The NHS have published clear guidance about consuming caffeine when pregnant – see below. However, we have spoken to a number of friends, family and customers who were not aware of the latest NHS guidance – which recommends a daily limit of 200mg of caffeine. Today’s blog is for you if you are pregnant or if you know anyone who is.
The guidance from the NHS is clear – if you are pregnant, limit your caffeine intake to a maximum of 200mg per day – which means you can safely have a small amount of caffeine but the recommendation is to mainly drink DECAFFEINATED coffee, which, helps keep your caffeine intake very low.
As explained in our blog Decaf has changed for the better our decaf coffee is great tasing, and interestingly we are finding significant numbers of our customers (not all of whom are expecting a baby!) who now prefer our decaf on a regular basis.
Decaf coffee usually still does contain tiny amounts of caffeine – perhaps up to 10mg in our speciality decaf coffee compared to over 100mg in a comparable sized cup of caffeinated coffee that has not been through the decaffeinating process.
The actual NHS guidance at the time of writing this blog is:
Caffeine – You can have caffeine, but no more than 200mg per day. Regularly drinking more than this amount can increase your risk of pregnancy complications, such as low birthweight, and even miscarriage.
There is:
- 100mg in a mug of instant coffee
- 140mg in a mug of filter coffee
- 75mg in a mug of tea (green tea can have the same amount of caffeine as regular tea)
- 40mg in a can of cola
- 80mg in a 250ml can of energy drink
- less than 25mg in a 50g bar of plain dark chocolate
- less than 10mg in a 50g bar of plain milk chocolate
You can find the details of the above on the NHS website – look for Other Foods and Drinks at this link https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/
CONCLUSION: if you are pregnant, but still want a coffee – drink our organic decaf which is healthy and tastes absolutely great, but keeps your caffeine intake very low, which is the best for you and your baby.
