Tea for Mothers-to-be

Recently, I received wonderful news! A friend of my chatomo (tea-lover friends) is expecting a baby. Congratulations!!

Speaking of which, it is often talked about possible effect of caffeine on mothers-to-be. Caffeine is contained more or less not only in tea, but also in coffee, chocolate and some other drinks.

Of course, it is really important to pay extra attention to what you eat and what you drink. But, does this mean expectant mothers have to avoid all of them? What is Japanese common idea on Japanese tea?

Although the data based on scientific grounds are uncertain, most of the women tend to avoid taking a lot of caffeine during pregnancy. Therefore, teas such as Hojicha (roasted tea), Genmaicha (green tea combined with toasted brown rice) or Mugicha (roasted barley tea), all of which contain less caffeine, seem to attract them rather than Sencha.

Having said that, Sencha is not always something to avoid. There is a view to support as follows: Sencha contains zinc, which will benefit expectant mothers.

Generally speaking, many seem to drink tea as controlling caffeine, since tea could be a supporter for them to relax and spend happy "mothers-to-be" time.