Why You Should Know How Much Caffeine Is in Everything
Most of us live our lives with only a vague idea of how much caffeine is in what we eat and drink. This coffee should wake us up; this soda is probably caffeine-free. But if you want to use caffeine effectively, you really need to know the amount in your favorite sources. You can’t timing your caffeine intake to increase alertness if you don’t know exactly how much you are consuming.
Knowing the dosage in each cup is also important if you are adjusting your caffeine intake for medical reasons – for example, if you are pregnant and have been advised to maintain it at a certain level. Studies show that the norm is 300 milligrams a day , but my midwife tried to explain this to me in terms of “eight ounces of coffee.” This is an unreliable way to measure caffeine. We can do better.
Know your coffee
The problem with thinking of caffeine as a yes / no question is that the caffeine content varies more than you might think . A weak cup of snack coffee can have 65 milligrams; the big brewed coffee at Starbucks has 310 .
The difference mainly depends on how it was brewed and what types of beans were used. Darker coffee can taste stronger because it has more aroma from roasting, but it does not contain more caffeine.
If you buy coffee from a chain restaurant or cafe, you can find caffeine in it on the institution’s website. If not, refer to the table, like the one that is in Caffeine Informer, to learn the approximate level of caffeine. Here are some examples:
- 7 Eleven, 16 oz Coffee: 280 mg
- Dunkin, 14 oz coffee: 210 mg
- McDonalds, 16 oz coffee: 145 mg
- Starbucks, 16 oz (“grande”): 310 mg
- Stumptown Cold Drink, 10.5 oz: 279 mg
- Folgers, 8 oz: 115 mg
- Dunkin Latte, 14 oz: 151 mg
- Bottled Starbucks Frappuccino, 13.7 oz: 130 mg
- Medium espresso, 1.5 oz: 77 mg
Carbonated drinks
Mountain Dew is exceptionally high in caffeine (for soda), you guessed it, and other sodas are either less or less caffeine. As practice shows, all clear beers are usually caffeine-free, as are some, but not all, root beers. Here’s a selection, specific to the US market, for a 12-ounce can:
- Pepsi: 38 mg (Diet Pepsi: 34)
- Coca-Cola: 34 mg (Coke Zero Sugar – same, but Diet Coke – 46)
- Mountain Dew: 54 mg (same)
- Dr. Pepper: 41 mg (Dr. Pepper’s diet is the same)
- Sprite, Slice, 7-Up, Orange Crush: zilch
- Root Beers: A&W, IBC, Mug, Hires, and Stewart’s are caffeine-free.
- Barq’s root beer: 22 mg (but Diet Barq’s doesn’t)
Energetic drinks
Energy drinks advertise herbs and amino acids, but the “energy” comes from caffeine. Some companies are open about this; others do not mention it or write in small print. Here are the caffeine content of several popular brands:
- Energy in 5 Hours: 215 mg in this tiny bottle as measured by Consumer Reports.
- Red Bull: 80 mg per 8.4 oz can
- Monster Energy Drink Original Flavor: 160 mg per 16 oz can (other flavors 140 to 187).
- Rockstar Energy Drink, Original Flavor: 160 mg per 16 oz can by Caffeine Informer (other flavors may be larger; Punched and Pure Zero are 240 mg per can by Caffeine Informer)
Chocolate and hidden sources
Unlike coffee, color tells you something about the caffeine content of chocolate. Dark chocolate has more caffeine than milk chocolate. A few chunks of chocolate in a cookie won’t stop you from falling asleep, but a whole bar of dark chocolate will cheer you up a little:
- Dark chocolate: 43 mg per 100 grams (but large cocoa bars could have doubled the amount).
- Milk chocolate: 20 mg per 100 grams.
- White chocolate: nada
- Cocoa powder: 8 to 20 grams per tablespoon according to ConsumerLab.
Apart from chocolate and possibly some desserts that contain coffee, there are not many common foods with hidden caffeine. But if you are consuming sports drinks or gels, you may be getting additional caffeine in significant amounts without even realizing it.
Because caffeine can improve athletic performance , it is found in some dietary supplements and athletic products. Extra boost, great! But this is not so good if you are exercising late at night or if you have been sucking gel after gel for a long time and do not realize that some scents contain caffeine and some do not. At the very least, they tend to be tagged, so be sure to read the fine print.