Cocoa Powder - Caffein - Why is it safe?
#235997 - 01/05/06 01:20 PM
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joecool
Reged: 12/31/05
Posts: 41
Loc: Minnesota
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Just wondering why cocoa powder is safe when it has a decent amount of caffein in it. For example I would say that ADB brownies have about 300MG caffein which is about 3 cups of coffe of course spread out over 12 servings is about 25mg which is half of a 12oz mountain dew.
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The caffeine in cocoa is carried in the fat so cocoa powder has very little caffeine in it that can get into your bloodstream. This is why we use cocoa powder and NOT bitter chocolate (fat therefore caffeine).
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That is a really good question!  But I think your math might be off a bit. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
- 1 T of Hershey's cocoa powder has about 11 mg of caffeine. Hershey's Caffeine Chart
- ADBs have 3/4 cup of cocoa powder, which equals 12 T of cocoa powder (1/4 c = 4T).
- 12 (# of T) * 11 (mg per T) would equal 121 mg of caffeine. Not 300 mg, right?
- Also the ADB recipe makes 20 servings, so you would divide 121 by 20 and end up with 6.05 mg per serving. That's less caffeine than one cup of decaf coffee, which isn't too much caffeine for most IBSers (but decaf coffee is still a no-no - see below).  However, any amount of caffeine could be problematic for someone who is really sensitive to it. Each person has their own tolerances and levels of sensitivity, so you would have to experiment to see how well you handle cocoa powder.
BTW, it's not just the caffeine in coffee that's bad for IBS, but also an enzyme it contains which irritates the digestive tract. This is why decaf coffee is also bad for you. Coffee and IBS
Cola and other soft drinks contain at least 5 times the amount of caffeine as cocoa powder. In addition, they are carbonated and contain HFCS, which are also GI irritants.
Edited by SPASMTASTICAL! (01/05/06 02:13 PM)
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Thanks Maria!
#236039 - 01/05/06 02:18 PM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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I knew it wasn't enough to be a problem cos the caffeine in solid chocolate is tied to the fat but I didn't know the stats!
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My math was wrong because I went on 1.75 cups by memmory and that was incorrect. I also used 12 brownies and I would say I probably get about 15 from my pan so even if you make it like 10 mg that is still 1/5 of a mountain dew which has 55mg for 12oz.
I really miss my Mountain Dew. Sigh 
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Mountain Dew
#236198 - 01/06/06 08:04 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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Mountain Dew ingredients...
Quote:
Carbonated water (trigger) , high fructose corn syrup (trigger) and/or sugar, concentrated orange juice and other natural flavors, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness), caffeine (trigger) , sodium citrate, gum arabic, erythorbic acid (preserves freshness), calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor) and brominated vegetable oil, yellow 5.
And it's acidic and the additives won't do you any good. And the diet stuff is even worse.
There are MANY reasons to not drink Mountain Dew, not just the caffeine. 
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Hello fellow Minnesotan. Do you happen to work in the St Cloud area?
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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I sure don't miss all the D it gave me though.
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I work at a high carb, high dairy food manufacturer in the twin cities.
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Doesn't mean I don't miss it lol.
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