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Can You Drink Kombucha While Pregnant? 3 Great Alternatives To Drink

can you drink kombucha while pregnant

Consuming kombucha during pregnancy has become a pretty hot topic of debate lately. This is due to the two-sided coin that kombucha is. 

Drinking kombucha outside of pregnancy is a great way to improve your gut health, and the drink has numerous health benefits. 

However, there is caffeine content present in the drink, which women worry about, and the fermentation process of making this tea drink means that there is alcohol content, as well.

In this article, we’ll answer the question: Can you drink kombucha while pregnant?

We’ll discuss whether pregnant women should consume kombucha, a fermented tea. We’ll discuss what occurs in the processes of fermented tea and fermented foods that may make drinking kombucha during pregnancy risky. 

We’ll also talk about any potential health benefits associated with the drink.

What is kombucha?

If you have friends who are suddenly drinking kombucha and talking about how great it is, you may feel like you’re the old person in your group who has not yet caught on to the new trend.

You may be surprised to learn that kombucha has been around for at least 2000 years!

It started in China, then spread to Japan and Europe. It’s beginning to catch on in the United States because of its associations with the health benefits it may provide and being an effective energy drink.

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What is kombucha made of?

Pregnant women especially should always concern themselves with the ingredients in the food they eat or drink and the process by which the foods and drinks they consume are made.

Kombucha is a tea that involves a fermentation process.

The main ingredients in kombucha are yeast, black or green tea, and sugar. So basically, sweetened tea combined with yeast.

The ingredients are put together and fermented for at least a week. During this time, a bacterial buildup of a sort occurs. It does render the fermented beverage a little bit alcoholic, although the alcohol content is so low that it’s technically considered a nonalcoholic drink when sold in stores.

You may think this fermentation process sounds disgusting and must do nothing but invite harmful bacteria into the drink; however, it’s the same process that turns milk into yogurt. It is perfectly safe for pregnant women to consume yogurt.

The difference between commercially produced kombucha and home-brewed kombucha

Home-brewed kombucha has become more common as people have discovered it’s quite easy to make. However, the commercial kombucha you may purchase in the store differs from home-brewed kombucha.

Store-bought kombucha is pasteurized to keep kombucha safe from harmful bacterial contamination. Pasteurization kills those harmful bacteria. However, this process also removes any healthy bacteria that may have been present.

When made at home, the fermented beverage is unpasteurized kombucha, which preserves the healthy bacteria that are great for gut health. Still, the chemical reaction of the fermentation on the yeast creates acetic acid, which can allow some harmful bacteria to remain and then grow.

Brewing kombucha in your own home may sound like a fun experiment, but unless you are sure of the process, a lot can go wrong.

Can you drink kombucha while pregnant

The truth is that there have not been a lot of studies done about whether drinking kombucha during pregnancy is safe or not. This is because it’s just not all that ethical to give women kombucha or any other controversial foods or drinks while pregnant to observe what harm may come to them or their babies.

So instead, what researchers and scientists have done is break down the ingredients and the process involved in making kombucha naturally in your own home, as well as purchasing the drink.

The next step is to weigh the health benefits of drinking kombucha during pregnancy vs. the health risks involved in drinking kombucha while pregnant.

Because there’s not much that can be proven due to a small amount of testing, it’s currently left up to pregnant women to decide whether or not they should drink kombucha.

Some women sing its praises and swear by the drink, declaring kombucha safe for consumption.

Other women find that the potential health benefits don’t stack up against the potential risks, and they decide not to drink kombucha while pregnant or breastfeeding. 

Breastfeeding women are often concerned about caffeine intake because it can interfere with milk production.

can you drink kombucha while pregnant

Risks of drinking kombucha during pregnancy

Several points have been made against the case of consuming kombucha during pregnancy. 

The following are some potential risks generally associated with drinking kombucha.

1. Caffeine content

Caffeine consumption is something that many women watch out for and monitor closely during pregnancy. This is because too much caffeine in a daily diet has been found to cause issues such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and in some devastating cases, miscarriage.

