Warning Potentially dumb question re: tea

Rogue237 · November 2013

OK, this might be a dumb question, but I've been craving iced tea - like a Lipton or Arizona Iced Tea and I have no clue if I can drink it. I've looked up stuff on tea and pregnancy and I know it says no green tea, no black tea, and a bunch of others with some randoms on the 'safe' list, but I feel like those tea always just vaguely say "tea leaves"... Anyone know?

snmetz7 · November 2013

It's fine go have some. You just want to typically stay away from herbal teas

bacorrea · November 2013

You can have black tea. I've been drinking black decaf tea forever now. I asked my midwife and she said that some teas can cause contractions you just have to research the individual teas. Most teas say "not for pregnant women." I would drink Lipton or Arizona and not think twice.

Edit: I mean most teas that you aren't supposed to have will have some sort of warning label (:

Lindsay808 · November 2013

Weird. I've never thought twice about it. I know that a lot of herbal teas are questionable. I'm pretty certain - but Lipton is a black tea, which is okay to have when you consider the caffeine intake.

I have stayed away from bottled green teas because some have ginseng and other gibberish on the bottle that I don't recognize.

Rogue237 · November 2013

OK, I thought maybe I was overthinking and clearly I was lol. I looked up about a bajillion Google entries on tea and pregnancy and some said green and black were a no-no so then I was all confused haha. I figured the Lipton/Arizona stuff wasn't real "tea-tea" anyway so it would be fine, but then I went a-Googling haha. Thanks, ladies!

TheatreStar86 · November 2013

One of the issues with green tea is that (I think) it can inhibit folic acid absorption. It's fine if you have it like 8 hrs or something before or after your prenatal. Can someone clarify that? I can't remember the times for this.

ETA: Black tea is fine - just watch the caffeine.

Dixon813 · November 2013

Funny, I was thinking the same thing (meaning "potentially dumb question") because I've been craving peppermint tea and have been drinking a lot of it the past few days.

I assumed since there was no warning on the label, it was fine!

WifeofaComposer · November 2013

I just looked this up today because I'm craving Lemon Zinger. Black teas are fine in moderation, and Lipton and Arizona drinks are black tea. Just be conscious of your caffeine levels. I'm disappointed to learn that Lemon Zinger is not safe during pregnancy because a lot of the ingredients are dangerous. I took one sip of my tea, just to satisfy that craving. I hope I crave something safer soon...

Rogue237 · November 2013

You ladies are a wealth of information - thanks

KatieGummow · November 2013

I have Iced Tea all the time. I tend to forget it has caffeine in it though, so sometimes I have a second glass and at the bottom of it I remember how much coffee I also had... You would think that would only have to happen once.

Serenla · November 2013

I actually only drink Earth angel mama tea, I don't freak out about it. It is quite nice.

pineconey · November 2013

I drink peppermint green tea and several tazo teas regularly. It's the only way I get enough liquids in me these days.

babybarnes87 · November 2013

Is Chamomille ok??

Dixon813 · November 2013

MrsStanton87 said:

Dixon813 said:

I assumed since there was no warning on the label, it was fine!

The tea labels wouldn't have a warning for a pregnant woman. They aren't regulated by the FDA so they don't have to have warnings like that.

I go by this list: https://www.pregnantchicken.com/pregnant-chicken-blog/?tag=herbal+tea - all of her stuff is so helpful!

I had no idea - thanks so much!!

Sisimama10 · November 2013

I have black/green/chai tea every day. They're saying that because of the caffeine content I think.

pineconey · November 2013

I drink peppermint green tea and several tazo teas regularly. It's the only way I get enough liquids in me these days.

Nicole Zook · November 2013

MrsStanton87 said:

Dixon813 said:

I assumed since there was no warning on the label, it was fine!

The tea labels wouldn't have a warning for a pregnant woman. They aren't regulated by the FDA so they don't have to have warnings like that.

I go by this list: https://www.pregnantchicken.com/pregnant-chicken-blog/?tag=herbal+tea - all of her stuff is so helpful!

If they have nutrition facts (most herbal teas do) they will say if they are not recommended for pregnant women... read labels basically.

CalinAZ · November 2013

I've just started drinking my yummy almondine rose black loose leaf tea again from Teavana. Love it so, so much. I'm figuring I just have to worry about the caffeine since it's black tea.

OP, I would just keep track of caffeine intake, but otherwise I think you're fine!

Lindsay808 · November 2013

TheatreStar86 said:
One of the issues with green tea is that (I think) it can inhibit folic acid absorption. It's fine if you have it like 8 hrs or something before or after your prenatal. Can someone clarify that? I can't remember the times for this.

ETA: Black tea is fine - just watch the caffeine.

I'm not sure about the folic acid absorption. But I do know that caffeine can prohibit iron absorption so to avoid taking iron/prenatals with caffeine!

ricekez · November 2013

With my first pregnancy, I read a book that listed "herbal teas" as a good choice for pregnant women. So I said "cool!" and drank herbal tea . . . Until I read another book that listed herbal tea in the "avoid" category. So I did some research and found that most common herbal teas that don't claim to have medicinal purposes are fine in moderation, but to avoid pretty much anything that claims to do magic. The first book was using the logic that herbal teas don't have caffeine and therefore are good. The second book used the logic that some herbal teas could be harmful, therefore best to avoid them all. That was the first experience I remember where I learned that many pregnancy and parenting rules are actually guidelines and that the book writers don't agree on anything.

Eahen42 · November 2013

Tea is fine, like a lot of caffeinated beverages, just drink in moderation. Enjoy!

H&P10313 · November 2013

I'm trying to stay away from coke and Lipton iced tea has been my go to drink.

jennypenny1014 · November 2013

I drink tea all day every day. I'd have to cut a bitch if I couldn't have my tea!

Avoid most herbal teas (unless your OB says they're ok), but traditional black/green tea (like Lipton, etc) is fine. Enjoy!