Teas To Avoid During Pregnancy: Learn How To Prevent Problems During Pregnancy
Tea drinking has been a natural part of the tradition
throughout the world. Tea consuming is an ancient habit. But to drink or not to
drink during pregnancy, that is the question.
To drink or not to drink during pregnancy, that is the
question.
Here is some information that hopefully will help you
with your decision making around something a pregnant woman needs.
Green Tea and Pregnancy is a common and very relevant
topic for expectant mothers and women who are thinking of conceiving. If you
love your green tea like most do, you
will have to make a decision about whether to drink green tea during pregnancy,
be it in moderation or not at all.
Most practitioners will tell you to err on the side of
caution and to avoid caffeine or cut back on your caffeine intake to a
"moderate level". The definition of moderate varies anywhere between
150mg - 300 mg.
But that again can be somewhat misleading. How much
caffeine is in a cup depends on the type of tea and the strength of the brew.
Flushing out the first brew will eliminate some of the caffeine content so that
may help somewhat. If you are in any way concerned, eliminate caffeine from
your diet while you're pregnant. If it's hard to do it cold turkey, cut down on
it slowly
First and foremost, Green Tea contains caffeine, so
keeping that in mind, consumption should be limited accordingly during
pregnancy.
How does green tea affect my pregnancy and baby?
l Caffeine is a stimulant and diuretic:
As a stimulant, it increases your blood pressure and
heart rate, which is not recommended during pregnancy. As a diuretic, it
increases the frequency of urination which may cause reduction in your body
fluid levels leading to dehydration.
l Caffeine crosses the placenta to your baby:
As an adult, your body may be able to handle the
caffeine you consume, but your baby's metabolism is in the growing stages and
it can be difficult for the fetus to metabolize the caffeine.
l Caffeine causes infertility
Some studies have shown the link between high levels
of caffeine consumption and infertility.
l Caffeine causes birth defects
Studies on animals have shown that caffeine causes
birth defects, increased risk of low-birth weight and preterm delivery.
However, the studies are inconclusive.
l EGCG may reduce folate levels
Green Tea Pregnancy Research has also shown that high
levels of Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) that active compound found in green
tea may reduce folate levels.
The study showed that women who drink high levels of
green tea during conception and pregnancy many place the fetus at risk for
neural tube disorders. Neural tube defects such as spina bifida are usually
associated with folic acid deficiency.
In fact herbal tea, such as Chamomile tea, sage tea,
parsley tea, teas with aloe, coltsfoot, juniper berries, pennyroyal, buckthorn
bark, comfrey, labrador tea, sassafras, duck roots, lobelia and senna leaves
should be avoided during pregnancy.
Chamomile tea has been popular for use as a soothing
tea. This tea can be helpful in relieving upset stomachs and sleeping
disorders. It sounds like something a pregnant woman needs. Sleeping problems
and nausea frequently affect women during pregnancy which could result in the
conclusion that this tea is good during pregnancy. But, this is not the whole
story.
The herb chamomile is part of the Aster family. The
FDA has included it on a list of herbs generally regarded as safe. There is one
word of caution if you are allergic to ragweed, daisy flowers or plants in the
Aster family, you should avoid chamomile whether or not you are pregnant!
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