Don Mei: Hey teaheads.
This is Don from Mei Leaf.
In this video : Is tea safe for pregnant women and children?
In this video I'm going to go through the latest thinking on this subject so that you
can make a more informed decision.
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We are frequently asked in our shop in London, and also online, if drinking tea is safe for
pregnant women, and at what age you can safely introduce tea into your children’s' diet.
Before I go any further I want to make clear that this is a personal decision for you and
your family.
We all know that tea is ultra-healthy for you.
Hundreds - if not thousands - of clinical studies have been done that shows that tea
has anti-cancer properties, is good for your digestive and cardiovascular systems, good
for weight control and cognitive abilities, as well as a whole host of other health benefits.
So in terms of a habit, tea is one of the most healthy indulgences that you can incorporate
into your lifestyle.
But what about if you're pregnant?
If you're pregnant then there are two factors to consider regarding tea.
The first is caffeine intake.
Caffeine intake has been shown that if you take a lot of caffeine in while you are pregnant
then it can have an effect on foetal development, and also on length of pregnancy.
So doctors like to set an upper limit.
Currently, the doctor recommendations for the safe daily upper limit is 200 milligrams.
So 200 milligrams per day is your safe, daily upper limit of caffeine.
However, some clinical studies have shown that at slightly less than that - around 150
milligrams - there may also have some small effect on the length of pregnancy.
Therefore, some people like to set a lower safe upper limit of around 100 to 150 milligrams
of caffeine.
How does that relate to tea?
Well, around 5 grams of leaf - when extracted Western style - contains around between 10
and 60 milligrams of caffeine.
So if I took any tea - even the most stimulating tea - and I brewed it for about two to three
minutes - 5 grams of the leaf - it will produce a tea that contains between 10 and 60 milligrams
of caffeine.
So even if you're pregnant you can still drink any tea, as long as you don't drink more than
about two cups of the tea.
If you're brewing Gong Fu style then maybe you don't go over about four or five infusions.
However, if you want to drink a little bit more tea than that then you want to be trying
to choose teas that are at the lower level - around 10 to 20 milligrams of caffeine per
5 grams of leaf.
There are no hard and fast rules here.
You can't say that all green tea has higher caffeine than black tea, etcetera.
What you can say is, if you look at the anatomy of the plant, caffeine tends to be in higher
concentrations in the buds and in the young leaves.
So if you're drinking tea that contains higher proportions of the third and fourth leaves
then you are more likely to have a lower caffeine drink.
Also, it has been shown that if you roast a tea it reduces the caffeine content.
So everything points to Oolong teas - especially roasted Oolong teas - as having the lowest
levels of caffeine compared to other teas.
This is certainly true from the tests that we've done.
We've sent our tea off to labs for caffeine testing.
Also, all the literature that I've read it certainly is true that the Oolong tea - especially
the roasted Oolong teas - tend to sit at the bottom, in terms of concentration of caffeine.
One thing that you shouldn't be doing is drinking Matcha, because you're drinking the leaf - you're
actually consuming the leaf – you’re getting all of the caffeine from the leaf.
Matcha is made from the very young green tea leaves, and so it has a higher level of caffeine.
A shot of Matcha tends to have around about 80 to 100 milligrams of caffeine.
So yeah, you might be able to have one shot a day, but we would advise not drinking any
Matcha if you're pregnant.
The second thing to think about, regarding tea and pregnancy, is the heavy metal content.
Now I don't want to freak people out, but heavy metal exists in soil, and so any fruits
and vegetables: your spinach, your broccoli, peaches, apples, may contain trace amounts
of heavy metals.
Tea is no different to that.
Of course, if you are growing these fruits and vegetables in areas which are closer to
industrialized areas then the chances are that the heavy metal content may be slightly
higher.
When you are pregnant doctors are very, very cautious about controlling any kind of heavy
metal consumption, which is why you're often told not to eat sushi, or not to eat seafood,
because they tend to have much higher levels of heavy metals.
If you are brewing tea it's not a problem, because when you brew tea the water extraction
method extracts miniscule percentage of the heavy metals.
We're talking extremely, extremely low levels, you do not have to worry.
However, when we go back to Matcha, because you're eating the leaf, consuming, you are
therefore taking everything in.
We would again advise - regarding caffeine and also heavy metal content - not to consume
Matcha when you are pregnant.
This is because the level that they set for heavy metal consumption is super, super low
when you look at pregnant women.
The "California Prop 65" - which is one of the most stringent dietary guidelines - says
that you shouldn't have more than 0.5 micrograms of lead in your diet per day.
Now, that's almost impossible to achieve, even if you eat a healthy diet with salads
and vegetables.
So the levels are extremely low, and this is a thousandth of the levels of lead that
has been shown not to have an effect on foetal development.
It's a thousand times safer, so you really don't have to worry, but we would advise not
to consume Matcha, mostly for the caffeine content.
