Unsafe Teas
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Parsley tea can stimulate the uterus and cause miscarriage.
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Sage tea also may increase miscarriage risk and cause high blood pressure. It’s best to avoid them completely.
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Raspberry leaf tea may help strengthen the uterus, but taking it too early could trigger contractions. Wait until the third trimester, after week 37, to try raspberry leaf.
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Some herbal teas have insufficient safety data for use in pregnancy. For example, not enough is known about the effects of thyme tea. To stay on the safe side, avoid medicinal amounts of herbs without reliable pregnancy safety data.
Safe Teas
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Ginger tea and fruit teas are considered safe for pregnant women. Ginger helps ease nausea. As long as you avoid restricting herbs, most supermarket fruit and herbal teas are fine in moderation.
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Opt for decaffeinated varieties since caffeine intake should be limited during pregnancy. One cup of black tea has nearly 50mg caffeine. Decaf still contains a small amount of caffeine, so monitor your overall consumption.
Moderation and caution are key when consuming tea. Drink plenty of water and opt for ginger or fruit teas.
Tea Safety Precautions
- Drinking tea while pregnant is safe if you limit caffeine intake.
- Herbal teas aren’t always safe despite health benefits.
- Calculate tea’s caffeine content.
- Get healthcare provider’s approval for herbal teas.
- Saying goodbye to unpasteurized foods makes sense. But tea may seem safe. Think again. Some teas are unsafe with too much caffeine or other dangerous ingredients.
Tea Ingredients to Limit
- Sugar increases gestational diabetes risk.
- Large amounts of caffeine increase miscarriage, preterm labor, low birth weight risks.
- Herbal tea is a caffeine substitute.
- Ginger, lemon balm, eases morning sickness.
Stillbirth Risk
- Consumning drinks with caffeine can cause stillbirth.
- Excess caffeine is unsafe.
Maté Tea
- But maté tea improves immune system.
- Maté drinkers can safely drink daily.
- Maté has higher antioxidants than green tea.
- You can drink maté tea on an empty stomach.
Coffee Precautions
- Coffee contains caffeine. It’s advised to avoid or limit caffeine when pregnant.
- Although the results were mixed, one scientist concluded there is “substantial cumulative evidence” that drinking coffee while pregnant is linked to everything from a miscarriage and stillbirth to childhood obesity and even leukaemia.
Decaf Coffee
- Decaf contains less caffeine than regular coffee.
- Consuming over 200mg of caffeine daily during pregnancy can negatively impact the baby.
Yerba Mate Tea
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Yerba Mate is generally safe during pregnancy in moderation.
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The American Pregnancy Association says pregnant women should limit caffeine to 150 to 300 mg a day.
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One cup of yerba mate has about 90 mg of caffeine.
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So up to 3 cups a day should be harmless.
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Drinking too much South American tea can cause anxiety.
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Reusing the leaves several times can reduce caffeine levels.
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Adding sugar can improve the flavor.
Most Herbal Teas
- Most herbal teas are safe during pregnancy.
- But avoid parsley and sage teas.