is reported to be unlikely to aggravate any existing dietary sensitivities. Also, because of hyper-dedicated production equipment, Japanese green tea is an excellent solution for those who have common food allergies, dietary restrictions, or medical needs to avoid certain trigger foods.
You no longer have to sacrifice a kick of delightful morning (and afternoon!) energy just to stay on the safe side. Below we answer 20 of the most frequently asked diet-related matcha questions. So where does matcha fit into your diet routine? Let’s find out:
20 Top Diet Questions for Matcha
We are able to answer these questions with confidence. Our production of authentic matcha follows industry-leading practices. Matcha.com certifications include JAS/JONA, FSSC 22000, USDA Organic, Kosher, and more:
1. Does Matcha Powder Contain Carbohydrates?
If you need to monitor your carbohydrate intake, it’s assuring to know that nutritional analysis proves that matcha has virtually zero grams of net carbs (0g). The nutritional facts state 0g of carbs for 1g serving of matcha.
You’d have to have an unreasonable number of daily servings to even break 1g net carbs from matcha, and for most people matcha is the least of their worries when it comes to a keto diet – especially when adding that matcha may boost ketogenesis on its own!
2. Is Matcha Considered a Raw Food?
Matcha powder is the raw, powdered form of green tea leaves from Japan. In terms of processing, matcha tea leaves only undergo steaming to preserve quality before stone-grinding to become powder. There is NO additional processing done on the tea powder, and is enjoyed in the closest form to fresh as possible.
There are never any additives or preservatives ever added to our authentic 100% Japanese matcha powder, but be careful of other brands who may add sugars, etc...
3. Is Matcha Safe for a Keto Diet?
Since matcha tea is established as a low-carb food, and contains absolutely zero added sugars, it is 100% keto friendly. It is on the list of approved foods and drink in many keto programs, and moreover, it contains energy-promoting compounds which may boost your performance, diet, and metabolism.
When authentic matcha powder is enjoyed plain (w/o any sweeteners, etc), research also suggests that it will not spike any glucose levels. Even zero calorie coffee can’t say that.
4. Can I Drink Matcha If I Have a Nut Allergy?
Matcha products from matcha.com that are 100% green tea powder are safe for anyone with nut allergies, including peanut allergies. All of our 100% matcha products are produced on dedicated processing equipment. NO other food or drink products are allowed to be on the premises of our USDA Organic-approved facilities in Japan.
While we cannot speak to other brands’ processing methods, you can rest assured that by browsing at matcha.com you’re being safe regarding any nut allergies you may have. Need more info? Email support@matcha.com
5. Is Ceremonial Matcha Kosher?
If you follow a Kosher diet, you’ll be happy to know that all of our Ceremonial matcha is Kosher certified. In fact, because our tea facility is 100% Kosher certified, even our non-Ceremonial matcha is kosher as well. Everything from Ceremonial, to sipping, to culinary grades are completely safe for a Kosher diet.
Remember, there’s a lot of matcha brands on the market now – and we can only reliably recommend our offerings. If you want to confirm the Kosher status of a specific product please reach out to us at support@matcha.com.
6. Can you drink green tea powder if you have diabetes?
Only your physician can make recommendations about your diet and how matcha may impact conditions like diabetes. Nevertheless, research has been done on pure green tea powder showing promising results as a possibly safe energizer that does not agitate glucose levels in many of those tested.
If you follow a diet to help control diabetes, consider speaking with your doctor to see if some of those reported benefits may work for you as well – especially how matcha may help regulate the glucose response.
7. Drinking Green Tea Matcha with the Mediterranean Diet?
Even those who strictly adhere to the Mediterranean Diet should make an effort to incorporate green tea (or better yet matcha) into their diet. The anti-inflammatory and heart health benefits are well known, and green tea may amplify these diet benefits.
One of the extra reasons you may enjoy matcha tea with Mediterranean dishes is because this diet strategy is more of a recommendation than a stringent regimen. Food and drink which are established as heart-healthy and plant-based are common features in this plan – so why not matcha?