So as a summary, if you're pregnant you can drink tea.
You can drink a couple of cups of any tea you would like.
If you would like to drink a bit more than that then stick to your roasted Oolongs.
Of course, if you don't want to drink tea at all then move to herbals.
Rooibos is a perfect example of a perfect example of a herbal tea that has no caffeine,
and is also a delicious a very delicious drink.
We've talked about pregnancy and tea, but what about children and tea?
Whenever I go to China I always ask farmers, "Do you serve tea to your children?"
They tend to say to me that they do once the child reaches the age of about four years
old, and in small, small quantities.
But this seems quite alien to the western point of view.
So I've done a lot of reading on this, and from what I've read there are two factors
to consider regarding tea and children.
The first is iron absorption.
If you drink tea with food it can have an effect on the amount of iron that you absorb.
This is, of course, fundamentally important for the growth and development of your child.
So if you're planning to serve tea to your children I would advise not serving with mealtimes,
and making it a separate event.
The second factor to consider is, again, caffeine content.
Now, caffeine is a stimulant, and in excessive amounts it can have an effect on the child's
sleep patterns, or their mood.
But what is an "excessive amount".
I've read a lot about this, and the consensus seems to be that you do not give any caffeine
to a child under the age of four years old.
Once a child reaches the age of four years old then you use a simple formula, which is
about 2 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight.
What does that mean?
That means if your child weighs about 20 kilograms then you can safely give them up to 40 milligrams
pf caffeine per day.
Other research just sets a limit at 45 milligrams, but it's all about the same figure.
Forty to forty-five milligrams is the safe limit, and obviously as the child grows older
and becomes a teenager and an adult, those limits start to rise.
So again, if you look at tea you're looking at about one cup of tea is between 10 to 50,
60 milligrams of caffeine.
So you can have one cup of any tea, but really Oolongs - roasted Oolongs - would be much,
much safer.
Also, if you're brewing Gong Fu style, maybe four or five of these small cups of tea.
Now remember, if you start to introduce tea to your child at a young age, they're starting
to get all of those health benefits.
Sugary juices, sugary soft drink, sugary energy drinks are not the healthiest things, so supplementing
with some of the good stuff is a great thing to do.
But, do kids actually like tea?
Do they enjoy the taste of tea?
Well, we're going to find out.
We're going to come back in a second, and I'm going to introduce you to a couple of
very special guests.
I have a couple of very special guests, I would like them to introduce themselves.
So, what is your name?
Ines : Ines.
Don : Say hello to YouTube, Ines.
Ines : Hello, YouTube.
Don : What is your name?
Estella : Estella.
Don : Say hello to YouTube, Estella.
Estella : Hello YouTube.
Don : These are my lovely nieces.
They're visiting.
We had a sleep-over last night, didn't we?
Estella : Yeah.
Don : And now "Uncle Don" is holding a chopstick microphone, isn't he?
Ines : Yes.
Don : Is it a bit silly?
Ines : Yes.
Don : Okay.
We're going to drink some tea today.
First of all, how old are you?
Estella : Four.
Don : And you?
Ines : Five.
Don : Okay.
So, do you like tea?
Ines : Yes.
Estella : Yes.
Don : Have you drunk tea before?
Ines : Yes!
Don : What's your favourite tea?
Estella : Uh, "duck shit".
Don : "Duck shit"?
You like "duck shit"?
Estella : Yes.
Don : Do you like "duck shit" because it tastes nice, or just because it's got a funny name?
Estella : Funny name.
Don : Oh, okay.
We don't have any "duck shit" for you to try today, but we've got another Oolong tea and
this tea is called "Royal Peach Orchid", or Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong.
The reason why I have picked Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong is because it's larger leaves, and
it's roasted, so that means it the least amount of caffeine for these young bodies.
So, would you like to smell the Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong?
Estella : Yes.
It smells like duck shit.
Don : It smells like duck shit.
What do you think it smells like?
Ines : Um, Rosemary.
Don : Rosemary?
Interesting!
Smell again
Ines : It also smells like seaweed.
Don : It also smells like...?
Ines : Seaweed!
Estella : Also, it smells like - give it to me too -- It smells like seaweed.
Don : Okay.
Now we're going to taste it.
That means that you have to hold the chopstick microphone Don't touch this part, okay?
Ines : I have it, because it’s electric.
Don : Yeah.
"Uncle Don" is going to put some of this Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong in here.
We're going to use about 5 grams . We've got really hot water over here.
You're going to click into that microphone.
Estella : Can I smell that again?
Don : Yup.
What do you think of it?
Estella : It smells like tea.
Don : It smells like tea.
That's good.
Okay.
Now we're going to use really hot water, so be careful girls.
Move your hands out of the way.
Okay.
We're going to give it a quick wash first.
We're going to wash the tea.
