Green Tea During Pregnancy

[Georgi]

Hi, Can anyone tell me if it is safe to drink green tea during pregnancy. I know there are some herbal teas that should be avoided, is this one of them? I like to have a cup or two every day and was wondering if I should consider cutting down on it.

Any comments would be welcomed.

[krysalyss]

Green tea is quite high in caffeine so for that reason it wouldnt be a bad idea to swap to a herbal tea like peppermint or camomile. HTH

[Indadhanu]

I also drank a lot of green tea until I found out i was pregnant because it inhibits the absorption of folate. I personally couldn't take that chance after I found that out.

I heard that once you get to the second trimester it is safe, as the caffeine content is less than that of black tea or coffee. Three or four cups of green tea contains approximately the same amount of caffeine found in a single cup of coffee.

But I steer clear because of the folate thing...

[Georgi]

Thanks very much girls. I had no idea it contained caffine. I think i'll put the green tea back in the pantry. Thanks for your comments.

[krysalyss]

the caffeine content is less than that of black tea or coffee

I guess it depends on who you talk to. A lot of things I have read say it is equal to black tea but less then coffee, while others say it is less than black tea.

[Pandora]

one thing with green tea, it lowers your blood pressure, that was the reason I didin't drink it, but I am sure I read in one of those preg &birth type books there was another reason not oto.

[Junglemum]

I recently discovered that green tea and black tea come from the same bush, it is just the process to make them into tea leaves that is different! The amount of caffine depends on how you brew it and how long you brew it for, but generally they are comparable.

I had green tea when preg, but limited my intake to one a day. And enjoyed caffine free teas at other times. T2 make a sensational honey and green almond tea that is caffine free, made from the leaves of an almond bush i think!