As such, doctors urge women to cut their caffeine levels or eliminate them during pregnancy for the sake of the developing fetus.

Green or black tea both contain caffeine. Consuming caffeine in large amounts may cause several issues such as jittery feelings, difficulty sleeping, rapid heartbeat, and heartburn.

2. Alcohol content

The alcohol content of kombucha is so low that it can technically be sold on store shelves and labeled as nonalcoholic. 

However, as with nonalcoholic beers and other fermented foods and drinks, the fermenting process produces minute levels of alcohol content.

Alcohol consumption, at any level, is a hotly debated topic regarding pregnancy. 

While some women firmly believe you can have a glass of red wine each evening during pregnancy, many other women and even doctors will argue that any amount of alcohol consumption while pregnant can result in congenital disabilities, low birth weight, premature birth, and even miscarriage.

Alcohol levels may be super low, just as they are in most nonalcoholic beers. However, many women still avoid kombucha due to the trace amounts of alcohol content rendered when it is fermented.

3. Pathogenic bacteria

This issue is exclusive to homemade and raw kombucha, in which the pasteurization process is absent.

Harmful bacteria can end up in fermented food or drink because unpasteurized foods are a breeding ground for bacteria.

Gut health benefits result from kombucha (probiotics and more) that are store-bought and have been pasteurized.

However, when shown under active cultures, unpasteurized kombucha products have sometimes shown trace amounts of listeria and E. coli, also present in cold deli meats and raw foods, including soft cheeses.

 The purest form of food may be delicious, but any unpasteurized product does have risks.

These bad bacteria, or harmful pathogens, are enough reasons for many women to skip kombucha while pregnant or breastfeeding, as any harmful pathogens can cause a risk to their little ones.

However, the kombucha you may purchase from grocery stores is generally considered free of those harmful bacteria and instead are full of good bacteria that promote good health for the gut, immune system, and even blood pressure.

How much kombucha can a breastfeeding woman consume?

Drinking kombucha while pregnant is something that you should definitely discuss with your healthcare provider; however, what about after you have your baby?

If breast milk is your choice of food for your little one, you may wonder if kombucha can be consumed while you feed your baby from your own body.

The following are some things you should keep in mind when you think about drinking kombucha while nursing.

Kombucha’s caffeine content

Caffeine can affect the amount of milk your body can produce. It can also result in jittery feelings in both mom and baby. Remember, your baby consumes what ends up in breast milk. 

Consider this caffeinated drink when deciding if it’s a good idea to drink it while nursing.

Caffeine in moderation is usually okay, and the probiotics present in the store-bought varieties can be good for babies. So discussing this with your healthcare provider may be your best option.

Alcohol

After you factor in the risks associated with caffeine, you still need to consider the alcohol.

If you are nursing, you can still consume alcohol, as it takes a lot to pass through the milk and harm your baby. However, many women find that consuming any small amount of alcohol while nursing is a bad idea, and they prefer to stay away from it, despite what probiotics the fermented tea may be able to offer.

can you drink kombucha while pregnant

Kombucha alternatives

Suppose you or your healthcare provider think drinking kombucha while pregnant is not a good idea. In that case, there are lots of alternatives that offer less caffeine, as well as fewer risks associated with pregnancy.

The following are just a few options that you can replace your kombucha with.

1. Flavored or sparkling water

Flavored or sparkling water can come in just about any flavor and has little to no caffeine. It’s a tasty way to stay hydrated and poses nearly no threat to your health or your baby’s health.

2. Half caf or decaf coffee

If you just have to have some caffeine, trying half-caf and slowly transitioning to decaf coffee may be just the thing for you. There are also many different flavor profiles in these lowered caffeine options.

3. Iced tea

A nice glass of iced tea in moderation is refreshing and has some health benefits while keeping the caffeine down to safe levels. 

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Drinking kombucha while pregnant

The live and active cultures present in kombucha make a case for introducing harmful pathogens into your system when consumed. There is also caffeine and alcohol to think about.

Many doctors prefer that you find an alternative, although there is little research to back up any real risk with kombucha. It’s simply not worth the risk.

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