caffeine or no caffeine?

[zmaman]

I have been hearing very different views of what is safe and what is not safe for the amount of caffeine? Does any body know if it really is not safe or what is safe? I am big chai tea drinker, chai tea in general is stronger then your average tea. If tea is still not recommended, have some suggestions on alternatives? I really crave the warmness and the creaminess of the chai tea.
thank you and namaste

[karika]

Personally I feel caffeine is in the same vein as cocaine. It is not healthy in the ways it is delivered in this day and age (as a freestanding compound injected into HFCS and carbonated water and preservatives, otherwise known as soda). It is especially not good during pregnancy and while nursing your child. You can get fair trade, organically grown, naturally (water) decaffeinated coffee nowadays. You can also safely have chamomile tea, but other herbal teas are not recommended in pregnancy.
I like Chai tea also (or did before becoming caffeine free back in 99). My sister sent me a canister of tea bags called chai spice or something. When I saw the first ingredient was black tea I figured I would have to wait until my baby was 4 yo to use them. But then I found out you can decaffeinate anything yourself. I put boiling water over the bag and let it steep. Then pour that off and use the same bag to make a cup for me to drink. I am not sure which culture does that, but they have a 'tea ceremony' where they pour boiling water on the same leaves about 4 times, only drinking the tea from the fourth time...
hth

[mamadelbosque]

I think the worries over caffein are way over blown. I avoid drinking cafeine on a regular basis, mostly because I love being able to stay awake when/if I want to - if you drink it all the time it looses its potency, whereas if you only drink it occasionally a little goes a long way

[hildare]

i've seen lots of studies that "prove" caffeine is good for you, and just as many that show it's bad. i tend to only believe the ones saying it's good for you..
i gave up lots of things while preggers and with this lo, but there is no way.. NO way anyone's gonna pry that cup from me, unless it's from my cold dead hands.

[Arduinna]

I'm not giving up my tea.

[Sativarain1]

I really enjoy an iced cold tea, and hot chai and peppermint mocha, but I seriously cannot have it a lot. I tend to feel anxious and cannot sleep at night. I drank a frappacino yesterday and felt it still way after 1am..... I certainly don't like the side effects, only the taste.

[Sayward]

Chai is just a blend of black tea and spices, like cloves, cinnamon, cardamon, and ginger. If you're worried about caffeine, just use decaf black tea! You can make your own chai blend, but I've seen decaf chai offered pretty much everywhere chai is sold.

[InMediasRes]

There is no way I could give up caffeine. I'm like you, I love the warm creaminess in the morning. It's one of the things in life I look forward to.

My kids and I also have tea time in the afternoon. That is such a special time for us, and I wouldn't give that up either.

If you're worried about caffeine, but you like the warmth and creaminess, could you try a rooibos or honeybush tea with some cream in it? It naturally has no caffeine, is loaded with Vit C, has a lot of antioxidant properties, acts as an expectorant when you have a head cold, relaxes the muscles of the stomach during stomach upset, etc. etc. etc. I gave it to my kids when they were babies for upset tummies, and it helps me with chronic stomach pain. I've also heard that you can put a chilled bag of it on a bug bite to take out the sting. I can't say enough about it.

Try www.dragonwater.com.

[Ola_]

To me, like with most other things, it's about moderation. On most days I have either a cup of coffee (if I'm at work) or a cup of chai (if I'm at home). I figure I could never give up caffeine anyway since it's in chocolate, esp. black chocolate.

[cristeen]

Personally i dont support longterm use of any addictive substance (yet im married to a coffee drinker).

If its just the warmth you like, i really like rooibos chai, which tastes very close to black, but does not have the caffeine.

[SubliminalDarkness]

I tend to think most things in moderation are ok. What constitutes moderation for a specific item varies, but I don't think a cup or two of chai a day is going to do you any harm unless you don't react well to it. I assume, if you didn't, that you wouldn't be drinking it anyway.

[Storm Bride]

I've seen so much conflicting information on caffeine that I really don't even pay attention, anymore.

I drink two mugs of coffee a day (and very rarely - a few times a year - I drink three or four). I've been doing that since I've been a SAHM. (I used to drink more than that fairly regularly when I worked in an office.) I drink it when I'm pregnant and when I'm breastfeeding, and when I'm neither...to the best of my recollection.

I've never noticed any ill effects for me or my kids. I do have intermittent sleep issues, but the only relationship between them and my caffeine intake is that if I slip up and have a bunch of caffeine late in the day, it will keep me up. That hasn't happened in a long time, probably because it was usually a Coke at a movie or something, and I haven't been to an evening movie in years.

If I can't have coffee one day, I get upset, because I love the taste and smell and the whole morning ritual - but I don't get withdrawal headaches or anything like that. I've never noted any ill effects on any of my kids, either.

