Boba tea, green tea or coffee? AIIMS and Harvard-trained gastro doctor Saurabh Sethi reveals what’s better for fatty liver and overall gut health

When it comes to digestive health, what you drink and eat can make a difference to how your body feels. From fatty liver and bloating to acid reflux, gut microbiome and colon health, some everyday choices may be more suitable than others. AIIMS and Harvard-trained gastro doctor Dr Saurabh Sethi recently shared a simple comparison on social media, categorising popular foods and drinks as “bad”, “good” and “great” for different aspects of digestive health.

What to drink for fatty liver?

Boba tea, green tea and coffee may all be popular beverages, but Dr Saurabh Sethi puts them in very different categories when discussing fatty liver. According to the gastro doctor, boba tea is bad for fatty liver, while green tea is good. He places unsweetened coffee in the “great” category.

This distinction also highlights the importance of what is added to a drink. Dr Sethi specifically refers to unsweetened coffee, rather than coffee loaded with sugar or other sweeteners.

Bloating: Peppermint tea takes the top spot

For people dealing with bloating, Dr Sethi's list again ranks familiar beverages differently. He categorises sweetened soda as bad for bloating, while chamomile tea is good and peppermint tea is great. That puts peppermint tea at the top of his three-way comparison, while sweetened soda falls at the other end.

Acid reflux and gut microbiome

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A post shared by Saurabh Sethi MD MPH | Gastroenterologist (@doctor.sethi)

Dr Sethi also shared his recommendations for foods in the context of acid reflux. According to his social media post, pineapple is bad for acid reflux. Meanwhile, pears are good and melons are great. So, among the fruits mentioned by Dr Sethi, melons occupy the top spot in his comparison, followed by pears, while pineapple is placed in the “bad” category.

When it comes to the gut microbiome, Dr Sethi turns his attention to breakfast choices. He categorises Shuby breakfast cereal as bad, while plain oatmeal is good. His “great” choice is oats with chia. The comparison offers a simple progression from a packaged breakfast cereal to plain oatmeal and then to oatmeal combined with chia, according to Dr Sethi's social media post.

Colon health: Chickpeas are his ‘great’ choice

For colon health, Dr Sethi compares sausages, grilled fish and chickpeas. He places sausages in the bad category, while grilled fish is good and chickpeas are great. This makes chickpeas the top choice in his three-food comparison for colon health, while sausages appear at the opposite end of the list.