Many Irish people enjoy a morning cup of coffee or a nice strong cup of tea in the afternoon to keep them going. Both contain caffeine, something that is not so good for your baby while pregnant, and which may even affect your chances of conception if you drink it in large quantities. Caffeine is also found in some energy boosting drinks, cola drinks and chocolate, so you need to look further afield than just tea and coffee if you want to reduce the amount of caffeine in your diet.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland recommends that a woman should not consume more than 200mg of caffeine per day during pregnancy. So, if you like your caffeine and you’re planning a pregnancy, it may be a good time to get your caffeine intake down to safer limits.
Use the following as a caffeine guide:
Tea
The caffeine content may vary between 10 mg and 90mg depending on the strength of the tea and size of the mug.
Coffee
Filtered or percolated coffee generally has more caffeine than instant coffee. The caffeine content may vary between 31mg and 157mg per cup depending on the size, strength and way it was brewed. Decaffeinated coffee will contain between 2-10mg per cup.
Cola
As colas are available in different strengths and sizes, the caffeine content can vary to between 11mg and 106 mg per can or bottle.
Stimulant drinks
A 250 ml can provide between 27mg and 87mg depending on the type.
