Can I drink green tea during pregnancy?

Having seen the cherished two strips in the pregnancy test, the woman radically reconsiders her usual lifestyle.Responsible future mother refuses harmful addictions. This applies not only to smoking or alcohol, but also not very useful products that may be present in the daily diet. But there are some products or drinks, whose degree of benefit and harm is difficult at first sight to be determined by a simple man in the street. For example, traditional green tea.

Few will answer with confidence whether it can be consumed during pregnancy and how it affects the health of the child.

Most of us know that green tea is a wholesome drink with a very pleasant taste. It contains a huge amount of valuable nutrients that the future mother's body needs. At the same time, a special preprocessing technique makes it possible to preserve the bulk of useful substances in tea leaves, even under conditions of intensive heat treatment.

Green tea has a lot of positive properties.

• Rich content in the structure of tea leaves magnesium and calcium.
• Antioxidants able to neutralize free radicals and activate the body's defenses.
• Interferes with the development of diabetes mellitus - one of the forms of toxicosis 3 trimester. With regular use of green tea, the level of glucose in the blood gradually stabilizes and subsequently does not exceed normal levels.

• Prevents the destruction of bone tissue. During pregnancy (both early and late), many women complain that they have problems with their teeth, in addition, their hair and nails have become brittle. Green tea contains valuable elements that hinder the development of such deforming processes.
• Stabilizes blood pressure. Increased blood pressure - one of the most dangerous complications of pregnancy. Such a pathology can lead to the development of nephropathy and preeclampsia, threatening the health of the mother and baby. Green tea helps maintain blood pressure at acceptable levels.
• Relieves signs of toxemia of the first trimester. Due to the high content of phytoncides, green tea fights with such familiar to many pregnant symptoms as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, weakness.

• Green tea prevents the increase of cholesterol in the blood. This is a particularly valuable feature for all expectant mothers, as many of them sin with excessive consumption of fatty and high carbohydrate foods.
• Jasmine Green Tea Effectively struggling with the symptoms of motion sicknesstherefore it is great for women experiencing a nausea while traveling in transport.

Dosed intake of green tea will undoubtedly have a positive effect on the health of the expectant mother, provided that the pregnancy proceeds without serious complications. And also it is necessary to take into account the fact that a sharp rejection of a favorite drink can provoke stress and become a factor negatively affecting the unstable psycho-emotional balance of women. Some experts even recommend pregnant women 3-4 times a week to drink green tea with the addition of milk for the prevention of depression.

Not so long ago it became known for certain that the compounds contained in the structure of green tea interfere with the normal process of assimilation of a very important for all pregnant vitamin - folic acid. The deficiency of this substance leads to the development of various anatomical and physiological abnormalities in the fetus. Therefore, experts recommend limiting the consumption of green tea to 300 ml per day. Such a volume of the drink will not be able to cause any harm to the baby.

Note that Green tea contains a significant amount of caffeine. This substance has a pronounced stimulating effect, therefore, with frequent use, the expectant mother may note an increase in maternal blood pressure and tachycardia.

Such a complication of pregnancy is particularly dangerous at the end of the first trimester, as it can provoke bleeding from the genital tract. In addition, it disrupts the normal process of the formation of internal organs and increases the degree of threat of premature birth. But, again, we are talking about clearly excessive use of the drink.

There is the opinion of some narrow experts that green tea interferes with the normal absorption of iron, which causes the development of iron deficiency anemia. Unfortunately, there is not a single serious clinical study, on the basis of the results of which it would be possible to confirm or deny this theory. But for reinsurance, doctors recommend not to drink green tea during a meal, but still withstand at least a half-hour pause. This time is enough for all useful food elements from food to be absorbed by the body.

Opinion about the negative impact of green tea on the level of iron in the body is rather paradoxical, since this drink itself has been considered a source of iron for quite a long time.

Green tea is contraindicated in the presence of gallstones and liver failure. You also can not drink it on an empty stomach pregnant, suffering from gastritis, as the disease may worsen.

In order to maximize the benefits of drinking green tea and do no harm to yourself or your baby, adhere to some selection criteria, and brew tea properly.

