If you are pregnant, it is good to be careful not to consume too much caffeine. What about caffeine and tea during your pregnancy? How much and what types of tea can you safely drink?
If you are pregnant, you can safely drink tea. Drinking tea products, such as Tea Burn (check out Tea Burn reviews from customers for more info), has benefits for your health. For example, it can improve your circulation and help against fluid retention.
However, it is advisable to drink no more than three to four cups (of 200 ml) of tea with caffeine per day. If you consume too much caffeine, this can have negative consequences for you and your unborn child.
What is caffeine?
Caffeine (also called theine) is a stimulant that enters your body through foods. Ingesting caffeine has several benefits, such as better concentration and more energy. But when you consume too much caffeine, this can cause insomnia and headaches, among other things.
If you are pregnant, it is important to be extra careful with caffeine. Not many studies have been done on the effects of caffeine during pregnancy. However, it seems that its use can cause a lower birth weight and a delayed development of your baby. In addition, the chance of miscarriage or premature birth increases when you consume a lot of caffeine.
An excess of caffeine can also have disadvantages for you during your pregnancy. For example, it raises your blood pressure and can cause heartburn. Are you getting copious amounts of caffeine? Then this can even reduce your fertility.
Tea and pregnancy: what is the advice?
Caffeine can hurt your health and that of your unborn child. That is why the advice is not to consume more than 200 mg of caffeine per day during your pregnancy. This amounts to three to four cups of tea (of 200 ml) with caffeine per day, depending on the type of tea and how strong you brew the tea. Do you use a larger mug for your tea moment? Then it is better to stick to two cups a day.
Caffeine is not only found in tea but also in other foods. Think of coffee, chocolate, and cola. These foods should also be included in the maximum intake of 200 mg per day. In this article about coffee during your pregnancy, you will find a table with the amount of caffeine per food.
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Different types of tea
The amount of caffeine varies per type of tea. Black and green tea contain the most caffeine, namely 30 mg per cup of 125 ml. Cups of 200 ml contain about 50 mg of caffeine. Herbal teas do not contain caffeine. What can you pay attention to per tea type when you are pregnant?
Chamomile tea
Chamomile tea is an herbal tea and does not contain caffeine. So you can drink without worries. That’s nice because chamomile tea has many advantages. For example, it can work well against heartburn, help you sleep better, and can reduce stress or anxiety.
Black tea
Black teas include Earl Grey, winter tea, autumn tea, and fruit tea. Black tea contains quite a lot of caffeine. So it is better not to drink more than three to four cups a day of this.
Green tea
Green tea also contains a lot of caffeine. In addition, green tea contains the substance polyphenol. Do you get a lot of this substance during your pregnancy? Then it can cause a certain blood vessel (the ductus Botalli) in the body of your unborn child to close too early.
The ductus Botalli is a temporary connection between the pulmonary artery and your baby’s body artery. This blood vessel prevents the blood from flowing from the body to the lungs. Your baby’s lungs do not yet work in the womb-like they do outside and would not be able to handle the high pressure. If the duct closes too early, too high pressure in the lungs and a thickened heart muscle can occur.
The Royal Dutch Organization of Midwives (KNOV) therefore advises being extra careful when drinking green tea. Especially in the last trimester, it is better to avoid drinking green tea as much as possible. It is then more likely that the Botalli duct will close too early. A cup a day probably won’t hurt, but don’t drink more than that.
Herbal tea
Herbal teas do not contain caffeine. Therefore, most types of herbal teas are suitable to drink when you are pregnant. Think of chamomile tea, rosehip tea, mint tea, and rooibos tea. Licorice tea, fennel tea, and aniseed tea are an exception. It is better not to drink too much of these types of tea during your pregnancy.
Licorice tea and star mix cause your blood pressure to rise. Are you pregnant and do you have high blood pressure? Then your baby gets less oxygen and nutrients through the placenta. Therefore, do not drink more than one to two cups of licorice tea or star mix per day.
Fennel tea and aniseed tea contain plant toxins. If you have a varied diet, the chance that you will get sick is very small. Because your baby is still very small and in full development, he quickly gets too many of these substances. Therefore, drink a maximum of one cup of fennel tea or aniseed tea per day.
Cinnamon tea
A cup of cinnamon tea every day during your pregnancy can’t hurt. However, it is important not to drink more of it. Cinnamon contains the substance coumarin. When you ingest too much of this, it can be harmful to the liver of your unborn child. Because coumarin inhibits blood clotting, it can also cause bleeding. Therefore, do not drink more than one cup of cinnamon tea a day if you are pregnant.
Nettle tea
Nettle tea has a diuretic effect and is, therefore, the ideal type of tea to drink if you retain moisture. This tea does not contain caffeine, so you can drink it with peace of mind if you are pregnant.
Ginger tea or mint tea
Ginger tea and mint tea can be safely drunk when you are pregnant. When you suffer from morning sickness, ginger tea can even help reduce nausea.
Conclusion
Do you like to drink honey in your tea? You can just eat this during your pregnancy and therefore safely put it through your tea. Enjoy!
