Rich and creamy soft drinks like root beer are popular in North America. While the majority of people are aware that other types of drinks frequently contain caffeine, many are unaware of root beer’s caffeine level. Does root beer have caffeine?
This can be particularly challenging if you’re attempting to cut back on or completely avoid coffee in your diet.
This article explores the presence of caffeine in root beer and offers some quick tests.
What Is Special About Root Beer?
Root beer has a distinctive herbal taste and flavor. This distinctive flavor sets it apart from other soda beverages with caffeine, such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, which are manufactured by processing Kola nuts.
Sassafras root was traditionally used as the main component of root beer. Sassafras root does, however, contain safrole, a substance known to cause cancer.
As a result, the FDA outlawed the use of sassafras in the manufacturing of food and beverages. Modern root beer is produced by manufacturers using either sassafras root that has had the safrole chemically removed or artificial sassafras flavoring.
Additionally, the sassafras root is brewed with various spices and roots, such as:
- Spicewood, ginger, and burdock root
- coffee beans
- Coriander
- Juniper
These components work together to produce root beer with a complex, distinctive flavor.
Does Root Beer Have Caffeine?
In general, the majority of root beer brands sold in North America don’t contain any caffeine.
The majority of varieties of this well-known beverage comprise carbonated water, sugar, food coloring, and artificial flavors, while the exact ingredients might vary depending on the brand and product.
However, very few brands have extra caffeine in them.
Here are a few well-known root beer brands without caffeine:
- Diet Mug Root Beer
- Dad’s Root Beer
- A&W Root Beer
- Mug Root Beer
- Diet Dad’s Root Beer
Caffeine May Be Present in Some Kinds
Although root beer typically has no caffeine, some variants might.
Caffeine content is particularly significant for the brand Barq’s.
Each 12-ounce (355 ml) can of the normal kind has about 22 milligrams in it. The diet version, however, doesn’t have any.
As a point of comparison, an average 8-ounce (240 ml) cup of coffee has about 96 mg of caffeine, which is roughly four times the amount in a can of Barq’s.
Green or black tea is another caffeinated beverage that has greater caffeine content, typically delivering 28 to 48 mg per cup (240 ml)
Should I Be Afraid of Drinking Too Much Barq’s Root Beer Caffeine?
Most individuals should not be very concerned about the caffeine content of normal Barq’s Root Beer. There are also alternative sodas with far higher caffeine content. The same holds true for most teas and coffee.
But keep in mind that it’s not crucial how much caffeine is in a can of Barq’s. The total amount of caffeine in your diet is crucial for your health.
It’s unlikely that drinking one or two cans a day will cause you any concern on its own. (Unless you’re on a low- or no-caffeine diet for health reasons, of course.)
But remember to consider the other sources of caffeine in your diet as well. The obvious offenders include tea, coffee, and soda drinks. However, chocolate also includes caffeine. The same holds true for desserts with a chocolate flavor, such as ice cream or cake.
Even tiny sums can pile up. Therefore, if you’re trying to cut back on your caffeine intake, be sure to think about all the foods and beverages that contain caffeine.
Checking for Caffeine
Caffeine-containing foods like coffee, tea, and chocolate may not be explicitly listed on the label.
On the other hand, items that have additional caffeine, such as some versions of root beer, must declare it on the ingredient label.
Remember that manufacturers are not required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to declare the precise amount of caffeine added to food goods.
Therefore, checking the product’s website or getting in touch with the manufacturer directly are the two best ways to find out exactly how much a particular product contains.
Right Amount of Root Beer to Drink
You must take into account the number of calories and sugar that are permitted in your daily diet to determine how much root beer is safe to consume each day.
The daily caloric limit for an average adult is 2500 calories for males and 2000 calories for women. Adults also require between 26 and 36 grams of sugar every day. 400 milligrams of caffeine as well.
Now, if you convert that into root beer cans, you can have up to 17 cans a day when you only take the necessary caffeine levels into account. Nevertheless, those 17 cans equal 44 grams of sugar, and since we got started early, each can has a maximum of 290 calories.
Since most people plan to eat while they drink, a few root beers can easily cause you to exceed the recommended daily intake of sugar, calories, and caffeine.
But as long as you don’t have any dietary restrictions due to certain medical conditions, drinking a couple of cans every day is fine.
Conclusion
The majority of root beer types marketed in North America are caffeine-free.
But some brands, like Barq’s, could add a tiny bit of extra caffeine to each dose.
Check the ingredient list of your beverages carefully to see if they include extra caffeine if you’re attempting to cut back on it or eliminate it altogether.