Archive for the ‘Pregnancy and breastfeeding’ Category

Rooibos tea for babies: A nature’s boon for your infant and child

Posted in Babies and Children, Green rooibos, Pregnancy and breastfeeding, Red rooibos, Rooibos tea health on 02/01/2009 07:58 pm by ElvinConnor

Have you heard that rooibos tea is great for your baby? The health benefits of a balanced Rooibos Tea Diet are countless. It will not only provide your baby with a vital source of essential minerals, but also relieve a host of allergic symptoms such as colic, insomnia, stomach cramps, abnormal stools, chronic diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and cradle-cap. During pregnancy or breastfeeding, Rooibos offers harmless, soothing refreshment to mother’s nerves, but it doesn’t end there.

Not only is Rooibos good for pregnant and breast-feeding mothers, Rooibos tea has many anti-allergic properties and has become a tried-and-tested cure for crying infants. If your little one is suffering from allergic symptoms like colic, insomnia or stomach cramps, this will surely come as great news. Rooibos also offers precious relief from nappy rash. Due to natural soothing and calming powers of Rooibos,  your baby will benefit from better digestion and untroubled sleep.

Rooibos gift set

The fact that Rooibos is very low in tannin is very important. Because of this, it doesn’t deplete your baby’s iron reserves during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and ensures unaffected absorption of protein. But there’s more: its calcium traces help strengthen the youngsters teeth and bones, while its zinc and magnesium contents promote a healthy skin and a well-developed nervous system. So for many reasons Rooibos Tea is a real boon for your baby.

 

Rooibos tea and pregnancy

Posted in Pregnancy and breastfeeding, Rooibos tea health on 12/15/2008 12:55 pm by admin

The question frequently arises among pregnant woman. Is it ok to drink rooibos tea during pregnancy? Well first of all rooibos is technically not a tea, thus not derived from the tea plant camellia sinensis. Rooibos is in fact a legume from the aspalathus family.

As a consequence of this rooibos is naturally caffeine free and very low in tannins which brings many health related benefits to everybody drinking it. Especially pregnant women should keep an eye on their health and the health of their baby.

The strong and aromatic taste makes it a natural substitute for coffee especially in the time of pregnancy when caffeine intake should be limited or avoided completely.

The tannins present in large amounts in teas can cause a lower iron absorption in the blood stream. As anemia is quite frequent in pregnancy or breastfeeding the low tannins in rooibos can be quite beneficial to this cause. Some studies have shown that adding vitamin C to Rooibos tea can greatly increase the body’s capacity to absorb iron and antioxidants.

Aside from that Rooibos tea can have a major role in the life of a pregnant woman, easing many symptoms that come with particular state.

Rooibos can be beneficial in states of constipation, nausea or stomach cramps. Further it can improve liver function and help in states of anxiety and depression.

A word of caution however. In many cases Rooibos is mixed with other herbs and those herbs might cause some undesired effects during pregnancy.

 

Rooibos tea and breastfeeding

Posted in Pregnancy and breastfeeding, Rooibos tea health on 12/12/2008 12:26 pm by admin

Breastfeeding an infant
In a previous post we covered the implications of drinking Rooibos tea in pregnancy. As a good alternative for mothers who try to keep away from caffeine while pregnant Rooibos tea is also an excellent drink for the breastfeeding mother.

Lets take a look at all the benefits that a young mother with her newborn can get from Rooibos tea.

Being a young mother can be a stressful so staying calm and sleep well it’s a must. It is important not to start drinking coffee in this stage as it can lead to irritability and insomnia. As in pregnancy Rooibos tea can help in this situation. Naturally sweet and soothing its aroma will help a young mother stay calm and sleep well.

It is well known that everything the mother ingests gets to the newborn trough the milk. Another benefit of Rooibos tea, being free of preservatives and additives helps providing the mother and child with a natural and healthy supply of minerals and vitamins without the damaging effects of additives.

Rooibos tea can help preventing anemia, a common simptom among breastfeeding mothers. The tannine levels in Rooibos tea are just around 3% well below the levels found in other teas. Rooibos tea is a good source of iron itself and with the low tannine levels the iron can be absorbed in the blood completely.

Finally Rooibos tea can help alleviate some of the simptoms in newborn babies. Such as stomac cramps, colics, alergies. It is even used against diaper rush.