jriegel

The only difference between green tea and regular (black pekoe) tea is that it has not been fermented. Black tea is allowed to ferment before it is dried. Green tea is not (but it is the same leaf). Because of this, it has a higher concentration of all the things black tea has: antioxidants (yay! we need this), and specifically caffeine. The only reason to cut back on green tea is why you would cut back on coffee: it's not good for you anyway, and like in soda and coffee, caffeine can cause imbalances (high energy and rapid drop) and some research suggests it depleats nutrients (like folate, as you suggested).

I also LOVE green tea (white tea even more, which is even less processed than green tea and SO smooth it's almost hard to believe how amazing it is!) and today was the first time I had any since I was pregnant. But I'm not worried. I drank it every day before I got pregnant, so it was already in my system. But it's always smart to be cautious.

If you want, you can purchase decaf green tea (doesn't taste any different) and just keep it to a minimum (one small cup every few days or so) if you are feeling nervous about it.