CAFFEINE advise; Starbucks Question

chrissaayy · November 2015

So, I've been doing a lot of googling and hunting around online, and I can't seem to get a direct answer because the answers are all 50/50 on this topic. I'm still taking in caffeine, making sure to keep it under 200mg. I can't stand the taste of coffee (I never have), and my caffeine form of choice was always diet pepsi. I wanted to eliminate that for the sake of my baby (man was it rough at first), so I switched to Arnold Palmers as my main source throughout the day. However, I also love the Very Berry refresher from Starbucks and found myself in a habit of getting a grande (so the smaller one) every morning on the way to work. People online say hibiscus tea is bad, but my research of the ingredients say that there's no actual hibiscus in it. I am a teacher of middle school students, so I NEED caffeine to start my day or I just won't be able to function (not to mention I'll get a terrible headache). Are there any other non-coffee, non-soda caffeine options out there I can go to? Also, the taste of tea by itself is gross to me too (hence Arnold Palmers I like, because it's mixed with lemonade). This was my preference before pregnancy haha, I know it's picky, but I'm looking for options/variety, and an answer on the Starbucks dilemma. Thanks!

lawright · November 2015

Why not just take a caffeine supplement or mix caffeine powder into whatever you want?

AGK2015 · November 2015

Honestly, I think you'll be fine drinking the Very Berry Refresher, if that's what you like. If there's any hibiscus in it, it's pretty minimal, certainly not in enough quantities to hurt you or your baby. Some brief Googling indicates that the recommendation against hibiscus arises out of a study conducted at Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology in India that basically indicated that the estronogenic properties of hibiscus prevented pregnancy implantation in rats at a dose of 400mg per kilogram of body weight. You're not a rat, your pregnancy is already implanted, and you're definitely not consuming 400 mg per kg of hibiscus extract, so while nobody can say for sure that you'll be totally fine, no big deal... You'll be totally fine, no big deal

Hibiscus hasn't been proven safe at this point, but it hasn't been proven unsafe either.

Also, an Arnold Palmer actually sounds SUPER appealing right now.

kimkim86 · November 2015

How about green tea?

PugsandKisses · November 2015

kimkim86 said:
How about green tea?

Green teas inhibits folic acid absorption. So don't drink your green tea with your PNV or folic acid. Take your folic acid at least 4 hours after/before your green tea.

Buninthe0ven815 · November 2015

How about half of a Diet Pepsi? You could cut back on the caffeine that way, but still have what you enjoy. (FWIW, my best friend drank 2 Diet Pepsis a day through each of her pregnancies and her children are both perfect.) I'm still drinking coffee, but I switched to half-decaf and it's working fine for me.

This page says that the caffeine amount in a Grande Very Berry Refresher is "45-55mg" (it's listed under the vitamin percentages):

https://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/refreshers/very-berry-hibiscus

jonesl12 · November 2015

https://news.starbucks.com/uploads/documents/nutrition.pdf

saladflambe · November 2015

Please do not take a caffeine supplement, powder, or pill.

I'm sure the refresher is fine.

sparksfly · November 2015

I'd read a lot about avoiding certain tea ingredients but could never find a straight answer. So I specifically asked my dr if/what tea ingredients need to be avoided. She said the only thing to avoid was red raspberry leaf. So you should be fine with hibiscus - but check with your dr. if you are concerned.

JMarie1291 · November 2015

I been working with a dietitian throughout my pregnancy. Its not so much the caffeine but amount of sugar. 200 mg of caffeine isn't alot it's able to control the amount that goes into coffee vs the amount in tea. To much sugar (&salt) leads to weight gain... big babies and other pregnancy complications. She told me 1 small cup of coffee or 1 cup of tea....don't over do it. It took awhile to get use to going with out much coffee but now i could care less if I have it. Also caffeine supplements aren't safe during pregnancy! Their is no 100% guarantee on the intake of caffeine or sugar you are getting from then. I am huge on working out and also personal train. I was devastated when i had to stop my pre workout!!! But i couldn't use a caffeine supplement all doctors said no and other trainers and dietitians.

JMarie1291 · November 2015

I do buy those crystal light flavor squeezes and squeeze them in my water or get fresh fruit and make a juice in the morning (apples kale and carrot with a little lemon and ginger is my favorite!!! It does give me an energy boost!) or ill fill up my big water bottle toss in limes or lemons with a few slices of fruit. These are things that helped me when i cut back on caffeine thought i through them out there

cmerribury · November 2015

I agree that keeping sugar intake is low, but I'd advise against using chemical sweetners over sugar. At least the latter is natural. To OP, I think the refresher is fine.

GoatSnakeMouse · November 2015

I asked my OB about herbal teas and she said you only need to stay away from red raspberry leaf and chicory... and even then the amount you'd have to drink to cause a problem is pretty enormous. Enjoy your drink! It sounds good... I may go out and get one.

doozer1345 · November 2015

Hot chocolate

apinkpelican · November 2015

Were the artificial sweeteners in the Diet Pepsi the reason you cut it out? What about a regular Pepsi or Coke? Obviously not a healthy drink but at least you are getting the caffeine but not the artificial sweeteners. I'll have one some afternoons when I need a boost.

