Reply To: Decaf Coffee

[Ryann Kipping]

Hey! This statement was actually in reference to “sugar-free” syrups at Starbucks which you can read about under sugar > artificial sweeteners! In reference to de-caf coffee, yes, you still have the issue of nutrient absorption interference, so I would wait at least an hour after eating to drink your coffee or tea! The other issue with de-caf is HOW it is decaffeinated. One process is a chemical process which is thought to potentially have adverse effects on our health, the other process is swiss water which is the more natural process. Starbucks uses the chemical process for most of their beans from my understanding. I’m looking into the research on decaf coffee intake during pregnancy in reference to the process of decaffeination vs. caffeine effect. I know more local coffee shops use the swiss water method. So, the takeaway is that you might not be negating any adverse effects by choosing de-caf coffee, but to what extent are there “adverse effects” we aren’t sure. We do, however, know that there are pretty limited risks with caffeine intake around 100-200 mg/day during pregnancy!

Originally posted as Ryann Kipping, RDN, The Prenatal Nutritionist