Caffeine is associated most often with beverages. Coffee in the morning, cola at lunch and afternoon tea all commonly contain caffeine in drinkable form. Eliminating caffeinated drinks can make a major impact in lowering daily caffeine intake, but caffeine can sneak into the diet in other ways. To completely eliminate caffeine from a diet, a person should be aware of a number of potential food sources.
Chocolate
Chocolate is a form of edible decadence savored by countless aficionados. It's also a source of caffeine. Caffeine is present in cocoa beans, which are processed to create chocolate. Columbia University's Health Services Internet resource, Go Ask Alice!, states that an ounce of milk chocolate contains up to 15 mg of caffeine, while an equal amount of dark chocolate delivers up to twice that amount, at 35 mg. A 43-g Hershey's milk chocolate bar contains 9 mg of caffeine. A 41-g Hershey's Special Dark bar contains 31 mg.
White chocolate does not contain chocolate liquor, a mix of cocoa powder and cocoa butter; thus, it is not true chocolate and does not contain caffeine.
Coffee Flavored Foods
In addition to its incarnation as a hot beverage, coffee appears as a flavoring in numerous food items. Coffee itself contains about 135 mg per 8-oz. serving. MayoClinic.com compares the caffeine content of three popular brands of ice cream, two of which are coffee-flavored. Eight ounces of Haagen-Dazs Coffee ice cream contain 58 mg of caffeine, an amount similar to that found in Starbucks Coffee ice cream, which contains up to 60 mg. If a product is mocha-flavored, chances are it contains caffeine.
Candy
A number of companies are attempting to lure caffeine lovers by boosting the caffeine content of the candy they produce. Stay Puft Caffeinated Gourmet Marshmallows, for instance, each contain more than 100 mg of caffeine. Foosh Energy Mints deliver an equally caffeinated wallop in a smaller package -- each mint contains 100 mg of caffeine. Caffeinated Nixie Tubes deliver 100 mg per tube of sugary sour powder. Jolt gum, Jelly Belly Extreme Sport Beans and Caffeinated Fruity Lollipops have all jumped on the caffeinated bandwagon. Good Housekeeping warns that caffeine can cause hyperactivity and urges parents to steer their kids far from these caffeine-laden confections.
