Milk
A 225 ml or 8 oz glass of cow's milk contain
about one third of your daily recommended
calcium requirements - make that three glasses
and you have reached 100%. If you have lactose
intolerance try rice milk or lactose reduced
milk. Try low fat or non fat milk which
may contain slightly higher amounts of calcium
if weight is an issue.
Herbal
teas
Herbal tea is okay to drink but play safe
by drinking in moderation. While the word
herbal conjures a safe image in your mind,
remember that herbs are drugs. High doses
of some herbs may cause diarrhea, heart
palpitations and vomiting. Having highlighted
that, herbal preparations bought in the
form of tea bags are considered safe during
pregnancy. If herbal tea is your thing,
look out for the ingredients that you would
normally make a part of your diet such as
lemon, peppermint or jasmine and stay away
from weird contents such as cohosh or mugworth,
all worth avoiding during your pregnant
months. Make your own concoctions using
juices, cinnamon, ginger or lemon rind along
with boiled water or decaf tea.
Caffeine
Go ahead and enjoy your morning cup of coffee
so long you don't overdo it. Statistics
show that women should not exceed 300 mg
(less would be preferable of course) of
caffeine in a day. This is equivalent to
3 mugs of instant coffee, 6 cups of tea
or 8 cans of cola. High levels of caffeine
- 400 mg a day may affect baby's respiratory
system, decreased birth-weight and one study
even linked this exposure to SIDs. Taken
in moderation, caffeine will do no harm
to you or your fetus. Many women choose
to eliminate caffeine totally from their
diet and switch to decaf beverages, mildly
brewed tea and juices instead of colas.
Beware - chocolate drinks also contain some
caffeine and those high energy drinks contain
quite a bit of it.
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