Counting caffeine in coffee??

Caffeined coffee is a food group in and of itself in most American's daily food pyramid.

Many of us crave it and can't function without our morning cup. It's no surprise why, but many of us often overlook the fact that  it can actually be good for your health.

Caffeine may be a drug, but it improves mental and physical performance and is not a health issue unless it is overdone or you have preexisting conditions.

Research has shown that it not only improves overall performance, but improves mood as well  which correlates to a relationship between improved mood and lack of depression. Caffeine has also been shown to provide physical health benefits such as prevention of gallstones and Parkinson's disease. Regular coffee drinkers develop a tolerance to the side effects for the most part, so they only experience the pleasurable effects of the drug - this data is conclusive on people who DON'T overdo it. Over consumption causes health problems such as risk of kidney stones and loss of calcium in bones. You should limit your daily consumption to 300 milligrams - about three cups of regular coffee.Other individuals will have to be more careful such as those with heart disease, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, and women who are pregnant.

The modern day era brings with it bigger, badder, and greater use among children. This is an issue which needs to be monitered closely because children should only consume at most 100 milligrams of caffeine per day. Educate those you can to prevent problems later on.

So how am I supposed to calculate my caffeine consumption?

Good question. Below is a list of common products containing caffeine, along with  caffeine content. Remember: not all coffee is equal. Some types will contain 70% more caffeine than their competitor. AND DECAF DOES NOT MEAN NO CAFFEINE!

Here are some examples of a caffienate product alongside its caffeine content per serving:
[If you don't see what you're looking for ask me and I will find out for you! Please be specific!]  

Coffee from:

•   Starbucks Bold Venti 20 fl oz - 415 mg [more than recommended daily!] 
•   Dunkin Donuts Large 20 fl oz - 244 mg 
•   Espresso 2 fl oz - 127 mg
•   Plain coffee 8 fl oz - 95 mg 
•   Decaf coffee 8 fl oz - 2 mg 

Teas:

•  Snapple Lemon Tea 16 fl oz - 62 mg 
•  Lipton tea original orange pekoe and pekoe cut black tea 1 bag - 55 mg
•  Lipton green tea 1 bag - 35 mg

 Energy drinks:

•  Rockstar 8 fl oz - 80 mg 
•  Red Bull  8 fl oz - 76 mg 
•  What I'm drinking now: Starbucks Refreshers 12 fl oz - no caffeine content listed, but contains 50 mg   Fanax Ginseng. 

• It also lists green coffee bean extract as an ingredient which makes me question whether or not it indeed contain caffeine. I will need to investigate further... these yummy drinks are new additions to the Starbucks retail lineup to give those who want a non-flavored coffee drink. (Haha?) 

Soda: (all 12 fl oz)

•  Pepsi MAX - 69 mg 
•  Mountain Dew - 54 mg 
•  Diet Coke - 46.5 mg 
•  Pepsi - 38 mg 
•  Diet Pepsi - 35 mg 
•  Coke - 34 mg (the lowest on our list definately surprises me) 

 OTC Drugs:

•  Dexatrim Max & Vivarin 1 dose - 200 mg
•  Bayer Extra Strength Back & Body - 32.5 mg 

 Other "unlikely" sources:

•  Glaceau Vitaminwater Energy Tropical Citrus 12 fl oz - 30 mg 
•  Haagen-Dazs Coffee Frozen Yogurt 1/2 cup - 30 mg 
•  Dannon All-Natural Coffee Low Fat Yogurt 6 oz - 30 mg 
•  Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar 3 bars - 36 mg 
•  Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Bar 1 1/2 ars - 37.5 mg

  And the list goes on...

 This is not intended to encourage you to increase your daily caffeine consumption. It is meant for educational purposes only. All data is subject to change without notice. Read product label on product for most current information.

If you have any health issues, speak with your doctor to find out how much caffeine is appropriate for you.

And guess what? There's MORE good news.

Caffeine is not even technically addictive! 

Say what?! Caffiene, as a drug, is something you can become physically dependent on, but that doesn't make it an addiction. If you stop cold turkey you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as headache and tiredness. A better plan is to cut back slowly over time and it will make the whole process a lot easier on you AND your body.

 Interesting enough, there is a reason why some people crave it more than others. Recent research shows caffeine consumption is linked to two genes in the human genome.  One gene controls the desire to consume caffeine and another gene that determines how it is metabolized. That is why your buddy is sleeping like a baby after his cup but you're up late reading this. Go figure.

** Thanks to Shop Smart magazine for the data on caffeine content in their May 2012 issue, included in the article "Caffeine Dreams". **