Apart from the fact that adequate fluid facilitates blood pressure and reduces fatigue, taking liquid takes care of many other problems that arise from dehydration.
Boba Tea is a type of liquid that is sweet and good for consumption, and if you’ve had a taste of it, you can attest to how addictive it gets.
However, you may wonder, Can I drink Boba Tea While Pregnant? Because it is made of many natural ingredients, drinking boba tea while pregnant is not safe.
This article highlights the importance of boba tea and why it should not be taken when Pregnant.
Table of Contents
- What is Boba Tea?
- Components of Boba Tea
- Can I Drink Boba Tea While Pregnant?
- Alternative to Boba Tea While Pregnant
- Boba Tea While Pregnant – FAQs
- Conclusion
What is Boba Tea?
Boba Tea also referred to as Bubble tea or tapioca tea is a tea made based on a Taiwanese recipe. It comprises mainly natural ingredients such as Boba or tapioca balls, tea, milk, fruit, and juice blended.
Considering its components, it is healthy for consumption and offers various nutrients essential to the body.
The fruits, milk, and tea are all blended to give a creamy drink, topped with tasty, chewy boba pearls or tapioca balls, and you can substitute it with other ingredients.
Components of Boba Tea
Each component of a Boba Tea offers a unique flavor to the tea, giving it a rich and tasty flavor altogether. And they’re all present in various compositions.
Tea
Originally, Taiwanese black tea was a major ingredient in making Boba Tea. Still, as time went on, they substituted it with other types of tea, and recently, some boba tea does not even contain any tea.
Having a Boba Tea without any tea doesn’t give the complete recipe offered by the originators of the tea; however, the tea is not the only main ingredient that makes up this drink, making it easy to improvise.
Boba Pearls
The tapioca balls or boba pearls are usually visible at the bottom of the drink and can only be enjoyed once the cup is emptied. They are usually dark in color, sweetened, and very chewy.
Chewing the pearls after emptying the glass is one of the interesting things about this recipe, and for many who enjoy the drink, biting into these balls is as thrilling as gulping down the drink.
Sweeteners
The specific thing to notice about boba tea is how sweet it is compared to other beverages.
Apart from the sweetness of the pearls, other sweeteners like natural honey, flavored syrups, and sugar are common sweeteners used in them.
The sweetness from sweetness combined with the boba pearls balances out the bitter taste of the tea.
Creamers
Not all Boba Tea contains creamers, as you can see that some of the teas do not appear as creamy as others. Using a creamer in your boba tea is optional, but it is also a great way to enjoy a creamy sweet beverage.
Some commonly used creamers include soy milk, milk, powdered non-dairy creamer, etc.
Flavors
Fruit extracts, flavored syrups, or fruit purees are some additives that give flavor to the tea. They’re organic and easily accessible.
Can I Drink Boba Tea While Pregnant?
Tapioca balls are healthy for consumption at all times but not when combined with all the flavored syrups, sweeteners, and creamers contained in Boba Tea.
The high sugar content makes it unsuitable for regular consumption, especially during pregnancy.
Drinking Boba Tea while pregnant is not healthy for you or your baby. The drink contains high amounts of sugar and milk, which can lead to weight gain and gestational diabetes, which are unhealthy for you and your baby.
You should always control sugar and calorie intake for the unborn child’s sake. According to an American Journal of Preventive Medicine report, too much sugar can harm your baby’s development.
According to the study, too much sugar consumption during pregnancy can negatively affect a baby’s cognitive and educational development.
Read: Thai iced tea during pregnancy – Is It Safe?
Pros and Cons of Drinking Boba Tea
As tasty as Boba Tea is, with the number of natural ingredients used in this tasty beverage, one would expect it to be 100 percent healthy. But this is not the case with Boba Tea.
A Boba Tea is only enjoyable for its taste and is highly calorie-dense. Also, since boba tea contains antioxidants, enhancing the immune system, many pregnant women report that it helps them cope with morning sickness and tiredness.
Although boba tea does not have a lot of nutrients, like all beverages, it has numerous health benefits since it contains milk and tea in its base, which are full of vitamins like Vitamin A.
Milk is a good source of vitamins and essential minerals. It also contains potassium, calcium, B12, and vitamin D. Magnesium, zinc, and thiamine (B1).
A pregnant woman’s body needs extra energy, and pearls are a great source of it. Pearls are rich in carbohydrates, which give her more energy.
