When I do nutrition sessions for fertility and pregnancy, my least favorite part is telling a person it’s time to give up coffee.  There’s a ton of research for why to give up both caffeine and coffee from its volatile oil content to a recent study by Kaiser Permanente that determined ingesting the equivalent of two cups of coffee boosts your chance of miscarriage.  Dr. De-Kun Li, the study’s lead author, confirms that: “caffeine is dangerous during pregnancy because it can cross through the placenta to the fetus and it can be difficult for the fetus to metabolize the caffeine. Caffeine may influence cell development and decrease blood flow to the placenta.” That said, people really don’t like to give up their coffee– especially in Seattle.  So without becoming a nutritional terrorist, here’s the place where we can all meet.  There is a beverage called Tea Chino that tastes quite similar to coffee (okay, not exactly like coffee, but close enough!).    Here is a tea chino recipe you can make at home:

-1 quart water
-2 herbal tea bags (tea chino recommended)
-1 cup steamed rice, almond milk or hemp milk
-agave nectar for taste

Bring 1 quart of water to a boil. When the water boils, remove from the heat and add the tea chino. Steep until the whole pot is flavored (about 10 minutes). While steeping, steam your milk alternative.  Pour tea, add the foamed milk, and serve. Sweeten with agave nectar.

If you are on the go, drop into Starbucks and order a tea latte (choose herbal or decaffeinated tea and hold the sugary syrup).  Experiment and enjoy!