You may know that I am a bit of a herbal tea fan, so when I discovered HotTea Mama recently I had to try it!
The guys at HotTea Mama kindly sent me these two packs, but before I tell you what I thought, I thought we’d look at the benefits of caffeine-free herbal ‘teas’ (officially they can’t be called tea, as tea implies that they have tea leaves in them which they don’t!)
How Much Caffeine Are You Having a Day?
You might be reading this thinking I don’t drink much caffeine, but unfortunately, it is not just in what we drink but also what we eat, such as chocolate – boo
If you go to Tommy’s website they have this awesome little calculator that tells you how much caffeine you have each day, just plug in what you usually drink/eat, and out spits the answer. As someone that doesn’t drink coffee or black tea I came out ok, but it does add up, with 25mg in a 50g bar of plain chocolate – eeek!
Have you thought about going caffeine free/reducing caffeine? Herbal tea might be the way to get into it….
Why Caffeine-Free Herbal Tea?
Caffeine can be great for that pick me up at the start of the day, for keeping you going when you are feeling tired, or when on a long drive, but there are also, as with everything in life, downsides to it 🙁
If you are feeling stressed or anxious – caffeine can enhance the feelings (not in a good way) by producing cortisol in your body and putting other hormones off balance.
Plus of course, if you’re trying to get pregnant – studies show that excessive caffeine consumption can affect fertility rates.
Research shows that having over 300mg of caffeine a day in preconception (ie before you have conceived) increases miscarriage by 31%.
Onto the HotTea Mama
I tried their Get Up and Glow, which contains grape, hibiscus flowers and rosehip petals. It was delicious, plus you can have it hot or cold, which means it makes a great alternative to water in the summer, plus you could make a jug of it and add some fruit and it is just like Pimms (kinda-sorta!) Because it is caffeine-free you can enjoy it when you are TTC, pregnant, or just because you like it!
Do you have a favourite fruity herbal tea that you’d recommend? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below….