• Buy weight tea. Thus, you can fully assess the quality of the product: feel the aroma, determine the density of the structure, see the color.
• Do not drink tea, which contain flavors. Also it is necessary to abandon the use of tea bags. Keep in mind that bright packaging with obsessive smells at a reasonable price often carries with them low-quality raw materials.

• Control the strength of the drink. Only 4-6 leaves or granules per 1 cup is enough. In addition, brewing tea, it is recommended to drain the first water, as it contains the maximum concentration of caffeine.
• To enhance the therapeutic effect of green tea, you can add melissa, honey, lemon and other natural supplements.
• Limit the amount of drink drunk up to 300 ml per day in order to avoid negative consequences.

Oddly enough, green tea, unlike most black varieties, can be re-brewed. This not only does not reduce its beneficial qualities, but also helps to improve the taste characteristics, because subsequent times the characteristic bitter taste leaves the drink.

On condition of moderate intake, this drink will enrich the body of a pregnant woman with a whole complex of vitamins and valuable microelements necessary for normal fetal functioning.

During pregnancy, even the most harmless product, in your opinion, can adversely affect the condition of the expectant mother and fetus. The decisive role in this matter is played by the amount of consumption and cooking technology. Therefore, in this crucial period, it is necessary to take reasonable care even to the most familiar foods and drinks.

The optimal proportion for brewing green tea is 1 tsp. leaves on a cup of boiling water.

The drink should be infused in accordance with the size of the tea leaves and the intended effect.

Green tea contains a specific compound, theine, due to which this product is considered an excellent tonic. Thein is combined with water in the first few minutes after brewing.All subsequent time, while tea is infused, mostly tannins get there. From this it follows that if you want to add vitality to yourself, then tea should be infused for no longer than 2 minutes.

The most suitable temperature for brewing is 80-90 ° C. Tap water is not recommended, especially for women in the position. The choice of bottled water must also be approached very responsibly, as often unscrupulous manufacturers in order to save sell water with a high content of nitrates and heavy metals, which are undeniable harm to health. The best option is to install a household tap water filter in your home.

Traditionally, green tea is brewed in dishes that have good thermal insulation properties. During the famous tea ceremony in China, porcelain or clay teapots are commonly used. At the household level, for this purpose you can use ceramics or glass.

There are many culinary variations that can make your favorite drink even tastier and healthier. We give the most popular ones.

1. Green tea with milk. Preparation steps: 200 ml of hot boiled milk pour 4 g of tea leaves into milk. Infuse the drink for a quarter of an hour, then strain it. You can sweeten with sugar or honey, depending on your preference. Important! In no case honey can not be added to boiling water! It can harm health. Put a few spoons of this sweet in warm tea or milk.
2. Green tea lemonade. Preparation steps: add fresh juice of three lemons, a couple of mint leaves and 1/2 l of boiled water to 1 liter of freshly green tea. Put the mixture in the fridge. To taste, add honey or sugar to lemonade.

Reviews about the feasibility of drinking green tea during pregnancy are rather controversial. Opponents of this drink insist that it is unacceptable to put your child at risk in such a crucial period. Fans of green tea say that the benefits of this valuable product are immeasurably greater than the possible risks. However, those and others agree that the uncontrolled intake of this drink will bring undoubted harm to mother and child.

The body of each person is individual, so pregnancy in different women occurs with its own nuances (depending on the physiological characteristics and external factors). Therefore, it is worth taking the final decision on whether to drink green tea or not, not on the opinions of unfamiliar and mostly incompetent people, but on the recommendations of the doctor.

A lot of articles have been written about the benefits of green tea, and usually even the most ardent supporters of healthy food have no doubts on this score. However, when it comes to the health of a pregnant woman and her baby, even the most useful product has a lot of additional requirements.

This drink can be very useful specifically for pregnant women, as it effectively fights toxicosis, prenatal depression, and also enriches the body of the expectant mother, and therefore the fetus, with a mass of valuable microelements. However, the main guarantee of the therapeutic action of green tea - moderate reception. Abuse of this product eliminates all its useful properties. Therefore, in the matter of your food, be extremely careful, even if it concerns your usual products.

On the rules of brewing green tea, you will learn from the following video.