Did you drink a caffeinated drink today? If it's past noon, we'd like to guess you've probably already drunk it. If you don't, you're one of only 15% of people in the U.S. who don't drink caffeinated beverages every day, while the other 85% run to the coffee machine like there's no tomorrow.
Caffeine is everywhere, and it's easy to see why we love it. In addition to the vital role caffeine plays in many people's activities throughout the day, this stimulant can improve our brain function and alertness, enhance our long-term memory, protect our liver health, and allow us to run better on the track, according to Medical News Today.
Caffeine is everywhere, and this chemical can be found in a large number of foods and beverages we don't expect, and even a small amount of caffeine can be bad news for those who are sensitive to caffeine or don't want to consume it. That's why I decided to make a list of some foods you never thought would contain caffeine, so you can make sure you consume it when you really want it.
Chocolate. 
People all over the world flock to chocolate for its delicious taste and creamy, indulgent texture. But that piece of chocolate you're chewing? It may contain more than just cocoa beans and sugar.
Many types of chocolate have been reported to contain caffeine in the production process. When chocolate is made, the cocoa beans it makes are separated into cocoa butter and cocoa solids. Cocoa solids contain caffeine, which eventually ends up in the chocolate along with cocoa butter.
However, due to the varying concentration of cocoa solids in chocolate, some types of chocolate contain more caffeine than others. The more cocoa solids used in a piece of chocolate, the darker the color, and the darker the color, the more caffeine content there is. In some cases, this caffeine content can be surprisingly high, as Super Dark Chocolate is made from 70%-85% cocoa solids and contains about 80 grams of caffeine per 100 grams. Elsewhere, the amount of caffeine doesn't matter unless you're particularly careful with your intake, as milk chocolate contains 20 mg of caffeine per 100 grams, while white chocolate doesn't contain caffeine at all because it's not made with cocoa butter.
Matcha. 
For those trying to take a break for coffee or tea, they may be fooled by the bright green creamy flavor of matcha. We get it: it looks great. But this seemingly mild drink hides a hidden secret, and that hidden secret is the caffeine content.
According to the Journal of Women's Health, the caffeine content in matcha drinks is quite high, roughly equivalent to green tea. But because of the way it is usually drunk (i.e. by consuming the leaves), you may get more caffeine, usually around 70 mg per cup.
However, if that doesn't make you give up on matcha, matcha could be a great option for those looking to avoid the dreaded caffeine intake. According to Gans, author of The Little Change Diet and registered dietitian, matcha contains L-theanine, an amino acid that is "thought to have a calming effect on the body." This calming effect can also help you process caffeine at a longer-lasting rate, avoiding the quick energy and sudden fatigue that a strong cup of coffee can give you.
Ice cream. 
Well, I must admit: I didn't expect that either. But, dear readers, it's true. Some ice creams do contain caffeine. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the culprits are ice cream brands and flavors that contain coffee. If you want to fall asleep quickly, it's not so good.
Some ice cream brands may surprise you with their caffeine content. For example, a brand of coffee-flavored ice cream contains about 100 mg of caffeine per cup. To make a comparison in a form that we can understand, i.e., with a caffeinated drink, that's more than twice the amount you consume in a cup of black tea and more than what you consume in a cup of instant coffee.
Häagen-Dazs coffee tastes slightly better, but still contains more than 21 mg of caffeine per cup of ice cream, slightly less than a cup of green tea. Still, if you want to enjoy coffee ice cream without worrying about caffeine, it's wise to choose one that contains a very small amount of caffeine.
Decaf coffee.
Yes, it seems to contradict all logical ideas. But it's true: some decaf coffee can contain quite a bit of caffeine, especially if you're buying it from your favorite coffee chain.
A survey conducted by Consumer Reports in the United States tested decaf coffee in different major chains: Burger King, McDonald's, Starbucks, Seattle Best Coffee. After getting six cups of decaf coffee from each store, they tested them to see how much caffeine they actually contained. As a result, guys, shocking. Some contain little to no caffeine, but others do, with up to 32 mg of caffeine in them. A decaf coffee from Starbucks also contains 21 mg of caffeine. Now, we don't know about you, but that's pretty high for a decaf drink, right?
Investigators also found that regular coffee from these stores also varied greatly in terms of caffeine content in the cup, with some coffees even serving as high as 281 milligrams.
Snacks. 
When we face a midday slump, we can rely on snacks to give us a pick-me-up. But sometimes, what we don't bargain for is the type of energy they give us. Some snacks may contain a lot of caffeine, and if we don't check the label carefully, we may consume more caffeine than expected.
Take clif energy bars, for example. Their cool mint chocolate bar may not immediately notice the presence of caffeine, but it actually contains 49 mg per serving. As the Mayo Clinic puts it, their mini espresso flavor contains more caffeine, about 65 milligrams per piece, which is roughly equivalent to a real espresso. However, it is worth pointing out that many clif chocolate bars contain trace amounts of caffeine, and the presence of caffeine is only due to the chocolate in them, with chocolate chips or chocolate marzipan flavors containing between 3 and 5 milligrams of caffeine. If you want it to be completely caffeine-free, then it's wise to look for chocolate-free snacks.
Kombucha. 
