Black Tea During Pregnancy
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Black Tea and Pregnancy
Black tea is truly an incredible beverage. Its properties are not fully researched yet, but each new discovery amazes researchers. The benefits of black tea for the blood vessels, digestive tract, and nervous system are well known, but not everyone knows that it also has beneficial effects on the female body.
Western scientists have discovered that two cups of black tea per day increase a woman’s chances to get pregnant by 27 % (4000 women participated in this research). It’s assumed that the woman doesn’t drink fizzy drinks and alcohol, doesn’t smoke, eats health food and avoids stress. Black tea is beneficial not only for a woman’s health but for a man’s as well.
Can Black Tea in Pregnancy?
Black tea is ok during pregnancy but be mindful about the quantities and the strength of tea. Don’t drink too much. Two cups of good and moderately strong black tea a day are a good amount of tea during pregnancy. You can add honey and lemon.
Those two cups contain a lot of “goodness” in them: theobromine, theophylline, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, fluorine, calcium, vitamins C, PP, B, K and pantothenic acid. Black tea improves blood vessel walls, protects and strengthens teeth.
Bear in mind though, that a cup of strong black tea contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. A developing fetus doesn’t need a stimulator like that. Firstly, because it affects the heart of the future baby. Secondly, it’s noticed that regular intakes of caffeine (even from tea) decreases the weight of the fetus. If you don’t enjoy weak black tea, try herbal infusions such as rosehip, mint, raspberry leaves and currant.
Black Tea Herbal Infusion
With all that being said, you have to be careful with phytonutrients. Despite being all natural, they can tone your muscles, including the uterus, which can create potentially threaten a miscarriage. Herbal ingredients have medicinal qualities but they are not fully researched yet and their effect on the fetus can’t be predicted in many cases.
The list of herbs that you should avoid during pregnancy includes:
- licorice;
- fennel;
- ginseng;
- fenugreek;
- hop plant;
- mugwort;
- wormwood;
- pennyroyal etc.
Such innocent herbs like chamomile, nettle, and dandelion can be quite dangerous during pregnancy. As for mint, raspberry leaves, and currant leaves, they can be labeled only as “potentially safe”.