When we eat, sometimes we get particular with what’s inside or mixed with our food. Some people don’t like chili or garlic or too much sugar on their plate, and some don’t like it when it has caffeine. And if you’re that person, get hold of yourself ‘cause you’ll probably get shocked by these 10 foods and medicines with Caffeine in them that you probably didn’t know! ☕
10. Cocoa Pebbles
Let’s start our list with Cocoa Pebbles. I know what you’re thinking! I’m surprised as well, your kid’s favorite cereal contains caffeine. But don’t panic yet; the caffeine content of each cup is about 1 mg only – so little that you don’t have to worry about the effect. Consuming an entire box of Cocoa Pebbles is not an issue regarding caffeine. If you should be concerned about something, it’s probably the sugar.
Caffeine: 1mg for every cup
9. Matcha
Next is one of the most popular morning drinks – Matcha. Typically, drinking tea or Matcha is supposed to be the coffee alternative. But yes, Matcha also contains some caffeine that I’m sure you’re unaware of! Matcha is composed of a powder crafted with different ground green tea leaves, and almost 90% of Matcha green tea leaves contain caffeine, so yours probably has caffeine in it. How ironic isn’t it? You’re taking matcha to avoid coffee, not knowing it still has some caffeine. For every one teaspoon of matcha, there’s bout 70 mg of caffeine.
Caffeine: 70 mg for every teaspoon
8. Coffee Ice Cream
This one is not a surprise at all, but one thing that makes this item intriguing is that every half gallon of coffee ice cream contains about 40 mg of caffeine—too small a portion, right? But this small portion can sometimes make you feel sleepy after eating it. So if you happen to eat all the ice cream in the container, it’s like you’ve drank half a cup of coffee, too.
Caffeine: 43 mg for every half of a small container
7. Green Tea Ice Cream
Another green tea on the list but a flavor for the ice cream, a combination of tea and ice cream, contains about 25 mg of caffeine for every half-cup serving. This could be more than the coffee ice cream. Yes, I also assumed it’s lower than the coffee ice cream. It turns out the the green tea ice cream has more caffeine than the typical tea (except matcha) since it’s more concentrated to achieve the perfect and balanced flavor.
Caffeine: 25 mg for every ½-cup serving
6. Chocolate
I’m sure you’re surprised by the items above, but did you know that most of your favorite chocolates contain caffeine, too? For some, it’s obvious, but for others, it’s totally surprising. Every ounce of dark chocolate has about 12 mg of caffeine, twice as high as white chocolate’s 6 mg. But of course, when I say majority, it means not all chocolate has it—some chocolate products nowadays come with artificial flavoring. If you’re curious, just check the nutrition facts at the back of the packaging.
Caffeine: 12 mg of caffeine for every one ounce of dark chocolate
5. Oreos
You probably had a bite of Oreos, and yes, they also contain a portion of caffeine per cookie. After learning this, I immediately looked at the packaging, and yes, it had 1.3 mg of caffeine per cookie. So next time you want to have a snack but don’t like coffee, try to look for others instead or still eat it. After all, it’s only a small portion of caffeine. Like the Cocoa Pebbles, it’s probably the sugar you should think of.
Caffeine: 1.3 mg per cookie
4. PMS medications
This next item on our list is not the typical food or snacks but a medication drug usually used by women during their menstruation cycle. This item should concern women who are not into caffeine. Some PMS medications usually have caffeine. Midol, for example, has a 60mg caffeine content for each diuretic dose. Check the back of the label to confirm if your brand has caffeine, too.
Caffeine: contains 60 mg of caffeine per dose as a diuretic
3. Nutella
Coming out in third place is probably one of the most popular breakfast spreads in the US and probably most of the country – Nutella. And who knows, it also contains caffeine, not just a small portion but a large one! Yes, this one really surprised me because for every 2-tablespoon serving of Nutella contains at least 3 mg of caffeine. Maybe that’s why we’re full of energy in the morning after eating whole-toasted bread with Nutella spread.
Caffeine: about 3 mg for every 2 tbsp serving
2. Tiramisu
This item is not that surprising because Tiramisu is made with espresso dipped and layered with cocoa powder (a source of chocolate, thus having caffeine content, as discussed in our sixth item). The espresso used in a Tiramus has at least 25 up to 30 mg of caffeine in a standard slice of cake.
Caffeine: 25-30 mg on an average slice
1. Chocolate Pudding
Last but not least is one of my personal favorites – pudding. Probably one of your kids’ favorites too! According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a typical snack-size chocolate pudding has about 2 mg of caffeine, so next time you buy your kids a chocolate pudding, be mindful of the portion.
Caffeine: 2 mg of caffeine for every snack-size serving of chocolate pudding
Got Curious of What You Eat?
Chances are, some of your favorite foods have caffeine that you don’t know; if you don’t like caffeine at all, check the back of the packaging and look for a label or nutrition facts.