High levels of caffeine in your diet can cause low birth weight for your unborn baby. It may also increase the chance of miscarriage.
High caffeine levels are also associated with increased blood pressure and heart rate, and may cause dehydration.
Common drinks and food with caffeine
Foods and drinks containing caffeine include:
- coffee
- tea
- chocolate
- soft drinks, such as cola, fizzy orange and fizzy lemonade
- energy drinks
- some herbal teas, for example green tea
Limit how much you have
You do not need to cut caffeine out completely. But you should limit how much you have to no more than 200mg a day.
Try decaffeinated tea and coffee, fruit juice or water. Limit the amount of energy drinks you have, as they can be high in caffeine.
When ordering coffee out, caffeine levels can vary from 80 to 300mg per cup.
Here is a guide on the estimated amount of caffeine in common drink and snack options:
- 1 mug of tea - 75mg
- 1 mug of instant coffee - 100mg
- 1 mug of filter coffee - 140mg
- 1 can of cola or diet cola - 40mg
- 1 energy drink - 60mg
- 50g bar of milk chocolate - 25mg
- 50g bar of plain chocolate - 50mg