8. Is Matcha Low in Cholesterol and Sugar?
Yes, matcha is very low in cholesterol and sugar! Accredited nutritional evaluation has proven that our matcha from Uji, Japan has 0g of cholesterol content and 0g of sugar content per serving.
In fact, regardless of any number of daily servings, the total sugar and cholesterol levels in our Uji Matcha remains as zero grams. Often people concerned with these nutrients have diets which restrict their intake of cholesterol or sugar.
Fortunately matcha green tea has 0g of nutritional cholesterol and sugar.
9. Is Matcha Low in Histamine?
Many resources recommend a laundry list of food and drink to avoid if you have histamine intolerance. Green tea is not one of the common triggers for histamine sensitivity, but everyone’s body can react differently so you may want to check with your doctor.
On the brighter side, one of the primary constituents of green tea matcha, known as EGCG, is a potential blocker of histamine release in testing [1]. Since matcha has a lot of this healthy antioxidant, you may wish to give it a try.
10. Is Matcha Powder Dairy free?
Shopping at matcha.com? We believe making matcha accessible to everyone is important. Our matcha is 100% dairy free. If you’re on a dairy free diet, it’s good to reiterate that dairy products are never allowed near the manufacturing equipment used to produce our authentic matcha powder.
Any of our products which are 100% green tea powder (matcha) contain absolutely no milk powders, dairy derivatives, or otherwise. Again, our matcha does not share equipment with dairy products either.
- Fun fact: Maybe matcha and dairy shouldn’t mix anyway?
11. Is Ceremonial Matcha Tea Vegan?
It may depend on the brand, but if you follow a vegan diet you should choose a source of matcha that is declared 100% vegan friendly. Any of our green tea powders from matcha.com are safe for vegans of all types, and in no part of the production process from turning tea leaves into matcha powder are animal products used.
What’s more, is that many matcha products on the market actually have added ingredients (e.g. milk powder) which are not typically vegan-friendly. Be cautious to choose a reliable source of vegan matcha powder. Lastly – it doesn’t necessarily have to be ceremonial to be vegan – even culinary matcha from matcha.com is vegan friendly!
12. Is Matcha part of the Whole30® Program?
According to the official Whole30® Rule Page, it’s stated that you should eat whole foods with simple ingredients. Matcha is compliant with Whole30® because it’s a whole food with only one ingredient: 1) green tea powder
Moreover, Whole30® recommends an unprocessed diet; matcha green tea is 100% unprocessed and only goes through minimal stages to be preserved as a fresh green tea powder.
Also, matcha from Matcha Kari does not contain any common ingredients that are against the Whole30® rules, a good example being NO added sugar.
13. Is Matcha Tea Powder Paleo Approved?
There’s no one ultimate authority on what is Paleo or not, but it’s good to know that matcha powder falls under the approved list of paleo foods for many practitioners. In fact, tea leaves were historically available as an unprocessed, readily available part of the diet, and for this reason many officials believe matcha tea makes one of the best parts of a paleo diet.
Lastly, some paleo instructors recommend avoiding caffeinated beverages like tea, but considering that matcha is low in caffeine compared to other drinks like coffee, and since it interacts in the body differently than normal green tea (see L-theanine), it’s possible that even a more strict paleo diet would allow matcha!
14. Can You Drink Matcha on the Auto-immune Protocol (AIP) Diet?
According to one reputable source, the Auto-immune Protocol Diet (AIP) can be described as a nutrient-dense and principally anti-inflammatory food-based diet; matcha green tea appears to comply with this diet because it has factual anti-inflammatory properties, and is packed with vitamins + minerals, and is a leading source of certain key nutrients.
But that’s not all, the AIP diet is also keen to help individuals avoid trigger foods (or drinks!) that may cause an auto-immune response. Fortunately, matcha is one of the best tolerated drinks, is unlikely to cause an allergic response, and is not generally regarded as a trigger for AIP. You may wish to consult your doctor to be sure though, esp. since everyone is different.
15. Can I Drink Matcha on a Low-sodium Diet?
According to laboratory analysis, a popular type of ceremonial matcha contained only .2mg of sodium per serving (1g serving). That’s less than 1mg per serving of sodium. In other words, matcha contains virtually zero sodium content – which can be good to know if you’re on a sodium-restrictive diet.
