With its origin dating back to ancient China, Kombucha has gained popularity worldwide. This fermented tea drink is known to have multiple benefits; hence is well renowned among tea enthusiasts. While this drink can be made at home, it is also available at local stores and even gas stations!
If you have been drinking Kombucha for a long time and love the fizzy drink on its own or with a meal, you must be wondering if you can drink Kombucha when pregnant. There are a lot of different opinions on drinking Kombucha while pregnant, some of them controversial.
We will walk you through all the pros and cons of consuming Kombucha during pregnancy to make it easier to decide the best for yourself and your baby.
Table of Contents
What Is Kombucha?
Kombucha is very similar to a regular green or black tea, with the additional step of double fermentation. The first round of fermentation involves leaving a flat, round strain of yeast and bacteria called a SCOBY sweetened tea at room temperature for a few weeks. The second round of fermentation occurs for a few more days, during which the liquid is strained into separate bottles or containers and stored to carbonate. This is what gives Kombucha its fizzy, slightly sweet, and acidic character.
While preparing Kombucha at home seems easy, getting the required alcohol level is nearly impossible. A higher temperature would result in a highly acidic Kombucha formula. Hence, people prefer to buy this refreshing beverage from nearby stores to get the ideal flavor profile and the right amount of probiotics required.
Is Kombucha Safe While Trying To Conceive?
According to fertility experts, probiotics in your diet increase your chances of getting pregnant. One of the best ways to incorporate probiotics into your diet is by consuming Kombucha. This beverage is not just refreshing on a sunny day but has also shown visible improvements among people with bad gut health, low energy levels, and infertility problems.
"Kombucha can maintain the correct vaginal pH in women, thereby decreasing the chances of yeast infections."
Since Kombucha is rich in probiotics, it helps you maintain a healthy digestive system and an adequate hormonal balance in the body. A hormonal imbalance causes most cases of infertility in men and women. With adequate hormones in your body, you can improve your general reproductive health, especially in women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS. The probiotics in Kombucha regulate the thyroid and estrogen hormones in men and women to boost fertility.
Apart from probiotics, Kombucha contains a myriad of anti-bacterial components. These create a healthy gut microbiome and optimal internal vaginal environment. The anti-bacterial properties of Kombucha can maintain the correct vaginal pH in women, thereby decreasing the chances of any infections, such as yeast infections.
Many people struggling with fertility issues have a history of increased sugar and carbs in their diet. With Kombucha, you can lessen your sweet tooth cravings. Others with more complex reasons for infertility are advised to go for full fertility cleanse by their doctors, which is a method of cleansing the uterus and the liver to prepare the body for conception. If you are not open to getting a fertility cleanse, drinking Kombucha is your best option.
Is Store-bought Kombucha Safe During Pregnancy?
Although Kombucha is said to have benefits among adults, many consider its consumption during pregnancy controversial.
Acidity
During fermentation, the sweetened tea forms acetic acid along and alcohol. This provides Kombucha with its acidic character, vinegary taste, and smell. The acidity in Kombucha is roughly the same as that in canned soda. Like a soda, Kombucha may cause heartburn or tooth decay during pregnancy. As long as your intake of fizzy Kombucha is kept to a minimum, you are good to go!
Alcohol
Depending on the length of the fermentation process during its manufacture, all Kombucha has certain alcohol content present in it. Even Kombucha drinks with a non-alcoholic label can contain up to 0.5% of alcohol by volume. While most Kombuchas have around 1/10th alcohol in an average beer, some labeled as ‘hard’ Kombuchas may contain as much alcohol as an average beer. Even those Kombuchas brewed at home has around 3% alcohol by volume.
Regardless of the numerous researches regarding the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy, no appropriate alcohol content has yet been condoned safe. Hence, following the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, one should rather abstain from alcohol during pregnancy.
Caffeine
The caffeine content in Kombucha comes mainly from the sweetened tea, whether black or green. This fermented drink generally has a caffeine content of about 25 to 50 mg per 8 oz. Although the fermentation process slightly reduces the caffeine content, it is still present.
According to physicians and other healthcare practitioners, the limit of caffeine for a pregnant woman should not exceed 200 mg per day. Technically, an eight oz. serving of this beverage contains about a quarter of the daily limit of caffeine intake, making a moderate amount of Kombucha safe during pregnancy.
Caffeine is a stimulant and can easily cross the placenta wall into the fetus. While this small amount is not known to affect the fetus, consuming great quantities of caffeine adversely will likely result in low birth weight, premature birth, and miscarriages.
Non-Pasteurization
Some manufacturers produce non-pasteurized Kombucha, while the rest use pasteurization to stop the yeast activity in their drink. Pasteurization is categorized into two types depending on the use of either excess heat or chemicals to halt the process of fermentation. While Kombucha is heated to about 160 F for 15 seconds during the heating method, the other method includes the addition of sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate to the fermented Kombucha mixture.
Since the alcohol and acidic content in non-pasteurized Kombucha is higher than usual, doctors suggest only fully cooked and pasteurized meals during pregnancy. The non-pasteurized Kombucha poses a risk of food poisoning in pregnant women. Hence, it is best to avoid Kombucha during pregnancy, especially Kombucha brewed at home that is at a higher risk of mold or bacterial contamination.
Kombucha When Breastfeeding
Drinking Kombucha regularly during and/or after pregnancy may cause a small percentage of caffeine to make its way into your breastmilk. A baby feeding on your caffeinated breastmilk is likely to show signs of irritability during the day and trouble sleeping at night.
However, if you enjoy the non-alcoholic and low-caffeinated Kombucha from time to time, there is a low risk of your baby presenting any adverse effects related to it. Make sure to drink your Kombucha about 2 hours before breastfeeding. The couple hours between drinking Kombucha and nursing will ensure that your body has enough time to break down the alcohol in your breastmilk and utilize the caffeine in your body, so a lesser amount is transmitted to your infant.
Conclusion
With so many slight risks involved in Kombucha during pregnancy, we think it is best to avoid it during pregnancy and while you are breastfeeding. Since every pregnancy is different, you may visit your doctor for any questions regarding the baby and your diet.
However, if you choose the right kind of Kombucha, the pregnancy risks decrease. When consuming moderate amounts of Kombucha during pregnancy, read the labels on every package and only pick the pasteurized ones labeled non-alcoholic.
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