Caffeine is considered the best option to power you up throughout the day and it is consumed mostly in the form of tea or coffee. You may find it in many other energy drinks as well. Now the question is: Is it safe to consume during pregnancy ? Well, Yes, it is completely safe to have caffeine during pregnancy, but you have to count your caffeine intake i.e. it should be moderate. Because too much caffeine imposes risks during pregnancy and should be avoided. But if you are a coffee/tea lover and now you’re expecting, then it can get difficult for you to cut back on your caffeine intake.
In this article, apart from talking about how much caffeine is safe during pregnancy, we’ll also discuss some tips which may help you to reduce your caffeine intake. Reading till the end may help you to understand it in a better way. Let’s get started by discussing both the sides of caffeine i.e. positive as well as negative sides especially during pregnancy:
POSITIVE SIDE OF CAFFEINE:
If you limit your intake and consume it in limited amount especially during pregnancy, then it helps to:
– make you feel more energetic
– make you more alert
– increase your focus or concentration
– alleviate fatigue
– improve your physical performance as well
NEGATIVE SIDE OF CAFFEINE:
Now after talking abut the possible benefits of caffeine when taken within the limit, let’s look at the risks of having too much caffeine during pregnancy, which are as follows:
– It may increase your risk of having a miscarriage or preterm labor.
– Your body metabolizes caffeine very slowly when you are expecting, which may disrupt your night sleep especially if taken on the second half of the day.
– Too much caffeine may affect your health like high blood pressure, heartburn, dehydration, diarrhea, etc., which in-turn gives rise to many other complications during pregnancy.
– It also affects your baby’s health and increases chances of low-birth weight.
– It also affects your nervous system which can cause depression, irritability, and anxiety.
HOW MUCH IS SAFE?
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that up to 200 mg of caffeine per day is safe during pregnancy. In general, you can have 1-2 cups of coffee and 2-4 cups of brewed tea per day. But more than that may affect your and your baby’s health and increase the chances of complications. Even when you breastfeed your baby, up to 200 mg is safe for you and your baby.
Apart from tea and coffee, caffeine is also found in many other energy drinks and herbal teas. These energy drinks contain high amount of caffeine, added sugar and some other contents, which are not recommended to consume during pregnancy. While some of the herbal teas that contain ginseng, licorice root, or chicory root, should also be avoided during pregnancy, But you can consume some of the herbal teas, which are considered safe during pregnancy i.e. peppermint leaf, ginger root, green tea (limit to 1 cup a day), lemon balm, etc. So it’s better to consult your doctor about any other caffeinated drinks (other than tea or coffee) either it’s energy drink, herbal tea or any other drink, before having it during pregnancy.
CAFFEINE COUNTS :
By knowing the approximate caffeine count in one of your favorite caffeinated drink will help you to reduce your caffeine intake in a day especially during pregnancy. Just little knowledge about caffeine count will help you stay safe during pregnancy. Following are some of the most common caffeinated drinks with the approximate amount of caffeine in them:
– 1 cup (i.e. 8 oz or 240 ml) BREWED COFFEE contains around 135 mg caffeine
– 1 cup INSTANT COFFEE contains around 60 mg caffeine
– 1-ESPRESSO SHOT (i.e. 1 oz or 30 ml) contains around 60 mg caffeine
– 1 cup TEA contains 30-50 mg caffeine
– 1 cup MATCHA TEA contains 70 mg caffeine
– 1 can of SOFT-DRINKS (i.e. 12 oz or 355 ml) contains 30-50 mg caffeine
– 1 can of ENERGY DRINK (i.e 8 oz or 240 ml) contains around 80 mg caffeine, but some contain much more than that
– 100 gm of MILK CHOCOLATE contains 20 mg caffeine
– 1 cup DECAF COFFEE contains 5-10 mg caffeine
TIPS TO REDUCE YOUR CAFFEINE INTAKE DURING PREGNANCY:
Can’t think of cutting down your caffeine intake, especially if you are a tea/coffee lover ? But during pregnancy, it’s very important for your and your baby’s betterment. I know caffeine is very addictive, so to cut it down when you come to know that you are expecting needs awareness and little effort. Following are some tips which may help you to reduce your caffeine intake:
GO SLOW:
If you have a routine of having 4-5 cups of coffee in a day, then suddenly cutting it down to just one cup will make you feel low and exhausted. Just go slow and gradual to change your routine. Try to cut down the cup of coffee when you least need in a day. And then randomly skip one more cup. By doing this, slowly come to just 1-2 cups of coffee to make your pregnancy experience healthier.
MIX IT UP:
Instead of just sticking to the coffee, you can mix out with other caffeinated drinks as well, so to overall reduce your caffeine intake in a day. Like you can go for 1 cup of coffee and 1-2 cups of tea in a day.
LOOK FOR OTHER ALTERNATIVES:
Look for other alternatives as well, to satisfy your craving for coffee, which works great to reduce your caffeine intake during pregnancy. You can go for decaf coffee, decaf herbal tea, or sometimes decaf sodas. These come with different flavors, so just enjoy something new. Try it out, this tip will definitely help you cut down your caffeine.
CUT DOWN YOUR PORTIONS:
You can also cut down the portion size of your coffee i.e. instead of having a large cup of tea/coffee, have a small cup of tea/coffee OR if you have 1 cup, go for the half cup of tea/coffee. This is one of the best tips to reduce your caffeine intake.
DRINK PLENTY OF WATER:
Most of the time, whenever you feel low, you’ll always have the thought of having tea/coffee. Next time you feel low, try going for a glass or two of water, or some fruit juice, which will help you refresh. Just make it a routine, you’ll slowly get used to it.