What’s more, is that even a different grade of matcha, like culinary grade powder, will still have incredibly low levels of sodium – not even to even be a full percentage point of recommended daily intake (RDA).
Your physician will know best whether matcha is safe for your low-sodium diet, but the results seem to imply that matcha could be an energizing part of your health strategy.
16. Can I drink matcha on a low-iron Diet?
If you’re on a prescribed low-iron diet, such as to treat hemochromatosis, you and your doctor may be happy to learn that matcha powdered tea contains very low levels of nutritional iron! In fact, matcha contains less than 1mg per 1g serving according to lab results.
Since many people who enjoy multiple servings of matcha per day may be worried about iron content, you may rest assured that matcha will not contribute a significant amount of nutritional iron to your diet.
This may allow you to better control how you approach your overall health and wellness, without sacrificing that glorious morning joy from a bowl of matcha!
17. Will Matcha ‘Take You Out’ of Ketosis?
The bottom line is that matcha is low in carbs, is low-glycemic, and is established to be an unlikely cause of spiking your glucose levels and taking you out of ketosis. Really, most of the research speaks to how matcha actually does the opposite, possibly helping to regulate ketone and glucose levels.
If you’re still concerned that matcha powder may take you out of ketosis, we recommend our complete resource: Matcha and the Art of Fasting for Health.
18. Is Matcha Green Tea Safe for a Low Amine Diet? Sensitivity Tips
Many people overlook amines, or assume that it’s only histamine that may cause food intolerance. Not all teas are low in amine, but matcha green tea is well tolerated by some who report amine sensitivities. Moreover, a government resource recommends that some foods may cause no symptoms, but other foods which are high in amine may trigger a reaction.
Since green tea matcha is one of the lowest amine teas, it’s worth looking into more, and also is under study separately as a potential benefit to those with amine intolerances. Ask your doctor for more information.
19. Is Your Matcha Powder Grain-free? Full Info
Our matcha follows Good Manufacturing Practices and is 100% grain-free and gluten-free. Our facilities are rooted in over 400yr of careful production; equipment is absolutely dedicated towards only green tea and never any other food products – especially grains or gluten-containing foods.
Anyone with gluten or grain sensitivities can rest easy by browsing our full line-up of grain-free matcha products. It’s also important to note that our products never use any grain-based fillers, no rice flours or similar. If you are curious to hear more of these details please email us at support@matcha.com.
20. How to Know if Matcha Tea is Soy-free?
Soy products (e.g. soy protein, soy milk powders) are becoming more popular as part of foods all around us. If you have a soy-allergy/sensitivity and want to find a good matcha tea, you can browse these soy-free matcha options for safe choices.
For those with severe soy-allergies, it’s also concerning that many processed foods share equipment in facilities that use soy-based additives. We cannot speak for other brands of matcha, but by choosing Matcha.com you can be absolutely certain that your matcha powder is 100% green tea, with no soy or other additives.
The Bottom Line – How Matcha Fits into your Dietary Guidelines
Our matcha is freshly sealed immediately after stone-grinding to keep it safe and secure as it makes its way to you. All matcha.com 100% green tea powder is free of any fillers, additivites, and common food allergies.
Our matcha tea farm also has its own dedicated processing facility that shares absolutely no equipment with other food groups, allowing most people with dietary restrictions to feel comfortable in choosing us.
Whether you’re concerned about an allergy, or more of a method to your diet (e.g. keto, paleo, raw), it’s remarkable that matcha tea generally fits nicely into these wellness practices.
Still, we recommend to be cautious as you explore the world of matcha, especially with many brands using fillers, added sugar, and otherwise not having as much transparency on their products.
We welcome you to browse with confidence and always feel free to contact us for more information if you have a specific concern.
Cheers!
–Team Matcha.com
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References
[1] Melgarejo, E., Medina, M. A., Sánchez-Jiménez, F., & Urdiales, J. L. (2010). Targeting of histamine producing cells by EGCG: a green dart against inflammation?. Journal of physiology and biochemistry, 66(3), 265–270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13105-010-0033-7
