Hot, save beverages for a pregant woman?

March 18, 2007 10:47 AM

Mrs. DakotaPaul is pregnant. Yay! But, we've read from various sources that coffee, black tea, green tea, and herbal tea should be avoided. Boo. What hot beverages can she drink in the morning besides water with lemon?

The reasons given for avoiding coffee and black and green teas were the caffeine content. Herbal teas were said to be a no-no because some herbs could potentially induce miscarriage, though only when taken in "large or medicinal amounts".

Of course, we're probably being too careful at this point, but we want to be sure. So what can she drink?

posted by DakotaPaul to food & drink (39 comments total)

milk?
posted by matteo at 10:58 AM on March 18, 2007

There are a million different types of herbal teas, or tisanes. I'm sure she could find a few that were tasty and didn't have any off the ingredients she should avoid.

Is she supposed to avoid decaf coffee and teas as well? How about hot chocolate? Oh, and rooibus?
posted by amarynth at 11:02 AM on March 18, 2007

Lots of people drink 1 cup of coffee a day while pregnant.
posted by k8t at 11:04 AM on March 18, 2007

Herbal teas and caffeine are safe to drink, in moderation, in pregnancy. Motherisk is a good, scientific website (and phone hotline) for science-based information about pregnancy.
posted by jellicle at 11:07 AM on March 18, 2007

A friend did steamed milk with just a bit of honey drizzled on the 'head'.
posted by nathan_teske at 11:08 AM on March 18, 2007

What about hot chocolate or hot apple cider?
posted by tastybrains at 11:27 AM on March 18, 2007

How about Ovaltine or Bournvita?
posted by bluefly at 11:35 AM on March 18, 2007

Tofu shake? Get real.

Answering the question: Rooibos tea is quite like ordinary tea. You can have it with milk in if you like your tea that way.
posted by handee at 11:36 AM on March 18, 2007

Thanks for the rooibus suggestions, amarynth and handee, and thanks for the Motherisk link, jellicle. Will do lots of digging there.

Tofu shake? Get real.
Thanks, handee. :-) She still wants that hot, light cup of something in the morning that she's used to.
posted by DakotaPaul at 11:51 AM on March 18, 2007

There are definately teas, like pennyroyal, that it doesn't hurt to avoid but there are harmless ones as well.
Hot chocolate is a classic one, and it can be doctored a million ways. Melt nutella into it, or add coffee syrups. Trader Joe's has exceptionally affordable organic cocoa powder that blows Hershey's out of the water. The general rule is 2 tablespoons sugar + 2 tbs cocoa powder, and you can take it from there. My favorite hot chocolate is this; it's also good made with Ibarra chocolate, but I'm usually too lazy to chop it up and wait for it to melt.
My favorite version is this:

2 tbs cocoa powder
2 tbs sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp chile powder(not chili powder)

Whisk in mug. Add just enough hot milk to form a paste; mix it and then mix in the rest of the hot milk. Don't use Tex-Mex chili powder mixes with cumin in them, please; just ground chiles, preferably freshly home ground.
posted by Juliet Banana at 11:57 AM on March 18, 2007

Decaf?
posted by Mr. Gunn at 11:58 AM on March 18, 2007

FWIW, I've seen both peppermint tea and spearmint tea recommended for morning sickness.

The plural of anecdote is not data, but... I'm pregnant and not a tea drinker. Yesterday, on impulse, I bought spearmint tea. I made myself a cup at home and was amazed at how much better I felt after drinking it.
posted by MonkeyToes at 11:59 AM on March 18, 2007

I actually just pulled out one of my tea books, and rooibos is supposed to be very good for pregnant women. My second favorite online tea store (I linked to the rooibos selection at my favorite in my previous post) has a rooibos sampler, so she could try a few different flavors.

(If you do decide to buy anything from Adagio, email me -- I think I can send you a coupon for $5 off.)
posted by amarynth at 12:04 PM on March 18, 2007

How about hot barley tea? Or, go to the Korean grocery and pick up a Korean drink called "Job's Tears" tea, aka yulmu cha. It comes in single serving packets or a large pouch. The drink is made of a grain and it tastes like...thick sweet water? Hard to describe, but sooooo good.
posted by hooray at 12:05 PM on March 18, 2007

Ignore DU's alarmism.

Caffeine’s Effects on the Developing Fetus
Caffeine easily passes from mother to fetus through the placenta. A developing fetus may have higher, sustained blood levels of caffeine than its mother because of immature metabolism.3 A few studies have shown that even moderate caffeine consumption affects fetal heart rate and movement patterns.3 A pregnant woman’s ability to metabolize caffeine slows as pregnancy progresses, so some of its effects may increase later in pregnancy.

