Question: I am concerned about caffeine consumption during pregnancy. I would like to know how much caffeine is in chocolate products such as plain dark chocolate, chocolate ice cream and chocolate milk? Is there caffeine in other less obvious food items?
Answer: Caffeine use during pre-pregnancy and pregnancy remains controversial. The current guidelines offer a safe range of 0-300 mg/ day. But, there have been studies that have shown ill effects on women at lower doses. Some women are simply more sensitive to caffeine and so to be on the safe side let’s set a more conservative limit of 0-100mg/ day. This more conservative guideline will lessen the chance of more sensitive women reacting to the stimulant and lower the risk of dehydration through caffeine’s diuretic properties. You should talk to your doctor about using caffeine and how much he / she feels would be safe for your baby.
Being a lover of dark chocolate, I wanted to offer you some info on caffeine in chocolate. Unfortunately caffeine is not a required nutrient on the U.S. food label so you won't be able to check the Nutrition Facts panel on the food you eat. You can read though the list of ingredients on food packages to find foods with caffeine added like carbonated and energy drinks. The USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) has caffeine values for individual foods. Here are some examples:
For comparison:
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