Re: Kombucha and Breastfeeding

[Guest guest]

> I did a little research and am coming up empty. Does anyone know if

> kombucha is safe while breastfeeding? TIA.

I don't see why not but you can go the group below and ask. There are

dozens of experienced kombucha brewers there.

kombucha tea/

~Joe

[Guest guest]

I would contact a La Leche League leader.

On 12/30/06, inishglora <inishglora@...> wrote:

>

>

> > I did a little research and am coming up empty. Does anyone know if

> > kombucha is safe while breastfeeding? TIA.

>

> I don't see why not but you can go the group below and ask. There are

> dozens of experienced kombucha brewers there.

>

> kombucha tea/

>

> ~Joe

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I would think the only major issue would be how much caffeine is left

in the tea after the vinegar process is complete. Otherwise, I can't

imagine why it could be a problem. I would be interested in knowing

what you discover at the kombucha list below. Thanks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> > I did a little research and am coming up empty. Does anyone know

if

> > kombucha is safe while breastfeeding? TIA.

>

> I don't see why not but you can go the group below and ask. There

are

> dozens of experienced kombucha brewers there.

>

> kombucha tea/

>

> ~Joe

>

[Guest guest]

Virginia ,

I don't see why not I drink it and there have been no problems.. I would

have to agree on the maybe tea thing if there is too much caffeine in it.

andrea

Virginia <curi0us_ge0rges@...> wrote:

I did a little research and am coming up empty. Does anyone know if

kombucha is safe while breastfeeding? TIA.

~Virginia

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

> I would contact a La Leche League leader.

I can say with some certainty that the vast majority of LLL Leaders wouldn't

know what kombucha was, and the materials that they use wouldn't have a lot

of (if any) information, either.

Things to consider:

1) As Dani mentioned, caffeine is an issue. From what I've read, the

process doesn't include decaffination. So, assume that the amount of

caffeine in the original tea is what you'll get from the KT. You can

minimize it by using green tea, or a mix of green tea with rooibos, or maybe

try decaf tea, or you may be comfortable with it.

2) One of the things kombucha is supposed to do is help detox the body.

Most folks recommend against doing any detoxing while pregnant or nursing,

so that you don't pass your toxins to your baby. An option might be to not

drink any kombucha until the child has seriously started solids, so that the

amount of toxins passed is minimized.

I bought my first kombucha mushroom when my breastfed daughter was 1yo. We

don't have a family history of allergies, and she was eating solids solidly

, so I chose to drink the kombucha in small amounts, and we even gave some

to her. She loved it. Still does, in fact, at 3-1/2yrs.

Good luck!

Anabel

[Guest guest]

There have actually been a few threads on this at the " Traditional Foods "

forum on Mothering's discussion boards. You might want to try:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=558773

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=531271

[Guest guest]

Regarding the caffeine in Kombucha, a La Leche League leader would tell you

that it takes about 5 cups of coffee (5 oz each) before a breastfeeding baby

would be affected. Since the amount of caffeine in kombucha is

significantly less than this, it should not be a problem. Caffeine does

accumulate in a baby (the half-life for caffeine in an adult is about 5

hours but it is about 96 hours in a newborn, and 14 hours in a 3-5 month old

baby.) so be aware of all of sources of caffeine in the diet as well. A

baby demonstrating symptoms of caffeine stimulation will be wide-eyed,

active and alert and will not sleep for long. They may be unusually fussy.

Some children do seem very sensitive to caffeine, in which case the kombucha

can be made with decaffinated tea. It is easy to decaffinate tea yourself,

just brew the tea for 30 seconds, then pour off the water and add more hot

water to the tea bags or leaves. Most of the caffeine is released in that

first 30 seconds of brewing.

Regarding the detoxing effects: breastmilk is made directly from the

mother's blood, so whatever is in the mother's blood goes into the breast

milk. Any toxins in the mother's system are already being transferred to

the breastfeeding child. I would agree that it would probably be best to

wait until solid food forms a significant portion of the child's diet. I

would avoid any serious detox efforts while breastfeeding, however, adding

one serving of kombucha a day would not likely have deliterious effects and

would offer the mom many benefits. Watch baby closely for any signs of

reaction for the first few days after introducing kombucha to the mom's

diet. If kombucha is a problem, the mom could try water kefir drinks as

bubbly, probiotic alternative to kombucha. There are recipes for water

kefir drinks in " Eat Fat, Lose Fat " and in Prentice's " Full Moon

Feast " , and I think maybe in Sandor Katz's " Wild Fermentation " .

Hope that helps,

" Affordable healthcare begins with breastfeeding. "

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