Tea and Pregnancy

 

pregnancy.jpg

Pregnancy by Ola Czechowska

When I learned I was pregnant, the first thing I did was a little research to find out the things I should eliminate or reduce from my diet. Smoked fish, soft cheese, alcohol, and caffeine topped the list. I love smoked fish, soft cheese, and alcohol, but they’re not things I consume on a daily basis. Caffeine, however, is in something I love and consume daily: TEA! I’m hot, hungry, and tired all the time, and on top of that I’m not supposed to have tea!? Let me look into this a little further.

The Yale University School of Medicine published the results of their research on maternal consumption of caffeine during pregnancy in 2003. The concern was that caffeine contributed to low birth weight, but the study determined that “[t]his small decrease in birth weight, observed for maternal caffeine consumption, is unlikely to be clinically important except for women consuming >=600 mg of caffeine daily (approximately six 10-ounce (1 ounce = 28.3 g) cups of coffee). ”

Three other things worth noting:

  1. Caffeine can be found in foods and beverages other than coffee, tea, cola, and chocolate.
  2. Because herbal teas aren’t regulated by the FDA, there may be ingredients in herbal teas that are not good for pregnant women or developing fetuses. Do your research and consult with your doctor.
  3. Another article I read stated that the epigallocatechins in green tea may affect the way the body uses folate, a B vitamin that is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells and especially important during pregnancy.

Considering how much tea I drank pre-pregnancy, there’s a good chance that I was consuming around 600 mg of caffeine. So, I have drastically reduced the amount of tea I drink, but I’m relieved that I don’t need to complete eliminate it.

 

Posted by Rachel at Tuesday ~ October 02, 2007 | 5 Comments

Category: Herbal Tea, Black Tea, White Tea, Tea Facts, Tea, Health Benefits, Green Tea

Murchies Keemun Reviewed

 

After finally running out of my green tea stash I moved on to Murchies Keemun, a Chinese long leaf black tea. Murchies is a tea importer and distributor located in Victoria BC Canada. I didn’t know what to expect when I opened up the small box of 12 bags. Unpeeling the plastic wrap, the faint smell of black tea was noticeable. After looking at the bag and snapping a picture I threw it in the boiling hot water for a 4 minute steep session.

Murchies Keemun Tea

The black tea infused the water into a rich dark brown with a slight red tint within seconds of being submersed. The steam wafted out of the mug and carried with it the earthy sweetness of the black tea.

Murchies Tea Bag

The tea was sweeter than I had expected. The flavor was as rich as the color, and the sweetness was a lightly fermented taste. It was not as earthy as the aroma would have led you to believe, in fact it was quite refined. There was no detectible after taste resulting in a very clean finish.

Black Tea Steaping

Overall 8/10

Flavor- 9/10

Aroma- 8/10

Presentation- 7/10

 

Posted by CB at Thursday ~ March 15, 2007 | No Comments

Category: Black Tea, Tea Reviews, Tea, Uncategorized