Caffeine…what’s the big deal right? I know that many of you drink coffee on the way to school, as well as caffeinated drink during the day, now don’t deny it…I see many of you in the morning! Many teens as well as adults start their day with a big cup of energy and throughout the day, continue to reach for that same or higher dose of energy.

This is not to bash caffeine, coffee or any caffeine based products, but to inform you and hopefully give you some food for thought, especially if you, friends or family members are a 2 cup of coffee or 2 cans plus of any energy a-day drinker,

What Exactly is Caffeine?

Caffeine is a drug that is naturally produced in the leaves and seeds of many plants. It’s also produced artificially and added to certain foods, such as tea, coffee, chocolate, soft drinks. Caffeine is defined as a drug because it stimulates the central nervous system, causing increased alertness. Caffeine gives most people a temporary energy boost and elevates mood. For some caffeine can increase your heart rate, make you shaky, cause light-headedness, headaches and sometimes cramping in the stomach.

Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it causes a person to urinate (pee) more and can cause you to be dehydrated. Just to be safe, it’s probably a good idea to stay away from too much caffeine in hot weather, during long workouts, playing sports or in other situations where you’re working up a sweat.

Caffeine may also cause the body to lose calcium, and that can lead to bone loss over time. Drinking caffeine-containing soft drinks and coffee instead of milk can have an even greater impact on bone density and the risk of developing osteoporosis.

Moderation Is the Key

Many experts consider 200-300 mg of caffeine a day to be a moderate amount for adults and maximum 100 mg of caffeine for teens. But did you know that consuming as little as 100 mg of caffeine a day can lead a person to become “dependent” on caffeine. If you’ve ever stopped drinking or consuming caffeine products and experienced headaches, tiredness, being irritable, cranky, this can be due to caffeine withdrawal symptoms.

In case you’re not sure exactly how much caffeine you’re consuming, the following chart includes common caffeinated products and the amounts of caffeine they contain:

Adapted from Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2007; Vroom Foods Inc., 2009. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Soft Drink Association, Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Cutting Back

So now that you’re armed with all this fabulous information on caffeine and know what caffeine can do to you, maybe it’s time to decrease of eliminate caffeine out of your diet?

If you have any additional questions on this blog or on anything regarding nutrition, please drop me an email.

Fitfully yours,

Lisa