Healthy Pregnancy
Healthy Pregnancy Tea
Healthy Pregnancy Tea
During pregnancy, it’s important to stay healthy and hydrated, and consideration must be given to the most suitable beverages to drink while pregnant, and also when breastfeeding. Current NHS guidelines recommend pregnant women should consume no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day, and bearing in mind caffeine is found in tea, coffee, energy drinks and chocolate, unsuitable levels can soon accumulate. Fortunately, there are a number of refreshing teas and tisanes you can safely drink while pregnant instead of high-caffeine beverages, and some may help with pregnancy-related conditions, such as morning sickness and nausea. Teas and herbal tisanes can also offer a boost of nutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals for general good health, as well as antioxidants to help boost immunity.
Although many herbal teas and fruit tisanes are deemed safe to drink during pregnancy, there are some exceptions, as some herbs have been shown to be unsuitable or even harmful, especially if taken in large amounts. And even with those that are safe, it’s advisable to limit consumption to one or two cups of herbal tea a day. It’s also a good idea to drink a few different varieties rather than sticking to just one kind. Decaffeinated black, green and oolong teas are another option, but unlike caffeine-free herbal teas and tisanes, they do still have a minimal amount of caffeine in them.
Teas to Drink During Pregnancy
- Rooibos Tea is a naturally caffeine-free herbal tea from the Cederberg Mountain area of South Africa. It has wonderful, rounded sweet and fruity flavours, refreshing herbal notes, and a mild, smooth finish. Tea-Direct has a vast array of Rooibos tea varieties to choose from.
- Honeybush Tea is a similar tasting tea to Rooibos, but it’s a little sweeter with a honey-sweet aroma. It too grows in South Africa and is also caffeine-free.
- Peppermint Herbal Tea is a wonderfully soothing tea that can help calm body and mind. It is good for digestive problems, which is why some women drink peppermint tea while pregnant for morning sickness and nausea relief.
- Dried Ginger Root Tea is another good tea for pregnancy nausea, and is known for its positive effects on the digestive system.
- Lemon Balm Tea is a refreshing tea with lovely aromas of citrus fruits and herbaceous lemon notes. It makes a delicious iced tea to cool down with on a warm day.
- Nettle Leaf Herbal Tea has a grassy, but sweet flavour with citrusy undertones, and is a source of vitamins A, C and K, as well as iron, folic acid and potassium. Although nettle tea is considered to be a pregnancy safe tea, it’s important to make sure that only dried nettle leaves are used, and not the roots, as they may have a stimulating effect on the uterus. For this reason, it’s sometimes recommended that nettle tea is best consumed during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy only.
- Raspberry Leaf Tea is another tea with stimulating properties, that has for many years been recommended to pregnant women to drink in late pregnancy, as it’s believed it can help tone the muscles of the uterus in preparation for labour; therefore it is best avoided in early pregnancy. This mineral-rich tea has a mild, slightly fruity flavour and fresh, grassy aroma.
- Green Teas are considered safe to drink when pregnant, but they still contain caffeine, albeit less than black tea or coffee. Therefore, it’s best to limit green teas to no more than three cups a day.
- Tea-Direct's Healthy Pregnancy Tea Bundle offers a wonderful collection of specially selected teas that pregnant women can enjoy, while helping them to stay healthy and hydrated. Teas included in the bundle are: Honeybush Tea, Dried Ginger Root Tea, Nettle Leaf Herbal Tea, Peppermint Herbal Tea and Lemon Balm Tea.
Black, white, green and oolong teas are safe to drink in moderation when pregnant, as long as you remember that caffeine intake should be no more than 200 mg a day. Drinking tea in pregnancy can help to keep you hydrated and refreshed, and certain teas can also help with some of the minor side effects of pregnancy. However, there are some herbal teas to avoid during pregnancy, and it’s probably wise to limit your intake of suitable ones to just one or two cups a day.
If you have any doubts about drinking teas that are considered safe during pregnancy, herbal remedies, or any other natural therapies, it’s only sensible to discuss such matters with your midwife or GP.