Can I drink decaffeinated coffee whilst pregnant?

Hi Everyone!  

Stefani here, Dr Suzana’s daughter and Practice Manager... So I have some great news for all of my fellow pregnant ladies and coffee lovers!

Once I found out that I was pregnant I was wondering how am I going to get through my day with only 200mg of caffeine!? (This was clearly before my nausea kicked in at 6 weeks all the way through to 18 weeks!)

So I started doing some research on the Nespresso website to determine how many milligrams of caffeine is in each of their pods, as I love my coffee strong!

When I came across the Nespresso FAQ’s it stated that it was safe for pregnant women to drink their decaffeinated pods.

Now this goes against every medical recommendation, as generally decaffeinated coffee is washed with chemicals and can cause an increased risk of miscarriage.

Naturally, I sent them an extensive email explaining why decaffeinated coffee is not safe for pregnant women to consume and how can they advise this!?

To my surprise they responded very quickly and informed me that in fact the Nespresso decaffeinated coffee beans are safe to consume whilst pregnant.

That response made me one happy pregnant lady… unfortunately shortly after I received that email my nausea kicked in and I couldn’t stand the smell or taste of coffee for a good few weeks and I questioned myself how did I ever like to drink this! Anyway, I am back to loving my coffee and occasionally have a Nespresso decaffeinated pod in addition to my strong latte.

Click here to learn more about caffeine limits during pregnancy.

 

To learn more about Nespresso’s decaffeinated coffee bean process keep reading below.

Nespresso’s response to my decaffeinated pods question:

“Decaffeination is an additional step before roasting and grinding. In general, there are several different processes of decaffeination. Some of them use chemical solvents and others use natural components: water or carbon dioxide, a natural constituent of air. We, at Nespresso use only those with natural components:

  • In the water decaffeination process, the raw coffee beans are moistened to make the bean texture porous. After that by circulating the moisture through the porous beans, the water removes the caffeine and some other water-soluble solids. The extract is then removed and filtered via active carbon where caffeine is separated from the other valuable coffee solids, which are then returned to the beans. The purified water will be re-used for subsequent decaffeination processes. The decaffeinated coffee is then dried after which the beans are ready for roasting.

  • In the carbon dioxide (CO2) method, the raw coffee beans are moistened and put into a vessel where it is pressurized with liquid carbon dioxide. Circulating through the coffee, the carbon dioxide selectively draws the caffeine out of the bean. The decaffeinated coffee is then dried after which the beans are ready for roasting. The method is also sometimes referred as “extraction with supercritical CO2”, referring to the physical state of CO2 (partly liquid , under pressure)

Both decaffeination methods use only natural ingredients for decaffeination and are completely safe for coffee drinkers. The processes respect the environment and the coffee bean’s true nature, allowing us to maintain the strength, variety and richness of its aromas for our consumers.
 

At Nespresso, we remove the caffeine without altering the coffee’s natural quality, using the smoothest most selective techniques, with no chemical solvents. Respecting the coffee bean’s true nature, our decaffeinated coffees are made exclusively from some of the world’s finest coffees and are free of any additives.

All caffeine intake has to be considered in assessing consumption habits. As per various scientific studies, an intake up to 400mg of caffeine from all sources per day for the normally healthy adult population and up to 200mg per day for pregnant women or breastfeeding women does not raise any safety concerns and has its place in a healthy and balanced diet.”