How much caffeine should you ACTUALLY drink?

Written By: Mairead, Registered DietitianIf you’ve been around Degree ever, you know many of our staff and members are big fans of warm caffeinated beverages! Coffee and tea often have a big role in our days, from keeping us awake and going, to providing comfort, to keeping us regular (looking at you, coffee). But how much caffeine is too much, and when should we worry about it?

Health Canada recommends that adults limit their caffeine intake to 400mg per day, which is about 3 normal-sized cups of coffee (not an extra large from Timmies).

Click here for more info on how much caffeine is in specific food and drinks! When thinking about your caffeine intake, you have to consider the amounts of coffee and tea, as well as cola-type drinks, chocolate, and energy drinks that you consume in a day.

While the 400mg per day is a recommendation for the average normal healthy person, there’s other things to consider when deciding how much caffeine you personally should take in. Are you pregnant, breastfeeding, dealing with high blood pressure, or on medication where you need to limit caffeine? You may need to be more cautious with your caffeine consumption.

You can also pay attention to how your own body reacts to caffeine. Does it leave you feeling clear-headed and energized? Great! Does it give you a headache, or make you anxious and jittery? Maybe we need decaf options.

Some people tolerate the caffeine from different sources differently – like many nutrition questions, everyone is different!

Caffeine can even have a potentially performance-benefitting impact for some people if consumed shortly before a workout or event, although it may be necessary to limit caffeine for a few days or weeks prior to get the biggest impact. How you react to caffeine, it’s impact on your body, and any potential benefits is largely genetic – there’s actually a gene that can tell us whether we’ll see a benefit, little impact, or negative effects, although any tolerance you’ve built up and the type of caffeinated drink can also play a role.

The bottom line: if you feel like you’re seeing negative effects from too much caffeine, it can be worth looking at how much you’re taking in! Everyone is different!

Looking for more nutrition advice? Talk to our Registered Dieitian! Limited appointments are available each month for Nutrition Consultations. Not sure if this is the right fit? Book a FREE Bite-Sized Nutrition Chat to make sure this fits with your goals! Click here to book yours, or email [email protected] for more info!