Beverage
Herbal hot tea
USDA description: Tea, hot, herbal
How herbal hot tea scores for gout, what moved that score, and the nutrition and portions behind it.
Food Index score
Herbal hot teaExcellent
| Starting score | 100 |
| Nutrient Gaps | -10 |
| Hydration | +3 |
| Magnesium | +0.1 |
| Final score | 93 |
Herbal hot tea scores 93 out of 100 and sits in the excellent band. Among the lower-risk choices for most people with gout, and often carries protective nutrients.
Penalties took 10 points off a starting score of 100, and protective factors added 3.1 back. Every factor is listed in full below.
Scores run 0–100, where higher means more gout-friendly on average. They reflect relative ranking across foods, not a personal risk level. The same food can suit one person and not another, so use the score as a starting point for a conversation with your clinician.
The underlying data
Nutrition and portions
Nutrition Facts
- Total Fat0 g
- Saturated Fat0 g
- Sodium1 mg
- Dietary Fiber0 g
- Total Sugars0 g
- Protein0 g
- Calcium2 mg
- Iron0.08 mg
- Magnesium1 mg
- Vitamin C0 mg
- Folate1 ug
- Water99.7 g
- Alcohol0 g
- Omega-3 EPA0 g
- Omega-3 DHA0 g
Common portions
- 1 fl oz30 g
- Quantity not specified360 g
- 1 cup240 g
- 1 smalltypical360 g
- 1 medium480 g
- 1 large600 g
Where the purine figure comes from
No direct purine measurement has been published for this food, so the score uses the measured median for its category (tea).
We rate this a good confidence estimate.
How purines affect the score →Nutrition values from the USDA FoodData Central database.
Scoring rationale
Every factor, in full
Each row shows the points a factor moved, what drove it, and the studies behind its weight.
- -10Long-term
Nutrient GapsLong-term
Provides meaningful amounts of only 0 of the 5 protective nutrient groups (vitamin C, fiber, omega-3, magnesium and folate).
Evidence: Choi HK 2009, Arch Intern Med · Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Zhang M 2019, Arthritis Rheumatol
- +3Flare risk
HydrationFlare risk
99.7 g of water per 100 g. Staying hydrated helps the kidneys clear urate.
Evidence: Neogi T 2014, Am J Epidemiol
- +0.1Long-term
MagnesiumLong-term
1 mg of magnesium per 100 g, scaled 3.6x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Li X 2015, BMJ
Common questions
About herbal hot tea
Look up any food's Food Index score
Each score lists the factors that moved it, the portion it assumes, and the studies behind each factor's weight.