Can you tell the difference between the red, yellow and green lights of caffeine? One table to understand! Doctor: Don't ignore these 4 hidden caffeine foods

More than just coffee! The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Food and Drug Administration has issued new regulations requiring all “caffeinated beverages” to be labeled with caffeine content. From New Year’s Day 2023, any beverage prepared on site that contains caffeine must be labeled with its caffeine content in red, yellow or green. Taking healthy adults as an example, the daily limit for drinks marked in red is one cup, in yellow it is no more than two cups, and in green it is three cups.

Many foods and drinks contain caffeine, so don’t just look at the lights

Dr. Li Yixuan, a family medicine physician at Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital, reminds us that many foods and drinks contain caffeine, so we should not just look at the signs, but learn to calculate how much caffeine we have consumed! Caffeine is a stimulant that can stimulate the central nervous system. It is commonly used in clinical medicine in compound medicines to treat headaches. Excessive use can cause symptoms such as palpitations, headaches, anxiety, insomnia, and frequent urination. Dr. Li Yixuan said that long-term and heavy use will lead to the risk of dependence and addiction, and it is not advisable to stop using it suddenly to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Moderate intake is good for the body. If you have any related concerns, it is recommended to consult a doctor.

The National Health and Family Planning Commission recommends that adults should consume no more than 300 mg of caffeine per day and pregnant women should consume no more than 200 mg. Yan Huijing, a nutritionist at Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital, added that caffeine will reduce the absorption of calcium and iron, and recommends that adolescents and children who are still growing should consume it in small amounts or even avoid it to avoid affecting their growth.

Avoid consuming caffeinated foods, drinks and medicines at the same time to prevent discomfort caused by excessive caffeine intake.

Doctors urge: Pay attention to the caffeine content labels on packaged drinks

Many people buy commercially available energy drinks to stay awake for exams or work, but they ignore that the key ingredient in energy drinks that can keep them awake is "caffeine". Dr. Li Yixuan reminds us that the daily caffeine intake cannot only refer to the red, yellow and green lights of freshly mixed drinks, but also pay attention to the caffeine content labels on the packaged drinks. For example, energy drinks and cola are often overlooked caffeinated drinks.

4 foods that contain caffeine that you shouldn't ignore

In addition, there are many foods in our lives that contain caffeine but are not within the FDA's labeling standards, such as chocolate, coffee-related products, tea, and painkillers. Li Yixuan said: "Caffeinated foods, drinks and medicines should be avoided together to avoid excessive caffeine intake and discomfort."

Caffeine "red, yellow, green" logo

Red: Indicates that the total caffeine content per cup of coffee is above 201 mg.

Yellow: Indicates that the total caffeine content of each cup of coffee is between 101 and 200 mg.

Green: Indicates that the total caffeine content per cup of coffee is less than 100 mg.

Dr. Li Yixuan added that caffeine will interact with some drugs: caffeine will inhibit the body's absorption of oral thyroid hormone, which may lead to the risk of insufficient drug concentration; taking cold medicines containing ephedrine and caffeine at the same time will over-stimulate the central nervous system and cause excitement; sedatives and hypnotics counteract each other with caffeine. Li Yixuan recommends stopping watching and listening before taking the medicine, and consulting a doctor or pharmacist first, so that you can enjoy caffeine without harming your health.