Adopting healthy eating and drinking habits can have very positive effects on your body, helping to relieve tiredness, constipation, and pressure on your kidneys that pregnancy can cause. Keeping hydrated is possibly the most important piece of advice about your diet and latest advice is to consume 1.8-2.8 litres of water every day, however this includes juices, milk, and hot drinks. Coffee is safe during pregnancy, but it is important to consider the amount of caffeine you are consuming with each cup. Many expectant parents worry about drinking tea and coffee, but the reality is less than 200mg of caffeine daily can reduce your risk of having a small birthweight baby and other complications, this equates roughly to about 1-2 cups coffee. Drinking decaffeinated coffee and tea is safe and your midwife or doctor will recommend this at your antenatal appointments.
Latest advice is that pregnant women should not consume more than 200mg of caffeine daily. But how many cups of coffee is that? The NHS suggest there is approximately:
65mg in a single espresso
125mg in a double espresso
100mg in a mug of instant coffee
140mg in a mug of filter coffee
75mg in a mug of tea (green tea can have the same amount of caffeine as regular tea)
Freshly brewed roasted ground coffee tends to contain more caffeine than instant coffee, but this will vary dependent on how strong you make your own coffee at home. Espresso contains the highest levels of caffeine per volume but, as espresso tends to be drunk as a much shorter drink, the actual caffeine levels may be lower or comparable to a larger cup or mug of freshly brewed coffee. That means that your latte, cappuccino and other milky espresso-based drinks are still well within your daily allowance and the milk counts towards that 1.8-2.8 Litres water daily!
It is estimated that over 60% pregnant women would reduce their caffeine intake if they understood more about the risks of over-consumption. Most of the research about caffeine has been conducted on women who are ready pregnant or who have recently been pregnant, but what about caffeine intake pre-pregnancy? The average person in Britain drinks 2-3 cups of coffee a day according to recent studies and of this only approximately 20% is decaf so for couples who are planning or trying to get pregnant what are the rules about caffeine? Quite surprisingly, although more research on the subject is needed, the evidence about pre-conception caffeine consumption suggests men as well as women should restrict their caffeine intake to below the advised 200mg per day. If you or your partner do consume high levels of caffeine and/or you are struggling to give it up, then seek advice from your midwife or doctor who can fully inform you of the risks associated with caffeine and of the benefits of limiting your intake and may be able to offer you support to reduce withdrawal symptoms.
How about other drinks containing caffeine, such as energy drinks – is it safe to drink them or best avoided?
40mg in a can of cola
100-500mg in a 250-700ml can of energy drink
less than 25mg in a 50g bar of plain dark chocolate
less than 10mg in a 50g bar of plain milk chocolate
The NHS advises that pregnant women should switch from caffeinated to decaffeinated drinks as there have been studies linking caffeine consumption above 200mg daily in pregnancy to low birthweight babies and other complications. However, the term decaffeinated is slightly misleading as many decaf teas and coffees still contain small amounts of caffeine (up to 10-15mg per average serving). It is also important to know that Green Tea, often considered a healthy option, still contains a similar amount of caffeine to regular black tea. Energy drinks often contain high levels of caffeine, as well as sugars and other empty calories and potentially stimulants, so should be avoided in pregnancy.
Are there any other foods/drinks that should be avoided or limited during pregnancy?
Pregnancy is a time when you need to pay particular attention to what you eat and drink. You are growing another human being who is taking their nutritional needs from you. A healthy balanced diet will not only give your baby the best start but will also reduce your risks of developing some potentially dangerous conditions in pregnancy and will help you to recover faster from birth. Gestational diabetes, obesity, pre-eclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension, food poisoning, and heartburn can all be the result of following a poor diet or not following NHS guidance about avoiding certain foods and drinks.
Foods to avoid:
· Any foods that contain Vitamin A such as liver, or pates.
· Anything unpasteurised including soft rinded cheeses, milk, and yogurt.
· More than one steak or two cans tuna per week.
· Shark, Swordfish, Marlin.
· Eggs that have not been Lion stamped.
· Fresh mayonnaise or other foods that contain raw egg.
· Raw and undercooked meats, fish, and shellfish.
· Deli cured meats such as salami unless cooked through in a pizza, pasta, risotto etc.
· And you should wash all fruits, salads, and vegetables before eating.
Drinks to avoid:
· Fizzy sugary drinks increase gastric acidity which can cause heartburn, gastric reflux, and vomiting.
· Caffeine (limit to less than 200mg daily = 1 to 2 cups of coffee or tea).
· Alcohol.