Some studies have found that pregnant women who consumed large quantities of caffeine (five or more cups of coffee a day) were twice as likely to miscarry as those who consumed less, while fewer or no effects were seen at lower levels of caffeine consumption.4, 5 A detailed analysis of caffeine's reported effects on pregnancy outcome can be found at motherisk.org.

from here, with citations.
posted by The Michael The at 12:07 PM on March 18, 2007

How about white tea? Teavana has white tea--no caffeine and it tastes wonderful!
posted by 6:1 at 12:17 PM on March 18, 2007

Cafix. Or one of its analogs like Postum or Pero. They're naturally caffeine-free coffee substitutes, and while they don't taste exactly like coffee, they have that similar quality for morning drinks (And they don't have that tannic, astringent quality that most teas have. )

If you try it, buy the crystals rather than the powder. The powder doesn't dissolve as well.
posted by needs more cowbell at 12:19 PM on March 18, 2007

I can't believe I forgot to congratulate you! Best wishes to you, the misses, and the little one!
posted by amarynth at 12:30 PM on March 18, 2007

6:1: White tea has caffeine- it comes from the same plant as black and green tea. It may have less caffeine in a brewed cup, due to the fact that it is not supposed to be brewed with boiling water and has gone through less processing than the average black or green tea leaf.

Hot fruit compote might be a satisfying drink. Here's a recipe. You could make a large amount in advance, and keep it in the fridge. I also drink a lot of rooibos tea, so I would nth that suggestion, as well as hot apple or pear cider.
posted by oneirodynia at 12:41 PM on March 18, 2007

Our very crunchy midwife along with our obgyn both said it was fine to have one or two cups of coffee a day. There are also a number of "pregnancy teas" made by various herbal tea companies.
posted by alms at 12:44 PM on March 18, 2007

IANAD, but I study developmental psychology at the graduate level, and I can tell you that most doctors, developmental specialists, etc., will confirm that moderate amounts of caffeine are not HARMFUL to the fetus (although you will notice that it does AFFECT the fetus...increased mobility, etc) . If you're drinking your way through a pot of coffee a day, that's a problem, but in moderation (say, a cup in the morning, as advocated by k8t), the caffeine will not adversely affect your baby. There are of course varying opinions on the matter, but in the end, it boils down to what you and your wife are comfortable with. When I worked at a coffee stand, my favorite latte customer was 5 months pregnant. If she felt that her baby was extra mobile that day, she would simply order decaf. For some people, coming off the caffeine addiction is harder than just cutting back to one cup a day.
posted by messylissa at 12:48 PM on March 18, 2007

I second the barley tea recommendation. It has a nice roastiness that satisfies my coffee cravings.
posted by judith at 12:48 PM on March 18, 2007

there are a lot of "sources". I was told it's ok to drink small amounts of caffiene (1-2 servings a day) and that green tea was good. I was told that more than 2.5 servings of coffee a day were correlated with cleft palate (by my midwife).
I drank some coffee during my pregnancy and I drink coffee now (1 cup) and tea (one cup black or green) daily and it doesn't seem to have any effect on my (nursing) son, nor has it ever seemed to make a difference if I drink it or don't. In some countries (says my well travelled neighbor) people give small kids coffee to calm them down.
Hot chocolate has some caffiene, but might be nice, there are the pregnancy teas, broth, warm milk with honey?
There are a lot of things pregnant women are told to avoid...and if you avoid all of them there will be no food going in. My main obsessions were avoiding lots of chemicals in my food - so I switched to organic/unprocessed foods, organic milk and meat and fruit and veggies, and didn't buy things that had many ingredients. I avoided all corn and soy unless it was non GMO (and things containing corn and soy, pretty much everything!)>
posted by henryis at 1:05 PM on March 18, 2007

I drank decaf every day while pregnant. And when I began to have terrible headaches in my 2nd trimester, my OB (note: not midwife, for those who care) said to see if a small amount of caffeinated coffee helped. It did.

My philosophy while pregnant was this: if something was so truly unsafe that it would reliably cause miscarriage, it would be used to self-induce abortion. Have you ever heard of a woman using regular drip coffee to induce an abortion? I haven't. But I have heard of pennyroyal tea, mentioned above, used for that purpose.

