Green tea is a non-herbal tea made from unfermented tea leaves. It has a delicate taste and offers some health benefits that might be appealing during pregnancy. Although green tea is safe to drink, it is important to monitor your intake so that you do not consume too much caffeine.
Benefits
Green tea contains polyphenols, antioxidants that neutralize free radicals in your body that can cause cell death. The University of Maryland Medical Center also states that green tea can help reduce cholesterol and aid with digestion. According to Pregnancy.org, green tea might reduce stress during pregnancy and help relieve morning sickness that is common in the first trimester.
Caffeine
Green tea has caffeine, which can have negative effects during pregnancy. It can raise your blood pressure and heart rate, and also reduce blood flow to the placenta. Caffeine is a diuretic, so consuming too much of it can cause you to lose important fluids through frequent urination. During pregnancy, try to avoid consuming more than 200 mg of caffeine a day. According to the American Pregnancy Association, one cup of green tea has 40 to 50 mg of caffeine. Even decaffeinated green tea contains 0.4 mg of caffeine.
Recommendations
Commercial brands of green tea are typically safe to drink during pregnancy. You can make some by adding one tea bag to a cup of boiling water and steeping it for 10 minutes. You can steep the tea for a longer or shorter time to get the flavor strength that you want. If you want extra flavoring, try adding some honey to your green tea.
Considerations
If you are not sure if you can safely drink green tea during pregnancy, ask your doctor to find out if it is a good option for you. Keep in mind that you also need to drink other nutritious beverages during pregnancy, such as milk and water. If you fill up on green tea, you might not get enough of the other beverages you need.
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