I don’t ever really indulge in anything particularly ‘naughty’ when it comes to food and drink consumption these days. I hardly never drink anymore, my diet is so healthy it’s scary and i’ve never done drugs in my life!
SO, to get any joy out of life i have to look elsewhere at the minute to get that treat at the end of the day or that thing which i can go home too and just enjoy. Right now and for a long time it’s been coffee. In small quantities coffee is no real harm to you however i think it’s safe to safe i am actually addicted to caffeine… which isn’t such good news.
On an average day i would drink up too at least 5 cups of coffee at work a day, more if im working at the pub and most days drink a massive cafeteria of real ground coffee (sometimes two a day).
I noticed that i was drinking a LOT of coffee about two weeks ago and tried to cut down. Drinking only two cups a day but i have to say i found this really hard. As i say, i don’t indulge in anything else like chocolate, alcohol or cake and so i kind of saw coffee as a treat.
I know that excessive amounts of coffee isn’t good for you but i thought i’d delve in a little deeps and see whats what.
The Good:
Turns out drinking coffee helps can potentially help with all manor of things including:
- Reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s.
- When roasted is full of antioxidants.
- Reduces the risk of gout, gallstone disease and Parkinson’s disease.
- It can improve cognitive performance ie. give you short term renewed alertness.
- Reduces the risk of high blood pressure.
- Has analgesic properties which increases the effectiveness of painkillers and is the reason many over the counter medications contain caffeine.
The Bad:
- You can become addicted to it.
- If consumed to excess it can increase irritability, anxiety and insomnia.
- It can lead to iron deficiency’s and anemia.
- In severe cases can lead to coronary artery disease.
The Ugly:
- Excessive amounts will cause loose bowl movement and is basically a laxative.
- It can also make your urine smell and be discoluored.
You’ve gotta be a younger fella, most younger folks go through this “I’m addicted to caffeine/coffee” phase. I went through it about fifteen years ago. Don’t give up the coffee, you’ll get over the whole “you can get addicted to it” thing soon enough. When you look at the pluses stacked against the very few minuses, it’s apparent: Coffee is truly awesome. Enjoy it – and don’t forget that coffee is the best food source of antioxidants known to man (no kidding – it beats everything, multiple times over). In fact, thanks for the reminder – it’s time for a refill (5th cup today and it won’t be the last).
Haha as always, wise words my friend! I think, yes, a pot of coffee it is for me too!!