Few foods and beverages are as popular as kombucha these days. Registered nutritionist Lewin says fermented beverages have been praised for providing a range of health benefits, from providing powerful probiotics to the stomach to help with gut health, to increasing intake of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
But it's easy to forget what kombucha is made of: tea. This tea will add a certain amount of caffeine to your carbonated probiotic drink. It is important to note that kombucha usually has much lower caffeine than its ** tea, and up to half of the caffeine in the original drink makes it into a new drink. For kombucha made at home, this can make caffeine levels difficult to identify accurately, but if you want to keep your caffeine levels low, opt for teas with lower caffeine content, or even decaf brand teas. Also keep in mind that there's more to kombucha than just caffeine: there's also a small amount of alcohol in the drink.
Yoghurt. 
Of all the things you'd expect in yogurt, caffeine might not be on your list. But when you put it together with muscle-friendly protein, healthy probiotics, and the sometimes not-insignificance-of-the-same sugar provided by yogurt, it can also contain caffeine. Strange, right? Still, you might be pleased to hear that caffeine is only present in certain flavors.
Some coffee yogurts are surprisingly high in caffeine. For example, one serving of coffee yogurt contains 32 mg of caffeine. The Mayo Clinic says that while that's not a huge amount overall, it's still higher than the caffeine you would find in an average can of Coke or even a cup of green tea. Considering that yogurt does not contain caffeine, this may inadvertently act as a boost.
It's not all bad news if you want to keep your caffeine content low, though: just opt for plain Greek yogurt, which doesn't contain any stimulants and is also much lower in sugar than flavored yogurt, with only 3 grams of sugar per 100 grams.
Hot cocoa. 
At the end of a long day, there's nothing quite like hot chocolate. But sometimes, drinking hot chocolate can have the exact opposite effect, because depending on the drink you choose, there may be caffeine lurking in it. If you drink hot chocolate at Starbucks, you're likely to have more caffeine than you think, with 25 milligrams of caffeine in a large cup, which is about the equivalent of a cup of light black tea.
Still, the Center for Science in the Public Interest says that choosing a cup of chocolate milk instead of hot chocolate will also keep your caffeine levels low. Although most people know that the blend of mocha and chocolate contains higher caffeine, don't assume that it has a lower caffeine content because it tastes sweeter. Starbucks' big coffee mocha provides up to 175 mg of caffeine.
Breakfast cereals. 
We rely on breakfast cereal to provide a quick snack in the morning to energize our work for the rest of the day. But what we didn't expect was that this benefit came from caffeine. Some types of breakfast cereals do contain caffeine – although, fortunately, it's not that high.
All breakfast cereals that contain caffeine are extracted from chocolate condiments. While ideally, our breakfast cereals are caffeine-free, keep in mind that after consuming such a small amount of cereal, you may not even notice the irritating effect. Considering that the safe upper limit for caffeine for most adults is 400 mg, you'd have to eat hundreds of bowls of these cereals to get to that point.
Mate. 
Herbal teas have long provided consumers with a hot, caffeine-free drink that they can enjoy throughout the day. As noted by the Mayo Clinic, considering yerba mate falls into the category of "herbal teas," you might think it's equally caffeine-free. But sadly, that's not the case, and the amount of caffeine you get from a cup of yerba mate can vary widely, and in some cases even very high.
Research published in the journal Nutrition suggests that the caffeine content of yerba mate can range from 25 mg to 175 mg. On average, the dosage of one cup of yerba mate is about 85 mg.
If you still want to drink herbal teas, but you don't want to drink caffeine, then you'll be happy to hear that you have plenty of options. In addition to the more famous decaf teas, such as chamomile and peppermint, echinacea, hibiscus flower tea. Rooibos tea may also be a great choice, as it is a caffeine-free beverage that still offers a rich flavor and great health benefits.
Water. Well, this time also shocked us a little, guys. But it's true: some water does contain caffeine. In the ever-expanding water market, every store shelf has clever recipes designed to infuse you with health, and some brands contain caffeine to make your sip more energizing. This caffeine usually comes from guarana, a plant extract that is not only high in caffeine but also includes theobromine, another harsh chemical.
As a result, some of these waters may be high in caffeine. We think water is the easiest drink on the planet and drink a lot, right? Luckily, though, if you want to avoid caffeine, just grab a bottle of regular mineral water or pour a glass from the tap.
Chewing gum. It feels like food manufacturers are now determined to put caffeine into all of their foods, so some of you probably won't be surprised that they found a way to incorporate caffeine into their gum. But people have reportedly found a way that some brands of chewing gum can provide a lot of energy.
But why did they put caffeine in their gum in the first place? It turns out that according to research published in the International Journal of Pharmacy, the chemical may be absorbed into the bloodstream more quickly by chewing rather than ingesting. It is thought that the caffeine in your gums quickly enters your system through the oral mucosa, also known as the buccal mucosa.
What happens if we consume too much caffeine?
Caffeine doesn't just come in the form of coffee and tea, and if we consume them with regular caffeinated beverages, it's wise to see if the product purchased inadvertently increases our intake. This is especially important because consuming too much caffeine can cause some very unpleasant symptoms, including anxiety, restlessness, jittery or shaking, dizziness, inability to sleep, or headaches.
Although it's generally safe to consume or drink 400 mg of caffeine per day without any major issues, keep in mind that sensitivity to caffeine varies from person to person, and some people may be able to tolerate it much less than they did before they had symptoms. It's also important to monitor your caffeine intake if you're breastfeeding or pregnant, or if you have a range of health conditions, including anxiety or other digestive disorders, high blood pressure, or heart arrhythmias.