Healthy Living

Coffee: The Good, The Bad…The Ugly

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Wellness Wednesday

I'm part of Post A Day 2016

Recently, it has been drawn to my attention…I drink too much coffee. (Is that even possible?)

Do you want to know HOW  was told I drink too much coffee?

We were walking through Costco, and I say to my daughter, “ooh, I almost forgot to grab more coffee! I’m just about out.”

At this prompt, she SCREAMS, “NO MORE COFFEE!! You LOOOOOOOVE coffee too much! You are a coffee momma!”

It was definitely a cross between stinking hilarious and humiliating!

It did, however, make me stop and question…

“Do I really drink too much coffee?”

“Can a person drink too much coffee?”

I always hear mixed views on this subject. Some people say coffee can actually be good for you. Others, say coffee is the root of all evil.

Which is it?

I decided, this weeks wellness research was going to be on this subject. So, here is the good, the bad and the ugly of what I found!

The Good:

  1. Increases fiber intake: coffee is full of fiber
  2. Lowers the risk of Type 2 Diabetes: for every cup you drink, it lowers the risk by 9%
  3. Lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s: there is quite a bit of evidence proving this
  4. Lowers the risk of Cancer, Heart Disease and Multiple Sclerosis
  5. High in antioxidants

You can read a longer list with references here: 20 + Good Health Reasons to Drink Coffee

The Bad:

  1. Can cause insomnia: it takes 6 hours for 1/2 of the caffeine to work its way out of our body. Caffeinated drinks (like coffee) should be avoided after 2pm so it doesn’t prevent us from sleeping good later on
  2. Can trigger anxiety: coffee amplifies the effects of our two main stress hormones, cortisol and epinephrine which can trigger anxiety
  3. Increases our craving for sweets: caffeine changes our taste perception which causes us to crave more sweets. Can I say-coffee and donuts?
  4. Can make GERD symptoms worse: if you have GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) or any other issue with heart burn, coffee should be limited because it stimulates the secretion of gastric acid which causes heart burn
  5. Very addicting: I know this first hand for sure! Anything that makes my body want more and more of it is kinda scary to me

The Ugly:

Okay, I’ll be honest, as a coffee lover, it was a little hard for me to read the pro’s and con’s of coffee fairly. I found myself trying to weigh out the pro’s higher than the things listed on the con’s etc.

Either way, we all know our body. As adults, we pretty much know what is obviously good (fruits, veggies etc. ) and obviously bad (drugs, alcohol etc.) All of these things (minus the drugs) can be enjoyed in moderation. I’ve always been one to say, “don’t deprive yourself of something as long as you do so in moderation-honest moderation!

The key is moderation, which is typically 2-3 cups a day, to get the coffee health benefits but avoid the negative issues associated with too much caffeine.

So, to sum up…the only thing I can think to place under the “The Ugly” category, is how I am without coffee…down right ugly! ha ha

So, the next time my daughter teases me about drinking too much coffee, I am going to tell her the pro’s of drinking coffee and see her reaction. LOL

I hope this post shed the light on some of the good, the bad and the ugly of drinking coffee. If anything, I hope it will cause you to stop and think about your coffee/caffeine intake.

Are you at a moderate level?

Are you drinking it too late in the day and having it affect your sleep?

Take an honest assessment of yourself today and see how you can improve.

Each little bit helps.

Excuse me…my coffee is ready now 😉

But, don’t worry. I’ll be brave and skip that 2nd cup!

***Stay tuned for tomorrows “Trekking Thursday” where I visit my favorite Coffee Farm here on the island of Oahu, HI!

Coffee

With Aloha,
Lacy

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Published by adventuresofabusymomcom

I am a military wife, a mother, a hiker, a dog lover, a refurbisher, a reader, a drawer, a baker...whatever I can do to enjoy life is what you will catch me doing!

26 thoughts on “Coffee: The Good, The Bad…The Ugly”

  1. As a coffee lover I turn a blind eye to the bad lol . I try to drink it in moderation . When I was pregnant I did not drink it I think that lessened the cravings . Sometimes I only have one cup lol

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    1. Now I don’t feel so guilty for doing the same thing! Ha! Moderation is key. I usually have a cup in the morning and then an iced coffee that I make myself around 1:30. Sometimes. I take one with me to basketball practice in the evening. But, after what I learned about it taking so long to works through our body, I won’t be doing that anymore! I need my sleep at night!!!! Thanks for reading!

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  5. hahaha. cheers. Love it and as we talked about before, the computer is the perfect place to have one sitting. I have had to cut back, but yes, it will always be in moderation for me now. Great post Lacy. I will be in London next week, not too sure about the tea thing. I will try..in the afternoon.

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  6. Great topic and research Lacy! I’m sure that your findings and conclusions should be of interest to most folks. Looks like I need to drink more coffee – only one large cup each morning with a piece of toast, yummy muffin and some blueberries. If I drink more, I may become an extrovert like you!

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      2. Nah. You know me…I enjoy a good splurge now and then! You probably read about my anniversary Dinner Cruise in September where I ate the entire 7 course meal! You better bed I hit spin class after that! lol But, it was fun and totally worth it! As for coffee….some days you may need more than others! I have more on blogging mornings. It is my reward for not getting distracted! Ha

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      3. Haha – Good to know you a teeny bit better! Sorry I missed your 7 course extravaganza! How many years was your anniversary? Coffee enhances my morning photo-editing – but then I can get carried away with special effects which is can be quite silly and just not natural.

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  7. I would definitely be defined as a coffee lover, I honestly drink way too much coffee. I also, try to rationally weight out the pros of drinking coffee with the cons. Although, this was a much needed read. I am glad you shared this information. I Absoutely love your blog!

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