UnbreakableKimmySchmidt · November 2015

I asked my doctor the tea question too. She said tea in moderation is fine and there's not a lot of research proving certain teas correlate to pre-term labor, etc. I'm enjoying my tea in moderation.

Anaelsea · November 2015

theres a new tea in hawaii thats made from the berry which surrounds the coffee bean, its extremely strong, and tastes mildly sweet. they dry it and make tea that is brewed like mate, you leave the berries in the water and it just gets stronger over time(few days etc)

AGK2015 · November 2015

Anaelsea said:

theres a new tea in hawaii thats made from the berry which surrounds the coffee bean, its extremely strong, and tastes mildly sweet. they dry it and make tea that is brewed like mate, you leave the berries in the water and it just gets stronger over time(few days etc)

YES! Cascara (NOT to be confused with cascara sagrada, which is a pretty powerful laxative). I think it also gets called qishr in some cultures. You can actually buy the coffee cherries online from Sweet Maria's for a relatively reasonable price to make the tea at home... my husband and I just brew it like regular herbal tea. It's almost got a hibiscus-y taste, too. It's sooooooo good!

chrissaayy · November 2015

Wow, thanks everyone for all of the replies. I do not like the taste of regular Coke or Pepsi, so I cut out diet due to the unofficial sweeteners and other chemicals. Though, most drinks you buy may have these things lol. It sounds like the refresher at Starbucks is still okay (I'll check with my OB next appointment), so I'll keep my daily regimen of that in addition to Arnold Palmers. I love green tea if it's mixed with lemonade, but I don't drink it very often. I do not like the taste of straight tea, just like I don't like the taste of coffee. That's what makes getting caffeine so difficult for me lol.

peregrinefalconx · November 2015

AGK2015 said:

Anaelsea said:

theres a new tea in hawaii thats made from the berry which surrounds the coffee bean, its extremely strong, and tastes mildly sweet. they dry it and make tea that is brewed like mate, you leave the berries in the water and it just gets stronger over time(few days etc)

If you ever get the chance to try the coffee fruit (like if you are down in Central America and go take a tour of the coffee plantations), that fruit is the most amazing, sweetly tart fruit ever. So good and so many antioxidants. I so wish we could get that fruit imported up here.

nhunter112 · November 2015

@chrissaayy At Starbucks I'll get black tea with a pump or two of rasberry. And say no classic (otherwise it'd be way too sweet for me) Love rasberry tea. Black tea has a lot of caffeine. And you can make it whatever flavor you want at sbucks. Edited to add i also love their oprah chai with soy cause mine doesn't serve almond milk yet. That's also pretty significant in caffeine. If you like Christmas in a cup.

AGK2015 · November 2015

peregrinefalconx said:

AGK2015 said:

Anaelsea said:

theres a new tea in hawaii thats made from the berry which surrounds the coffee bean, its extremely strong, and tastes mildly sweet. they dry it and make tea that is brewed like mate, you leave the berries in the water and it just gets stronger over time(few days etc)

If you ever get the chance to try the coffee fruit (like if you are down in Central America and go take a tour of the coffee plantations), that fruit is the most amazing, sweetly tart fruit ever. So good and so many antioxidants. I so wish we could get that fruit imported up here.

I'd definitely love to try it! My husband is a coffee nerd (we've got a couple little coffee plants sloooooowly growing in our apartment, and he's been roasting me all the decaf I can drink). I know a trip to an actual coffee plantation is on his bucket list!

Torpedogirl · November 2015

I work 3 days a week 12 hour shifts. I always get a grande white chocolate latte. I hate the taste of coffee too but the flavor masks the expresso and it is delicious. If they are not open yet (on the weekends) I get a medium hot mocha latte from Dunkin donuts. Both are delicious and I usually only drink 3/4 of it and I have plenty of boost for my day.

soh314 · November 2015

As a barista at Starbucks, the refreshers are comparable to the same sized iced coffee. There are other options in their flavors, such as the strawberry or lime, but please know that while they are lightly sweetened with raw sugar, they also contain amounts of stevia. An alternative would be the green or black iced teas for a caffeinated option. I do not suggest lattes bigger than a "tall" because they contain two shots of espresso, or the equivalent of two cups of coffee. If you feel the need, order 1/2 or decaf. You are also able to get frappucinos with these options, too. Talk with your local barista and they will be more than happy to discuss options with you!

splsmama2016 · November 2015

I'm lurking.... I'll be joining you guys in just a few days

My starbucks right by the house has known me for years, and the second they found out I'm expecting, the baristas have made sure that my drinks aren't full of artificial sweeteners or too much caffeine. As @soh314 said, talk with them and they can help you create your drink to suit you.

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