Parents Beware: 5 Surprising Sources of Caffeine

While it is true that most beverages now contain caffeine, too much of this stimulant may not be good for your kids. It's better to know what are the other sources of caffeine so you can avoid giving them to your kids.

"A strong connection has been found between caffeine and poor academic performance," Marina Kushner said, founder of the non-profit Caffeine Awareness Association. Aside from this, it can also cause nausea, heart arrhythmias, insomnia and hyperactiveness, reports Parenting.com.

"It really hits children hard because the less you weigh, the more caffeine affects the body -- and the longer it stays in the system," Kushner added. It is recommended to keep your kid's caffeine under 100 mg each day. Aside from the obvious sources like coffee, tea and soda, check out other surprising caffeine sources:

1. Chocolate

Live Science that a whole cup of semisweet chocolate chips is equivalent to a cup of coffee. On the other hand, milk chocolate contains less caffeine. It is said that nine pieces of Hershey's contain 9 mg of caffeine.

2. Decaf Coffee

Contrary to its name, decaf coffee still contains small amounts of caffeine that the decaffeinating process has not fully eliminated. Health.com says that Consumer Reports in 2007 reveal that decaf coffees from coffee standbys were found to contain as much as 20 mg of caffeine.

3. Non-Cola Sodas      

While mountain dew and other sodas are popularly known sources of caffeine, less popular non-cola drinks like root beer also contain small amounts of caffeine. One particular brand, Barq's, was proven to contain 23 mg per 12 ounces. That's 12 mg less than a can of coke says Health.com. What's more surprising is a can of Sunkist soda containing 41 mg of caffeine. Meanwhile, A&W Cream Soda has about 25 mg.

4. Ice Cream

Most popular brands of ice cream have coffee or chocolate varieties and these two can also give you a little jolt. Coffee flavor ice creams contain about 20 to 45 mg of caffeine per half a cup. The chocolate flavor may contain lesser caffeine with around 3 mg in Breyer's All Natural Chocolate ice cream.

5. Morning Spark Instant Oatmeal

According to Health.com, Sturm Foods took the oatmeal game to the next level by putting caffeine in the instant breakfast fix. It contains caffeine as much as one cup of coffee. So it's like hitting two birds with one stone: breakfast and coffee all in one.

Were you surprised to find out these contain caffeine? For more other sources of caffeine, check out the video below. Also, don't forget to share this on Facebook!