Brooklyn Queens Land Trust

Kids FYI - Caffeine: You can do without it.

Mar 16, 2006

Hi Everyone:

Hope you're enjoying the weather, no matter how it looks or feels, because the sun is coming up earlier and that means that spring is coming soon! Now that I'm into gardening (still don't like the bugs too much), I notice that the daffodils are trying to come up. You can see the skinny medium green leaves breaking through the ground...look close.

The other day, my little cousin wanted a soda and picked out a Mountain Dew. It didn't draw my attention until when offered a sip, I took the can and started reading the label. I was freaked! Do you know how an idea of how much caffeine is in sodas? My child won't be given sodas until he or she can buy some while away in college.

I checked Kids Health to see if it talked about caffeine and found http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/nutrition/food/caffeine.html.

Read it all the way through and don't forget what it says. It is important that we know how to take care of our bodies because one day, it will be our turn. No one will tell us what to do and we'll have to make all of the decisions. We need to know some of what our parents are trying to teach us. I've put in the whole article, just so you know that I'm not kidding. Listen to what those who know are trying to teach us.

I'm out.
Jevonne




Caffeine Confusion

Your mom says not to drink soda at night because the caffeine will keep you awake. And she says she "needs her caffeine" in the morning when she's reaching for her cup of coffee. So what is caffeine, anyway?


Caffeine Is a Common Chemical

Caffeine (say: ka-feen) is a natural chemical found in tea leaves, coffee beans, cacao (the stuff used to make chocolate), and cola nuts (the plant that gives cola soda its flavor). Caffeine has been in foods that humans eat and drink for hundreds of years. Today, caffeine is found in many common foods and drinks, such as coffee, tea, hot cocoa, soda, chocolate, and some medicines.

When humans drink or eat caffeine, it acts as a stimulant (say: stim-yuh-lunt). Stimulants may make us feel more awake and alert. Many people drink liquids with caffeine because they think it helps them to wake up and feel sharper. But no one needs caffeinated (say: ka-fuh-nay-ted) drinks, especially kids. The best drinks for kids are water and milk, which don't contain caffeine.

Caffeine can cause your heart to pump faster and your breathing to quicken. Caffeine is also a diuretic (say: dye-yuh-reh-tik). This means that caffeinated drinks or foods cause you to urinate (pee) more often than normal.

Caffeine is also a drug that can be addictive. It's not as scary or as bad for you as other addictive drugs like cocaine or heroin or even nicotine, but people who drink caffeine every day will usually need to drink that amount of caffeine just to feel normal. And if caffeine users don't get their regular daily dose, look out! People who are used to caffeine and don't get it can develop headaches, stomachaches, and feel sleepy or grumpy all day long.

What Does Caffeine Do to Your Body?
Caffeine can boost your energy temporarily, and make you feel more awake and ready for the day. But a lot of caffeine can also lead to symptoms that you probably don't want and your body can't tolerate. Check out these examples:

If you drink too much caffeine at one time, it can make you feel nervous or jumpy. Your hands may shake. You may feel like there's something you forgot to do. Too much caffeine will make it hard to fall asleep, which might mean you won't be able to pay attention in school the next day.

And too much caffeine can give you a stomachache, headache, or a racing heartbeat. In fact, kids with heart problems should not drink caffeine because it's known to affect heart rates and force the heart to work harder.

Do You Need Caffeine?
Caffeine isn't a nutrient, like calcium, so you don't need a certain amount to be healthy. The United States doesn't have guidelines about caffeine, but Canada recently recommended that kids limit the amount of caffeine they eat or drink. They suggest kids ages 7 to 9 consume no more than about 63 milligrams (mg) per day (equal to 16 ounces of caffeinated soda). Kids who are 10 to 12 should get no more than 85 milligrams per day, equal to 22 ounces of caffeinated soda. (But that doesn't mean drinking that much soda is a good idea. Stick with milk and water most often.)

Because caffeine is a diuretic, it can cause you to become dehydrated (say: dee-hy-dray-ted), which means that your body gets weak from not having enough water. On a hot day or after playing sports, you need to give your body plenty of fluids to replace the water you lose through sweating.

Caffeinated beverages like soda and tea make it harder for your body to keep enough water in your body. Even if you drink a lot of soda, you won't replace the water your body needs as well as you can by drinking liquids without caffeine.

Caffeine Chart

Drink/Food
Amount of Drink/Food
Amount of Caffeine

Mountain Dew
12 ounces
55.0 mg

Coca-Cola
12 ounces
34.0 mg

Diet Coke
12 ounces
45.0 mg

Pepsi
12 ounces
38.0 mg

7-Up
12 ounces
0 mg

Brewed coffee (drip method)
5 ounces
115 mg*

Iced tea
12 ounces
70 mg*

Dark chocolate
1 ounce
20 mg*

Milk chocolate
1 ounce
6 mg*

Cocoa beverage
5 ounces
4 mg*

Chocolate milk beverage
8 ounces
5 mg*

Cold relief medication
1 tablet
30 mg*


This is an average amount of caffeine. That means some of these products may contain a little more caffeine; some may contain a little less.

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration and National Soft Drink Association

Cutting the Caffeine
If you like soda once in a while, try to choose one that doesn't contain caffeine. Clear lemon-lime sodas usually don't, but it can be confusing, so check the ingredient list on the label. If you don't, you might find yourself tossing and turning instead of snoozing and snoring!

Reviewed by: Jessica Donze Black, RD, CDE, MPH