“Is green tea safe to be consumed during pregnancy?” Well, this is one of the most commonly asked questions by pregnant women. First of all, anything can prove to be harmful if you consume it beyond the recommended levels. When consumed in moderation, green tea is considered to be absolutely safe. Generally, two cups of green tea are considered to be a safe quantity for pregnant women.

A Guide for Green Tea During Pregnancy

Benefits of Green Tea for Pregnant Women

Green tea does provide with a number of benefits. We have listed a few of them below:

Regulates Blood Pressure Levels

Women who suffer from hypertension are at a higher risk of preeclampsia and this can be dangerous for the pregnancy. Green tea thus helps to regulate the blood pressure levels efficiently which is good for a pregnant woman.

Promotes Oral Health

Most pregnant women suffer from gingivitis which is mainly due to fluctuating hormone levels. As per the studies, it has been shown that green tea helps to promote oral health as well as enhances bone strength.

Resolves Skin Problems

Acne and breakouts are very common during pregnancy and hormonal changes are to be blamed for that. But it is the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties of green tea that helps to reduce such skin problems.

Antioxidants

Being a rich source of antioxidants, green tea speeds up the body’s metabolism rate. This is also helpful in countering mood swings, which are pretty common during pregnancy. Green tea also helps to enhance regulatory T cells in the body that are essential for keeping the immune system strong. This way you can fight off diseases like high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease etc.

Risk of Having Green Tea While Pregnant

Gestational Anaemia

Iron is essential for the production of haemoglobin. When one consumes green tea during pregnancy, it hampers the absorption of iron by blood cells. This thereby becomes one of the reasons of gestational anaemia, also hampering the nutrient and oxygen intake of the body.

Spina Bifida

During the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, folic acid is essential for the body and hence, you should avoid the consumption of green tea during this period. folic acid plays an essential role in averting neural defects in the baby, which is why its intake is necessary during pregnancy. However, the absorption process of folic acid gets hampered due to the over consumption of green tea which can cause a congenital defect of the spinal cord, called spina bifida.

How Much Green Tea is Considered to be Safe During Pregnancy?

Almost every single mom-to-be is worried about what foods and drinks they should consume during pregnancy. However, it is always recommended to limit the consumption of caffeine-based drinks to less than 200mg per day. This means that about 2 cups of green tea can be considered safe during pregnancy. Make sure that you do not over consume any food or drink during pregnancy as that can prove to be detrimental to your health.

Which Variety of Green Tea is Considered Safe During Pregnancy?

All three varieties of green tea, i.e. organic, decaf or matcha is considered safe during pregnancy.

Organic Green Tea – is the one that is extracted from the plants grown using natural farming methods. it does not make use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.

Decaf Green Tea – consists of relatively less caffeine content in comparison to the standard green tea.

Matcha Green Tea – made from the finest green tea leaves by removing the stems and veins, which is then grounded to fine powder. Also, you cannot have more than one cup a day of this tea as it is highly nutritional than the regular one.

Tips for Drinking Green Tea During Pregnancy

Listed below are a few tips that you should take into consideration:

• Green tea consists of tannins that can cause acidity and further nausea, constipation and stomach ache. It is thus advised not to drink green tea on an empty stomach.
• Do not exceed more than the recommended amount, which is two cups per day.
• It is also recommended to not have it before the bed time as that can affect your sleep.
• Always use filtered water to make green tea.
• Make sure you maintain a gap of two hours in between the meals and green tea.
• Buy a packaged tea from a reputed brand or seller.
• Green tea dilutes the gastric juices and can hamper the absorption of iron from food. You should not have it along with meas.

Conclusion

Green tea, without any doubt, is one of the healthiest drinks that one can have during pregnancy. All you need to take care of, is the recommended consumption of the same. make sure you do not over consume it or any other food product in order to avoid the complications.

Reference

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30020947

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0199969