Caffeine is basically something that I've made up my mind not to worry about, anymore. Coffee (and some dark chocolate) plays a positive role in my life, and I simply see no evidence that it's causing me any negative health effects. My mom, who is a lifelong coffee drinker, in greater amounts than me, also shows no signs of any health issues, and she's 66.

[InMediasRes]

Originally Posted by Storm Bride

I drink two mugs of coffee a day (and very rarely - a few times a year - I drink three or four). I've been doing that since I've been a SAHM. (I used to drink more than that fairly regularly when I worked in an office.) I drink it when I'm pregnant and when I'm breastfeeding, and when I'm neither...to the best of my recollection.

I've never noticed any ill effects for me or my kids. I do have intermittent sleep issue, but the only relationship between them and my caffeine intake is that if I slip up and have a bunch of caffeine late in the day, it will keep me up. That hasn't happened in a long time, probably because it was usually a Coke at a movie or something, and I haven't been to an evening movie in years.

If I can't have coffee one day, I get upset, because I love the taste and smell and the whole morning ritual - but I don't get withdrawal headaches or anything like that. I've never noted any ill effects on any of my kids, either.

Caffeine is basically something that I've made up my mind not to worry about, anymore. Coffee (and some dark chocolate) plays a positive role in my life, and I simply see no evidence that it's causing me any negative health effects. My mom, who is a lifelong coffee drinker, in greater amounts than me, also shows no signs of any health issues, and she's 66.

Yep, this is me. Right down to my mom drinking way more coffee than I and having no ill effects.

I don't drink coffee for the kick in the face, I do it because I like the taste and I like pairing it with my breakfast. I have noticed that I get jittery if I have too much, or if I have it on an empty stomach. I avoided during the first trimesters of my pgs, and I once gave it up (cold turkey, boy was that hard) for Lent one year because I was up to drinking a POT a DAY (back in college).

Lately I have been drinking tea because I really can't get down to drinking coffee with no sugar, and sugar is definitely something I don't need in my life.

[raksmama]

I am hopelessly addicted to my cup of Irish Breakfast tea in the morning, a cup of Chai in the afternoon and or green tea. I don't even want to think about giving them up! I did manage to give up coffee and now only drink once in a while.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by InMediasRes

...and I once gave it up (cold turkey, boy was that hard) for Lent one year because I was up to drinking a POT a DAY (back in college).

I was over that for a couple years when I was still doing office work. I was trying to have a second baby, and having a lot of trouble ttc, so I cut that back (cut it out for a few months), because it was one of the (many) things I'd heard was linked to infertility. It made no difference at all, which isn't surprising as I'm pretty sure "my" infertility was actually about stoned sperm.

Lately I have been drinking tea because I really can't get down to drinking coffee with no sugar, and sugar is definitely something I don't need in my life.

Now, I love my coffee completely plain - no milk, no sugar, no anything. However, I can't get onboard with unsweetened tea.

[Magelet]

I don't think caffeine is a terrible thing, though I almost never drink it. I don't want to get addicted to it, I don't love either coffee or black tea, and I like saving caffeine's power for when I need it. I don't think that in moderation it's bad. I do think it's not such a good thing to be so addicted that your really really grumpy in the morning til you have your caffeine fix, cause that sucks for the kids (my mom was like that but now she drinks decaf)

[bcblondie]

I completely quit coffee about 3 months ago and I've never felt better. I don't get headaches anymore. My heart doesn't race. I no longer get that weird "flighty" feeling in my chest.

I'm not saying you should quit your tea. But is there a lower caffeine version?

[Sol_y_Paz]

I don't feel it is dangerous. I drink quite a bit pretty much daily. Some days less, some days more. For awhile I changed to decaf only. I now drink decaf at night.
However, I am not pregnant or nursing. If I were, I would modify my consumption. Excessive consumption of caffeine above my normal consumption amounts can mess with my charting. So I know it isn't completely benign.
I take it straight up in black tea on ice, no sugar, fake sweetener, or milk please. I will add fresh citrus from time to time. I don't drink caffeine in any other form, no sodas or coffees. I also don't care for chocolate.

[bcblondie]

If you don't think it's bad, why would you drink less if you were pregnant or nursing? Not trying to be a jerk. Just asking.

[EdnaMarie]

You mean while you're pregnant?

Caffeine is a drug, so if you can avoid it, you should. However, I was an addict and quitting would have made me really irritable so I kept drinking it. Caffeine has positive side effects, as far as scientists can tell (New York Times ran an article about reduced risk of dementia, not however of babes in the womb) but you can also OD.

You could try creamy green tea or creamy herbal spice tea after your first chai-tea wake-up. When I was pregnant, I had one or two cups of coffee then went to green tea.