So coffee = in, pennyroyal tea = out. Please note, this is just my opinion, and I'm referring to all this sort of new, "everything's dangerous!" attitude about pregnancy and food. I also ate lunch meat and OMG my baby didn't die.
posted by peep at 1:15 PM on March 18, 2007

Congratulations.

Do some Google News/Google Scholar searches on the whole caffeine-pregnancy thing. It was recently shot down as being risky, and I don't think a cup a day was ever that widely condemned.

My philosophy while pregnant was this: if something was so truly unsafe that it would reliably cause miscarriage, it would be used to self-induce abortion.

I'm pregnant; I concur. Most of the "risks" are overblown. See, for example, this page on FAS, and this page on wine. She can have a rum toddy if she so pleases...

Can I recommend throwing out "What to Expect When You're Expecting," and looking for non-paranoid/US-centric sources? The pregnancy-industrial complex is full of theoretical risks based on very little fact, and people flogging said imaginary risks as bona-fides. There is very, very little that is genuinely harmful in small doses; some 'harmful in large doses' is sometimes beneficial in small ditto, and there's just no such thing as a risk-free pregnancy. Don't let other people tell you what to do; review the evidence, and make your own decisions about what constitutes a healthy pregnancy. Ask wives'-tale-free mothers and midwives, not people looking to make a buck off frightening the pregnant.

Don't rely too heavily on babycenter.com; it does have its errors. These disgusting protein recommendations work out to (roughly) 1575 calories per day in protein alone. "Experts" -- uh huh.

And...and, okay, I have issues. I'm bitter about being outright lied to, and bossed around and warned off baths and tap water. It is possible to remain sensible.

Anyway. That boiling water with lemon is actually kind of good with a spoon of honey or sugar in it. Hot Ribena is nice. Only a few herbal tea ingredients are 'unsafe.' And there's nothing wrong with decaf black tea or coffee.
posted by kmennie at 1:53 PM on March 18, 2007 [3 favorites]

I was visiting a friend recently and she served a hot beverage that was simply cinnamon sticks and several slices of fresh ginger, simmered in a pan of water for awhile. It was quite nice with a little honey. Plus, ginger can help tremendously with nausea.
posted by cabingirl at 2:02 PM on March 18, 2007

Congratulations.

Rooibus may contain raspberry leaves or rosemary, both of which may be a problem. Here's a discussion of rosemary.

Green tea affects absorbtion of folic, so I'd stay away from that.

Motherisk is a great place to check these things out.
posted by acoutu at 2:18 PM on March 18, 2007

Ginger tea (like cabingirl suggested), is quite an interesting thing. Watch out, though--it's spicy, albeit delicious. It also strikes me as something you could make a batch of ahead of time and then reheat. Though I could be completely wrong about that.
posted by that girl at 2:42 PM on March 18, 2007

Congratulations! What an exciting time for both of you.

We were also concerened about caffeine during pregnancy, even when my OB said 1-2 cups were perfectly fine (she did however say to stay away from herbal teas). I compromised and did something that made me feel better. I brewed a pot of one half decaf and one half regular every morning. In fact, I grew so used to this smaller amount of caffeine that it's all I drink now.

FWIW we have two smart, awesome daughters.
posted by Flakypastry at 3:14 PM on March 18, 2007

rooibos is recommended in pregnancy and is caffeine free.(no idea what the previous person was talking about)
i drank it when i had my bun in the oven and continue to drink it while i'm still breast-feeding.

i completely avoided all caffeine while "up the duff", not even eating chocolate. it's not so much about the miscarriage risk, which relates more to higher levels of intake.... but because i don't think stimulants and babies mix very well.

but then i'm neurotic, so don't be like me.....
.... drinking rooibos and basking in neuroses.....
posted by taff at 5:28 PM on March 18, 2007

Congratulations! I am also pregnant at the moment (6 months), and have taken much the same attitude as henryis when it comes to all the rules and regulations. Talk to your OB or doctor about caffeine, and really any other aspect of diet that concerns you. Most of the food rules you read are very absolute, whereas really I feel "everything in moderation" is just fine, as so does my OB. I used to drink 2-3 cups of coffee or black tea a day. I cut back to one a day at first, and now I usually have a cup of green tea once a week or so, and decaf coffee (disguised in the form of a mocha because decaf tastes horrible to me) at random.

