Melanie McGrice
If you are reading this, I am going to guess that you are a coffee drinker. Am I right?
Perhaps it’s a creamy latte to wake you up in the morning. Or maybe your kryptonite is a strong black to get you through the afternoon?
Whatever your go-to-order may be, now that you are pregnant, you are probably wondering if you need to give up your delicious cup of daily caffeine.
I’ll cut straight to the chase. No, you don’t have to go completely cold turkey when it comes to your caffeine intake during pregnancy (cue *sigh of relief*).
Where it may be an issue is if you are a BIG coffee (think more than 6-7 cups a day), soft drink or energy drink drinker as too much caffeine may increase the risk of miscarriage or having a baby with a low birth weight.
What is a safe amount?
Research shows that we can safely consume up to 200mg of caffeine during pregnancy without causing any pregnancy complications for you or your baby. That’s the equivalent to around 1 cup of filter coffee or 2 regular size cups of instant coffee.
Well, what about decaf, I hear you ask? Decaffeinated coffee actually contains a very small amount of caffeine; however, it is perfectly fine to drink during pregnancy as a cup of decaf is well and truly under the daily recommended amount.
Now it is also important to remember that caffeine isn’t only just in coffee. It may also be found naturally in tea and chocolate and added to cola soft drinks, energy drinks, energy bars and some over-the-counter medications. So, it is important to be mindful of your caffeine intake during your pregnancy as it can easily add up over the day.
How much caffeine is in what?
| Food/drink | Caffeine |
| Coffee | |
| – Espresso | 145 mg/50mL cup |
| – Instant | 80 mg/250 mL cup |
| – Decaf | 8 mg/250 mL cup |
| Tea | |
| – Black | 50 mg/250 mL cup |
| – Green | 30 mg/250 mL cup |
| Cola soft drink | 35-40 mg/250 can |
| Energy drink | 80 – 100 mg/250 mL can |
| Chocolate | |
| – Milk | 20 mg/100g bar |
| – Dark | 43 mg/100g bar |
| Some medications | 30-60 mg/dose |
If you need help curbing your caffeine habits during your pregnancy, you might like to check out my ‘caffeine during pregnancy’ video on my YouTube channel Nourish for more helpful and practical tips.
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