#25 But is coffee bad for me?
The reason for this week’s blog topic is because I am foolishly embarking on 1 week without coffee (as part of a 7 day detox in support of my sister). This is not something I do very often and have no idea why I have agreed to it but am treating it as a bit of an experiment. Coffee is one of my favourite things in the world and it’s VERY good for my well-being. I know that by mid week, I will be missing it a lot.
I like the smell of coffee, the taste of it (coffee flavoured anything is always my favourite whether it is chocolate, ice-cream or cocktails) and I love the ritual of making coffee. When I am away from home, I will always seek out the best place to get coffee and I am a self-confessed coffee snob.
I thought it would be interesting to do more research on whether coffee (or more precisely the caffeine in coffee) is good or bad for us as there are such mixed reports.
It is believed that coffee was discovered by an Ethiopian shepherd who noticed the surge in energy amongst his goats when they ate the berries And now 80% of the world’s population drinks a caffeinated product each day.
So what are the benefits of coffee?
Coffee contains caffeine which is a stimulant and therefore improves our energy levels, our mood and some brain functions
It can speed up our metabolic rate to help us burn fat (although this does vary depending on your size and is thought to diminish over time)
Coffee contains important nutrients, including riboflavin, pantothenic acid, manganese, potassium, magnesium and niacin
There are a number of health benefits - there is evidence that coffee consumption can prevent a number of diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease https://www.caffeineinformer.com/top-10-caffeine-health-benefits
Coffee granule rubs can help prevent cellulite - the caffeine can help dilate blood vessels and reduce the appearance of skin dimples!
So with many good points, why would we not just drink coffee all day every day? Well, apparently it would take 80 to 100 cups to kill the average human BUT we do know that too much coffee is not good.
Large amounts of caffeine can make you anxious and affect your sleeping patterns. It can also cause physical symptoms such as nausea and heart palpitations.
How many cups should we have a day?
Although the guidelines on how many cups a day we should limit ourselves to do seem to vary, 2 to 4 does seem to be the most common advice. But as we know, the size of a coffee does vary - a large takeaway coffee can contain 3 shots (around 330mg) which is close to the recommended healthy limit.
Equally important is what time of the day you drink coffee as it can take several hours to wear off. According to research caffeine remains in your system for around 5 hours but can range from 1 to 9 depending on the individual) . So if you drink coffee later in the day, it is more likely to affect your sleep.
However, as with most things in life that are enjoyable, it’s ALL about knowing your own limits. Our tolerance to caffeine and how it affects us is very individual so public guidance must be taken with a pinch of salt. Although I would love to drink 10 cups a day, I don’t ever drink more than 3 and I never drink coffee after mid afternoon. But for this week I am not drinking any (an experience that I won’t be repeating any time soon). Clearly the benefits and pleasure of drinking coffee far outweigh any downsides.