I would suggest your wife continues to drink one small cup of coffee in the morning until she can talk to her OB, if she feels OK with the idea. My doctor and OB were very supportive of my diet choices. For example I still eat sushi, but only from an extremely trusted source - a chef who has known me for 8 years, knows I am pregnant, serves traditional sushi only (so no hiding old or bad fish in a tempura roll) and is first at the fish market in the mornings. I had to cut back on consumption of the larger fish like tuna because of mercury risks. I give you the sushi example to show that no rule is 100%, and sometimes it just means adjusting rather cutting out.

I also recommend "the girlfriend's guide to pregnancy" to go alongside the pregnancy books you may have - its non medical and more about both your mental states/expectations than the pregnancy/baby. Also second chucking out "what to expect when you're expecting" as an awful piece of scaremongering. My copy of "pregnancy for dummies" mentions that caffeine is fine in moderation. Don't get overwhelmed with all the info that gets thrown at you, relax, and remember that billions of successful births have taken place without the aid of books, food rules or even doctors. You just have to find a comfortable set of rules for you.
posted by Joh at 5:29 PM on March 18, 2007

Thank you all so much for the information (and words of congratulation). Sounds like small quantities of coffee or tea (or hot toddies) might be OK. Definitely going to check out the barley tea -- sounds tasty.
posted by DakotaPaul at 5:58 PM on March 18, 2007

Just a different view, had two kids in Japan, and when asking Doctors here, they give no food/drink restrictions at all, but to avoid food that are too cold (don't eat straight out of the fridge sort of advice). When asked about soft cheese, ham, fish, sushi, coffee, green/barley/normal tea etc, they just look at you like you are crazy for suggesting you can't have it. YMMV

Wife had zero caffeine with the first one, and 1 cup a day with the second. I see no difference. (actually, the 2nd one is easier, but that's most likely due to other things).
posted by lundman at 6:26 PM on March 18, 2007

I enjoy tea made with rose hips and/or candied ginger. Not promising they're safe, but they weren't in the "unsafe" list in the article linked by Mr. DakotaPaul.
posted by amtho at 6:49 PM on March 18, 2007

When I asked my OB about herbal teas, he said that ginger, chamomile, or peppermint were just fine. So sticking with herbals that have only those ingredients should be just fine. (A cup of coffee or tea should also be just fine, but I can understand feeling paranoid about it.) If you don't have a doctor's appointment soon, but do have a doctor, call up and ask. They are used to fielding questions from worried parents-to-be and I'm sure would be happy to let you know what they think is safe. (My baby is five months old now.)

Also, it would probably be better if you think of it as hot lemonade rather than hot water with lemon. (Use more lemon and sugar to flavor it.)
posted by Margalo Epps at 7:57 PM on March 18, 2007

Why not just buy decaf green tea? They sell it at Trader Joe's but also at our normal supermarkets.
posted by GaelFC at 8:20 PM on March 18, 2007

GaelFC, the articles I've come across say it's some sort of chemical that blocks the folate, not the caffeine.
posted by acoutu at 10:10 PM on March 18, 2007

Hi, 7+ months pregnant here, and I've looked into this issue quite a bit.

It's not just the caffeine that's the problem. Coffee, with or without caffeine, has acid which can be stomach-upsetting. If that's not an issue for you, then the caffeine is the only other issue, and one serving of caffeine a day is generally considered safe.

Green tea leaches folic acid from your body, that's why it's not recommended. Again, it's not the caffeine.

Exotic herbal teas often carry warnings on the box that they are not meant for pregnant women, because they may have herbs that have known negative side effects.
For instance, echinacea does something terrible; I forget what.

Mint teas can be safe, as can ginger teas.
Be sure to read the ingredients, so you know exactly what you're getting.

My favorite tea is Stash's White Christmas. It's a white tea with peppermint and ginger. It's low in caffeine, and the peppermint and ginger are both good for stomach-quelling. Since white tea is essentially green tea, I wouldn't suggest having it every day, but a few cups a week won't hurt.

Another great plus about Stash teas is that their tea ingredient lists are very short - they don't add lots of different things into all their teas. This means it's easy to know exactly what you're getting.
Here is the ingredient list for White Christmas, off the back of today's individually-wrapped teabag:
White tea, peppermint, and ginger root.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 7:36 AM on March 19, 2007

Just to second peep's experience, I started getting regular ocular migraines in my third trimester (hoo boy is THAT freaky), and my OB suggested I drink some caffeinated coffee in the mornings to prevent them. There's something very cheery about walking into a Starbuck's while extremely pregnant and ordering a latte, with caffeine, and saying "Doctor's orders!" when you get that funny look from your fellow patrons.
posted by Andrhia at 5:58 PM on March 19, 2007