As a PhD candidate and instructor at a large private research university, I spend countless hours at Starbucks. I oftentimes find myself visiting a Starbucks store three or even four times a day. It is normal for me to purchase a Starbucks beverage in the morning to jump-start my day, followed by another at a meeting with a student or colleague, and yet another during an afternoon dissertation-writing session. Until recently, I never thought twice about the amount of caffeine I was consuming in one day. Instead, I thought mostly about calorie intake and sugar content, never ordering more than one “fancy” (read nonfat dirty chai or another of my sweeter favorites) drink per day. But since the time I realized I was pregnant in late February, not only do I consider calories and grams of sugar when placing an order at Starbucks, but also caffeine content (perhaps now the most important factor when placing my order). According to the most recent recommendation of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), pregnant women are advised to consume fewer than 200 milligrams of caffeine per day. This amount is considered “moderate caffeine intake.”

The recommendation appears clear: simply limit intake to 200 milligrams per day. However, pregnant women often do not consider the wide discrepancies in the caffeine content of different brews. As a rule of thumb, one “medium” cup of coffee is about 200 milligrams. And yet, the average Grande (16-ounce) Starbucks bold brew contains around 320 milligrams of caffeine – 120 milligrams more than the “typical” cup of coffee! Even decaffeinated coffee (Starbucks, as well as other brands) has trace amounts of caffeine, about 25 milligrams per 16 ounces.

So, what have I been ordering? Here is a list of caffeine-free favorites, as well as a few drinks that stay well under the 200 milligram daily allotment.

Playing It Safe (caffeine-free drinks at Starbucks):

• Passion Tea Lemonade, unsweetened
• Skinny Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
• Skinny Vanilla Bean Frappuccino

“Craving Caffeine” Orders:

• Grande Nonfat Misto (extra milk) *Ordering the Misto with extra milk drops the caffeine content, which is normally 150 mg
• Decaf Skinny Caramel Macchiato (25 mg caffeine)
• Nonfat Chai Tea Latte (100 mg caffeine) *The new Oprah Chai Tea Latte contains only 50 mg caffeine