However, women suffering from acid influx, bloating, or acidity during pregnancy should reduce their beverage intake since it aggravates these issues.
Also, the high sugar content in Boba tea is not ideal for people with diabetes.
Ideally, a 16 oz of Boba Tea contains about 300 calories which is a lot to consume at once. Along with the extra flavored syrups, an additional 100 or more calories are consumed.
Read: Drinking blackjack tea during pregnancy.
How to Prepare Boba Tea Recipe for Pregnant Women
When making boba tea for a pregnant woman, you should keep three things in mind.
First, you want to satisfy the pregnant woman’s cravings with tasty boba tea.
Secondly, you want to prepare a healthy drink with zero threats to pregnant women.
Thirdly, you want to prepare a healthy drink with zero threats to the unborn baby.
Considering these three things, here is a good recipe for preparing a healthy boba tea.
- Depending on your choice, you can prepare black tea or green tea. We recommend green tea!
- Get a glass or cup of about 350ml and pour the tea into it.
- Pour 200ml of milk into the glass or clear cup.
- Add a tablespoon of honey into the glass cup, and stir. You can also add juice in place of honey if you like.
- Then add the tapioca pearls, and mix cocktail style.
- Finally, add some ice if you like your tea cold, or make it hot if that is what you like.
Read: Can I drink Tropicana Juice during pregnancy? Explained
Alternative to Boba Tea While Pregnant
Liquid intake is essential during pregnancy. It boosts the immune system and help regulates blood pressure. Apart from water, there are several other drinks to take that will serve, and you can use these drinks alternatively to Boba Tea.
Water
Drinking water regularly during pregnancy cannot be overemphasized. Dehydration during pregnancy can lead to a lot of complications that can be fatal. Drinking enough water helps to take care of this and other associated problems.
Some common problems that arise from dehydration include
- Migraine
- Acne
- Indigestion
Smoothies
Smoothies are natural and healthy for consumption. They’re one of the drinks that you can consume without consequences.
Consuming homemade smoothies assures you of the quality and state of fruits blended in the smoothie, and you can decide what flavors to include or not.
Fruit Juices
An all-time favorite drink for many pregnant women. Fruit Juices make up for women who do not have the appetite for solid foods but get the required vitamins in adequate amounts.
Seltzers
Seltzers are carbonated drinks like regular soda with less amount of sugar as compared to soda. While soda isn’t recommended to pregnant women due to the additives and excess sugar, seltzers do not contain much sugar and, therefore, can be consumed reasonably.
Infusions
They’re flavored water that is also safe for consumption during pregnancy. They’re usually like-colored tea but are more refreshing than regular tea. And come in handy on a sunny day.
Read: Can I drink taro milk tea while pregnant – Explained
Boba Tea While Pregnant – FAQs
Is Boba Safe While Breastfeeding?
Health experts say drinking too much tea or coffee while breastfeeding is unsafe because caffeine can pass through breast milk to a baby, affecting the infant’s sleep.
In addition, consuming boba while breastfeeding should be avoided.
How Much Caffeine Content is in Boba?
As you may know, boba tea comprises a tea base. Black or green tea is usually caffeine-rich, so the drink contains quite a bit. A regular cup of boba has about 100mg-160mg of caffeine.
Studies have shown that caffeine is not good for babies since it affects their sleeping patterns.
You should take this seriously because this is when an infant’s growth and formation of the central nervous system and organs occur.
How much caffeine can a pregnant woman consume?
Pregnant women should limit their caffeine consumption to less than 200 mg per day, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
Is there caffeine in mango boba?
The quick answer is yes. Caffeine is present in bubble tea. Tea (tea bag or loose-leaf), dairy or creamer, a sweetener, and tapioca pearls are common ingredients in bubble tea drinks.
Is there caffeine in Brown Sugar Boba?
This drink contains no caffeine because it is made entirely of fresh milk, rich brown sugar boiled to a caramelized finish, and no tea. It’s also lovely, with the brown sugar syrup trickling in to create trippy patterns in the milk.
Read: Drinking Wintermelon Milk Tea While Pregnant – Is It Safe?
Conclusion
If you’re a fan of sweet beverages like Boba Tea and you’re wondering whether I can drink Boba Tea while Pregnant. You may have to note down a few things about the contents of the Boba Tea and how it affects you or your baby.
To be precise, Boba Tea is a beverage with high sugar content, and sugary drinks aren’t the healthiest, especially not when you have a growing baby.