Once you are pregnant, you have to be very careful as to what you eat or drink. You cannot indulge into anything without giving it a second thought. You diet undergoes a lot of change and you are forever scrutinized for what you eat and drink. Having said that, there are a lot of food and beverages that you should avoid during pregnancy. Is iced tea one of them? Is it safe to drink your much loved iced tea during pregnancy? Tea, be it hot or cold, contains caffeine. Caffeine intake is not encouraged during pregnancy. So moderation is the key here. Read on to find out more on this.

• Caffeine Content in Iced Tea
• Is It Safe To Drink Iced Tea During Pregnancy?
• Benefits Of Iced Tea During Pregnancy
• Problems With Drinking Iced Tea During Pregnancy

Caffeine Content in Iced Tea

When it comes to iced tea, the caffeine content varies with flavors and brands. Generally a glass of iced tea contains less than 20mg (normally varies from12 to 18mg) of caffeine. So as long as you don’t exceed 200 mg of your daily caffeine intake, you should be okay. Tea is generally better than coffee, as far as caffeine goes, as tea contain less caffeine than coffee so you can happily indulge a little bit more.

Is It Safe To Drink Iced Tea During Pregnancy?

If you are an iced tea lover, pregnancy may increase your urge to have it more frequently. Drinking packaged or bottled iced tea is not recommended during pregnancy as it contains high amount of sugar. On the other hand, having a couple of cups of homemade iced tea (with less sugar or you can add honey instead of sugar) will not do any harm to your pregnancy or your baby. Remember, moderation is the key here.

Benefits Of Iced Tea During Pregnancy

Tea is considered to be one of the healthiest drinks out there. Why? Just check out the list of benefits it has to offer:

• • Very refreshing: If morning sickness is bothering you or if you are pregnant during hot summer and the unbearable heat is killing you, all you need is a glass of Iced Tea. You can add favors like ginger, mint and lemon to your iced tea. These fresh flavors and the taste will not only beat the heat, but also help to keep morning sickness at bay. It can be an instant energy booster too thanks to the caffeine content in it
  • Contains antioxidants: Tea, be it hot or iced, contains good quantity of antioxidant in it so it helps to keep away the free radicals in your body which may increase due to lot of hormonal changes happening in your body once you are pregnant. It also helps to prevent DNA damage

• Keeps the brain healthy: Being forgetful or clumsy are common signs of pregnancy. Tea helps to keep your brain active and healthy and this is something you really need while you are pregnant
• Prevents cavities: Surprised isn’t it?? While you are pregnant, your oral health can go for a toss. So Iced teas can help to prevent cavities
• Women with gestational diabetes can have it too: If you have gestational diabetes, it may be better to have tea than coffee as unlike coffee, tea does not increase the risk of gestational diabetes during pregnancy. But make sure you have homemade iced tea only as store bought iced teas are loaded with sugar and may not be for you

So you can enjoy your cup of iced tea during pregnancy due to its many benefits but have it in moderation because, like everything, there are side effects if you have plenty of iced tea.

Problems With Drinking Iced Tea During Pregnancy

As we mentioned earlier, tea does contain caffeine and too much of caffeine can have harmful effects on you and your unborn baby. Some of the adverse effects of having too much of iced tea are:

• Miscarriage: If you consume high amount of tea, it can increase your chances of miscarriage as consuming more tea means intake of excessive amount of caffeine. Caffeine is known to cause miscarriage during pregnancy
• Can lead to low birth weight: Limit your intake of iced tea as it contains caffeine and excessive caffeine intake can be a cause of low birth weight in babies
• Can cause stillbirth: In many studies that have been conducted, it has shown that excessive amount of caffeine can cause still birth. So this is another reason why you should limit your intake of tea- hot or iced!
• Increases Insomnia: One of the problems associated with pregnancy is loss of sleep. A pregnant woman can develop insomnia and if you are fond of having tea when you are awake, then the caffeine content can increase insomnia and you will have to say good bye to your sleep
• Can cause dehydration: Tea acts as a diuretic, increasing the frequency of urination can result in dehydration and unnecessary loss of certain minerals and salt
• Can cause anemia : Iced tea can hinder with iron absorption in the body triggering anemia in the pregnant woman
• Increase the chances of neural tube defects: It can hinder with folic acid absorption, thereby, increasing the chances of neural tube defects like spina bifida

So, it is best to practice moderation. It is okay to have a glass or two of iced tea during pregnancy without any harm and definitely it is a better option than coffee. So, go ahead and pamper yourself to a refreshing glass of iced tea.