Chai
Processed
Chai is black tea simmered with milk, sugar and warming spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. It is comforting in pregnancy and brings a little calcium, but it carries caffeine from the tea, so it counts towards your daily limit.
Why it's good in pregnancy
The milk in chai contributes calcium and protein, ginger can take the edge off nausea, and a warm, spiced cup is a soothing ritual. Made with pasteurised milk and kept to a cup or two, it fits comfortably into a pregnancy diet.
Key nutrients
Serving ideas
Safety
Chai is made with black tea, so a cup carries roughly 40–70 mg of caffeine — count it towards the 200 mg daily limit along with coffee, cola and chocolate. Coffee-shop chai lattes are often very sweet, so check the sugar if you are watching blood glucose. Use pasteurised milk, and keep strongly spiced herbal additions like liquorice root in moderation.
Counts towards the 200 mg daily caffeine limit (about 40–70 mg per cup).Make it with pasteurised milk.Coffee-shop chai lattes can be very high in sugar.Brew chai with pasteurised milk and let the spices do the flavouring so you can use less sugar. If you want more than a cup or two a day, switch to a decaffeinated black tea or a caffeine-free spiced rooibos base. Avoid adding liquorice root in quantity, and treat café chai lattes as a dessert because of their sugar.