Can I Drink Hot Chocolate While Pregnant?

drink hot chocolate while pregnant

Can women who are expecting drink hot chocolate? You might ponder this if you’re pregnant and looking for something warm and comforting. Yes is the answer. Consuming hot chocolate when pregnant has several benefits. But some risks come with binge drinking.

We’ll discuss the benefits of hot chocolate, the recommended daily intake, and much more. Additionally, there is some useful information on this hot beverage that you might be interested in while pregnant. Let’s get into the specifics now!

Is drinking hot chocolate safe during pregnancy?

hot chocolate while pregnant

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) currently advises pregnant women to consume no more than 200 milligrams of caffeine content per day. Don’t worry, you can still occasionally eat a small amount of chocolate and keep it under this limit.

A typical 6-ounce cup of hot chocolate has about 5 mg of caffeine. On the other hand, an 8-ounce cup of black coffee has about 2 milligrams of caffeine. Therefore, drinking a cup or two of this hot beverage every day is pretty fine.

Ingredients of hot chocolate

High-quality chocolate, whether dark, milk or white, is used to make hot chocolate. It is combined with other ingredients to make a hot, liquid beverage. To hot milk, water, or cream, you can add finely chopped or shaved chocolate along with flavorings like vanilla or flavors. It isn’t sugar-sweetened.

The mixture can then be sweetened with cocoa or a natural sweetener. As a result, this drink is richer and more flavorful than hot cocoa. The most popular ingredients of hot cocoa are sugar, heated milk or water, and cocoa powder. Additionally, this drink is available in a variety of flavors and formulas to fit everyone’s tastes.

What makes pregnant women crave hot chocolate?

hot chocolate during pregnant

There are several explanations as to why we prefer specific foods while pregnant and why our appetites change throughout this stage. Here, we include a few of the most popular thoughts.

Hormone changes

Significant hormonal changes occur during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester. More terrible than PMS by a million times.

The hormones associated with pregnancy may change the types of desires you experience, much as when you are waiting for your period.

Hormones may change how you perceive food, your perception of mood, and scent, all of which have an impact on the foods you crave.

Sensory changes

Many pregnant mothers assert that they change like bloodhounds during their pregnancies, smelling things from a distance and becoming overpowered by odors. It might affect the foods we want to eat. They dislike dishes with strong flavors. Foods with pleasant, aromatic scents, on the other hand, might be more enticing.

Nutritional needs

Women who are pregnant need more iron and a dose of calcium than women who are not pregnant. You might thus acquire a liking for foods that include these ingredients. The only issue is that the body can interpret your need for calcium as a requirement for a huge tub of vanilla ice cream. But don’t forget to include more wholesome sources of the vitamin you need in your balanced diet as a supplement. Calcium-rich foods include nuts, shellfish, and deserving ice cream.

Survival of the fittest

Our desire to protect ourselves and our growing children from harm is the source of some of our appetites and aversions. For example, the majority of us find that things like alcohol and cup of coffee that would be detrimental or less healthy easily make their way into our categories of aversions.

A lot of individuals stop eating meat because they think it raises the risk of bacterial contamination. However, not all pregnant women have these opinions!

A desire for homeliness

Many of us just look for foods like sweets and carbohydrates that make us feel good. We also look for childhood foods that make us feel secure and loved like chocolate. When we don’t feel well throughout pregnancy, we could want what we eat.

Benefits of hot chocolate

hot chocolate in pregnancy

This hot beverage may help you feel less stressed. Not just because it tastes great and fulfills cravings, but also because it has some real benefits for pregnant women.

Reduces stress

Research has shown that eating dark chocolate lowers cortisol levels, which can cause problems during pregnancy and reproductive disorders. There’s no need to deprive yourself of chocolates because consuming chocolate releases endorphins, which might improve a mother’s mood and hence have an impact on her baby.

Medical benefits

Regularly consuming a small amount of chocolate could have advantageous medical effects. Consuming dark chocolate may reduce your risk of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension, or chronic high blood pressure, according to some hints from research.

Contains antioxidants

Because of its antioxidants, dark chocolate may benefit babies and expectant mothers, according to recent studies. Flavonoids, a naturally occurring chemical belonging to the polyphenol family that is abundant in antioxidants, are present in chocolate, especially dark chocolate. Berries, red wine, and green tea are additional foods that contain flavonoids.

Flavonoids may reduce your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other prevalent ailments, according to research. Additionally, flavonoids may cause vasodilation, which increases blood flow and lowers blood pressure. At least one study revealed daily use of a moderate amount of dark chocolate, starting in the first trimester, boosts blood flow to the baby.

FAQs

Q1: Can hot chocolate cause a risk of miscarriage?

According to a recent study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, taking large amounts of caffeine on a regular basis while pregnant increases the chance of miscarriage whether it comes from coffee, tea, caffeinated soda, or hot chocolate. Limiting intake is the key.

Q2: What occurs if you consume caffeine when pregnant?

Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it raises blood pressure and heart rate—two things you should avoid while pregnant. Additionally, caffeine makes mothers urinate more frequently. Your body’s fluid levels are decreased as a result, which may induce dehydration.

Q3: Compared to coffee, how much caffeine is in hot chocolate?

According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, a single cup of brewed coffee has 96 milligrams of caffeine, compared to 7.44 milligrams in a cup of hot chocolate.

Q4: Is hot chocolate craving during pregnancy?

It is believed that cravings for milk, notably hot chocolate milk, represent your body’s attempts to boost the storage of calcium and phosphorus. These two vitamins and minerals are essential during pregnancy because they assist the skeleton development of your baby.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, it is safe to consume hot chocolate when pregnant. This beverage is beneficial for your health as well as satisfying your cravings. For example, it is an excellent source of calcium, which is important for all expectant women.

So don’t worry about enjoying a cup of hot chocolate every once in a while; instead, prepare it yourself. Now you can monitor your intake of sugar content and calories, and homemade coffee has less caffeine than coffee from a cafe.

Reference:

https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/chocolate-when-pregnant#recommendations