Do you know why we wash the tea?
Ines and Estella : Why?
Don : Do you want to guess?
Ines : Because it might be dirty.
Don : Because it might be a little bit dirty.
Ines : Because tea is from... the dirt.
It grows from the dirt.
Don : It comes from the soil, yes.
So it might be a little bit dirty.
Okay, but now you can smell the lid.
So just take the lid off, and put it to your nose.
Estella : Mmm.
Don : Do you like the smell?
Estella : Yeah.
Don : What does it smell like?
Estella : Uh, miso.
Don : Miso?
Ah, interesting.
Okay.
You smell the lid.
Ines : Spinach.
Don : Spinach?
Spinach and miso.
Can you smell anything else?
Can you smell anything fruity?
Ines : Um, it is like.. it smells like apples.
Don : Oh, apples.
Maybe sit down a bit, otherwise you're going to be cut off from the camera.
Estella : Could I have it.
It smells like peach.
Don : Like peach!
Wow.
Well done.
Hmm.
A little taster here.
Here, you can take a little look.
I don't know if we can get a focus on that.
Okay.
So now we're going to taste this.
Now, this is very special tea.
Only adults really drink tea?
Do children drink tea?
Ines: Only China children.
Don: Only China children.
Why only China children?
Ines: Because China children drink tea.
Don: Okay.
Ines: They drink tea a lot.
Don: Do you like to drink tea with "Uncle Don"?
Estella : Yes.
I can't touch anything.
Don : You can't touch anything, no.
Okay.
Sit back now.
Sit down, otherwise you're going to get cut off.
You need to stay here otherwise your head is going to get cut off, and you're going
to be like...
Ines : Chopped off head!
Don : Chopped off head, exactly.
Okay, so here's your cup.
You need to move close to me as well.
Come close.
Come closer to me.
Okay.
Here we go.
Now, girls.
You're going to taste this tea.
It's a very special tea.
You can only have about two to three of these small cups.
Do you know why?
Estella : Why?
Don : Because if you have too much then you have too much caffeine, and caffeine makes
you too awake.
Then you don't go to sleep, and your mommy gets very angry with "Uncle Don", because
you don't sleep.
So you only get two cups, so enjoy them.
I'm going to pour a little bit in here, just a little bit so that it's very easy to cool
down.
Now I want you to really concentrate.
Close your eyes, concentrate, taste the tea.
Blow it if it's too hot.
Ines : It tastes like peaches.
Don : Tastes like what?
Ines : Peaches?
Don : Peaches?!
Estella : It tastes like honey.
Don : Honey?!
Wow!
You girls are amazing!
It tastes like peaches and honey?
But it tasted of spinach before?
But now it's changed?
Ines : Yes.
Don : Oh, what do you think?
Estella : Um, it tastes like seaweed.
Don : Seaweed?
Estella : Yeah.
And miso soup.
Don : And miso soup?
And peaches and honey.
Now finish your cup, and then we're going to smell the empty cup.
So inside on of these pitchers is probably about 20 milligrams of caffeine, so shared
between the three of us we're getting about 7 milligrams with one pitcher.
That's well, well, well, within the 45 milligram limit for children this age.
We're perfectly safe to be drinking this tea.
Okay.
Smell the empty cup.
What does it smell like?
Ines : It smells like blueberries.
Don : Like blueberries?
Estella : It smells like strawberries.
Don : Like strawberries?
So you're getting a lot of fruit.
It's very fruity?
Ines : Yes.
Don : So do you like tea?
Ines and Estella : Yes!
Don : How much tea do you think you can drink?
Estella : This much
Ines : No, no!
Five cups of tea.
Don : Five cups?
Five little cups, like that?
Ines : Yeah.
Don : Okay.
That's about right.
Estella : Um... six cups.
Don : Six cups.
Okay.
Do you think tea is just for adults?
Or do you think children can drink tea?
Estella : Children.
Ines : Children and also adults.
Don : Okay.
Estella : Children could drink tea, and adults.
Don : Okay.
But only a little bit for children, right?
Estella : Yes.
Ines : Because everyone can drink tea.
Don : Hmm.
Okay.
Now we're going to say goodbye to YouTube.
Look into the camera and say, "Goodbye YouTube!"
Ines and Estella : Goodbye YouTube!
Don : That's it teaheads.
If you made it to the end of this video then please give the thumbs-up.
Check out our YouTube playlists and let us know if there are any videos that you would
like us to make.
If you're ever in London then come visit us in Camden to say "Hi!" and taste our wares.
If you have any questions or comments then please fire them over.
Other than that, I'm Don Mei from Mei Leaf.
Thank you for being a part of the revelation of true tea.
Stay away from the tea bags, keep drinking the good stuff, and spread the word, because
nobody deserves bad tea.
Say "Bye Bye"
Ines and Estella : Bye Bye!
Don : Bye Bye