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?
Also, what is a safe amount of caffeine during pregnancy? Is there a safe amount? I drink only decaffeinated tea or coffee, but have trouble staying away from chocolate altogether. Looking forward to your response.
Being a lover of dark chocolate, I wanted to get 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 though read 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. Sorry there is no list of just caffeine content of foods and foods must be looked up individually in the USDA database.
| Food | Caffeine |
| Baking unsweetened chocolate 1 ounce square | 23 milligrams |
| Chocolate flavored syrup 1 ounce or approximately 2 tablespoons | 2 milligrams |
| Chocolate ice cream regular to rich type 1/2 cup | 2 to 6 milligrams |
| Chocolate milk low fat beverage 8 ounces | 5 milligrams |
| Chocolate milk reduced fat beverage 8 ounces | 2 milligrams |
| Cocoa mix powder prepared with water 6 ounces | 4 milligrams |
| Dark chocolate semi-sweet 1 ounce (60 baking chips) | 18 milligrams |
| Milk chocolate 1 ounce | 6 milligrams |
For comparison:
| Food | Caffeine |
| Coffee brewed from grounds 8 ounces | 95 milligrams |
| Coffee decaffeinated brewed from grounds 8 ounces | 2 milligrams |
| Ice tea 12 ounces (Arizona bottled type) | 18 milligrams |
| Tea brewed 8 ounces | 47 milligrams depending on how long you steep |
| Tea decaffeinated brewed 8 ounces | 2 milligrams |
Small amounts (like that found in a moderate serving of chocolate above) of caffeine are probably safe during pregnancy, but larger amounts of caffeine found in coffee and tea can be harmful. So you can probably continue to eat some chocolate products as long as you do not exceed a moderate serving. You should talk to your doctor about using caffeine and how much he / she feels would be safe for your baby.
