BikeBookBread Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Okay, opening another can of worms with this one. In our home, we mainly drink water, coffee and tea (black, green and herbal tisanes) with a tiny bit of pop :glare: and bit of juice thrown in, but rare. Does the caffeine in coffee or tea "act" differently when it is not accompanied with sugar or artificial chemicals, sweeteners, colors, etc.? Both of my girls really like black tea (both iced and hot) with a bit of honey and lemon. They don't have it often (maybe once a month). Anyone have any insight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I don't know about caffeine in relation to artificial sugars and other chemicals. But we drank iced tea daily growing up. My mom made it with black tea. Haven't noticed any bad side effects. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I never can decide, so I usually make half caff (one teabag of each, twice as much water). My midwife once told me that the chemicals used to decaffeinate coffee and tea are worse than the caffeine. I'm not sure that is really true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 My midwife once told me that the chemicals used to decaffeinate coffee and tea are worse than the caffeine. I'm not sure that is really true. I've heard that too. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 My midwife once told me that the chemicals used to decaffeinate coffee and tea are worse than the caffeine. I'm not sure that is really true. I think the swiss water decaffination method is clean enough for coffee, don't know about tea. My thought is that since the caffeine is so much less in tea that the benefits of the tea itself far outweigh the caffeine content. Just recently we started giving the kids green tea, and I can honestly say I haven't witnessed any side effects. And they like it (with raw honey and lemon) :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Sugar or sweeteners are not going to change the caffeine content of tea. Tea has less caffeine than say coffee. But the variety of tea makes a big difference "Morning Thunder" has more caffeine than "Chamomile". I've read that more of the caffeine comes out in the first steeping of the tea. So if you make a small cup and dump it out and then make another and maybe make it weaker and you'll have some but not much caffeine. I think the only thing about kids and caffeine is that they can get as addicted to it as adults can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I don't know about the effect of sugar; but you can decaffeinate your own tea (most of it anyway) like this. Pour the BOILING water over tea; let steep 30 seconds; dump, and pour new boiling water over the tea; let steep to desired strength. :) I am told that this removes something like 90% of the caffeine in the tea. We don't add sugar to most teas, so I can't help there. Once a month is nothing to worry about, in my book. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I let my kids drink coffee when they want to and like it, and I let them drink teas whenever they want. The bioflavinoids in the teas are so good for you, esp a mix of green/black. Coffee is actually very good for you too, just not too much. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate in Arabia Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 It's 7 am here and ds 11 just made himself a cup of chai and is having that and a Cinnabon, lol. He has chai several mornings a week, I'd say; I don't know if he likes the chai so much as he likes making it. My only rule is no chai for kids at night, but really he never drinks more than a cup a day anyway. I must say dh and I find it handy that ds can make chai for his father, who often has a cup at night after dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1GirlTwinBoys Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I let my little ones drink a cup of iced green tea a few times each week. They will have it with lunch or dinner. Whole Foods has a green, cranberry & pomegranite that I really like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Seems like a cultural thing to me. Many of my in laws give tea to kids under 2. Gotta start them early! Mine, however, do not drink anything caffeinated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 I think soda does worse things to kids due to the high fructose corn syrup, which real tea and coffee wouldn't have. My kids all enjoy some tea or coffee in the morning. Both get diluted with milk and a sprinkle of sugar. I tried researching the risks of caffeine and kids once. My oldest had asked if he could have coffee every morning like I do, and I realized I couldn't think of one good reason why he couldn't. I remember just getting frustrated at all the soda info that kept coming up in my searches. ~shrug~ Like the OP, we drink lots of water, and very little soda or juice. One cup in the morning is totally fine (and seems weak compared to proper English sorts we know). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cindie2dds Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Okay, opening another can of worms with this one. In our home, we mainly drink water, coffee and tea (black, green and herbal tisanes) with a tiny bit of pop :glare: and bit of juice thrown in, but rare. Does the caffeine in coffee or tea "act" differently when it is not accompanied with sugar or artificial chemicals, sweeteners, colors, etc.? Both of my girls really like black tea (both iced and hot) with a bit of honey and lemon. They don't have it often (maybe once a month). Anyone have any insight? No, I don't have any insight. We drink tea, coffee and water. The girls drink some milk and juice but mostly water. My girls actually love iced tea, just plain, Luzianne unsweetened. They have some sips of ours here and there. It probably adds up to about half a cup a day. It doesn't really concern me since they don't drink soda. :) Now you got me thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauracolumbus Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 My ds loves coffee. Actually, he loves the sugar/flavored creamer that goes w/it. I let him have some decaf occasionally. I also let dd have some tea occasionally. My biggest concern is the staining of their teeth by starting so young. They rarely get pop. Usually only at someone else's house. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bassoon Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 I don't know about kids, but here's my anecdotal evidence: I am an avid sweet tea drinker (caffeinated) with stevia. I am also fighting against an addiction to Diet Coke/Pepsi. On days when I just have my sweet tea, I definitely feel . . . different. If I have a diet coke, within 30 minutes I feel just nasty. Brain fog, irritated, plain old weird. But the sweet tea I drink mostly all day doesn't do that to me at. all. Can anyone explain that? What is it in the diet pop that is making me so funky? Oh and fwiw - I've been drinking wa-a-a-a-ay too much diet coke for about 5-6 years. :glare: Ooh, that sounds bad when I type it, but it's true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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