What is up with coffee? Advice/ opinions please

neeterskeeter
neeterskeeter Posts: 571 Member
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
I love coffee but I usually have no more than 2 cups a day because of the caffeine. Lately I've been thinking of cutting it out altogether because I would like to be naturally more alert instead of relying on it, and I was thinking the caffeine is unhealthy and dehydrating. I guess I thought coffee was unhealthy because whenever I go to the doctors, the form I have to fill out asks me how much coffee I drink, just like it asks me if I smoke or do drugs and it asks me how much alcohol I drink... so I associate it with negative things physically.

But just now I was doing some research before making such a huge life-changing commitment (I have drunk coffee regularly since I was a teenager), and, everything I find says that it's a myth that coffee is unhealthy, and that it actually has health benefits such as decreasing one's risk of colon cancer (my grandmother died from this so that really caught my eye) and other types of cancer and type II diabetes, and it helps improve one's mood and alertness. And its key benefit is antioxidants which can help one live longer!!

So what is going on? Is coffee good for me or bad for me? If I want to live a very healthy lifestyle, is it something that I should avoid or embrace? Below are some links that I was just looking at. Please help!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/health/05brod.html

http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/coffee_health_risk.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-06-16-coffee-heart-disease_N.htm

Replies

  • neeterskeeter
    neeterskeeter Posts: 571 Member
    I love coffee but I usually have no more than 2 cups a day because of the caffeine. Lately I've been thinking of cutting it out altogether because I would like to be naturally more alert instead of relying on it, and I was thinking the caffeine is unhealthy and dehydrating. I guess I thought coffee was unhealthy because whenever I go to the doctors, the form I have to fill out asks me how much coffee I drink, just like it asks me if I smoke or do drugs and it asks me how much alcohol I drink... so I associate it with negative things physically.

    But just now I was doing some research before making such a huge life-changing commitment (I have drunk coffee regularly since I was a teenager), and, everything I find says that it's a myth that coffee is unhealthy, and that it actually has health benefits such as decreasing one's risk of colon cancer (my grandmother died from this so that really caught my eye) and other types of cancer and type II diabetes, and it helps improve one's mood and alertness. And its key benefit is antioxidants which can help one live longer!!

    So what is going on? Is coffee good for me or bad for me? If I want to live a very healthy lifestyle, is it something that I should avoid or embrace? Below are some links that I was just looking at. Please help!

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/health/05brod.html

    http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/coffee_health_risk.htm

    http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-06-16-coffee-heart-disease_N.htm
  • lexley
    lexley Posts: 35
    I think that Coffee in moderation is fine. I've read about it having antioxidants or something like that. Of course too much of it is a very bad thing. It dehydrates you and I think messes with your blood sugar and makes you hungry. I know if I go beyond my 2 cups in the morning I crave sweets.
  • ChubbyBunny
    ChubbyBunny Posts: 3,523 Member
    I think anything in moderation is okay.
    For me, when I drink coffee, it throws off my water consumption. I rarely end up drinking 1/2 the recomended amount on coffee days.

    :flowerforyou:
  • shkaki
    shkaki Posts: 234 Member
    the actual coffee isnt bad for you, its all the stuff that people tend to throw into it, sugar, creamer, sugar-substitute, etc...

    the reason it helps prevent colon cancer most likely is because of the caffeine which stimulates the digestive system, which "keeps waste moving" so to say. That would be my guess, so a higher-fiber diet would probably have the same effect.

    I drink coffee almost daily, some days more than others, but I try not to add too much to it to avoid excess calories/fat/sugar. I think that limiting yourself to 2cups/day isn't a bad idea, you don't want to cut out everything in your life that you enjoy!!! but if you feel you'd be better off with out it, go for it!

    :drinker:
  • neeterskeeter
    neeterskeeter Posts: 571 Member
    Those are some important points you guys brought up, thanks.

    1) I don't drink enough water.

    2) I put flavored creamer in my coffee which automatically adds about 100 calories daily.

    3) I am trying to be more healthy and I know I can get some of the same health benefits from my diet that the studies have shown people get from coffee. Imagine if all of us had healthy diets, there would be a lot less diseases, with or without coffee!

    Another thing I've been thinking about a lot when it comes to coffee (and alcohol) only applies to me but it's a big enough reason for me to try cutting it out for awhile and see what the effects are. I've had a really bad sleep disorder since I was 12 and doctors have told me that it is stress-related and also related to anxiety. I keep thinking... okay, coffee has caffeine and caffeine is a drug and maybe it raises my heart rate or somehow adds to my sleep disorder. I don't know if there is any validity to that line of thought, because I usually only drink coffee in the mornings and a couple years ago I drastically cut down the amount of coffee I drink and limit myself to 2 cups a day, and THAT hasn't seemed to have much of an effect on my sleep disorder (although it wasn't why I did it and perhaps I wasn't paying enough attention to the effects.)

    I don't know, I just want to be naturally healthy but I know that coffee is natural hence coffee beans LOL. I'm thinking I could try cutting out coffee and alcohol and see if my sleep disorder gets any better. I guess it doesn't hurt to try it. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks guys.
  • keiko
    keiko Posts: 2,919 Member
    I am older than you and gave up coffee (which I love) about a month ago. I did it for different reasons than you. Being premenopausal, hot flashes/night sweats, not sleeping because of it. But I can say that I feel so much better! I am sleeping better, more alert, have more energy., less HF/NS. So I say try it for a month or two and see how you feel. You might be pleasantly surprised. If it does not seem to make a difference and you want to go back to drinking it then you can.

    I do miss the stimulation of the digestive system. But have been working to up the fiber, slowly working. Don't want to add to much at a time! Have to let the body get use to it!

    I did switch to green tea. It also has health benefits and has lower caffeine. It's cold here and I like to have something warm.
    Kelly
  • sindyb9
    sindyb9 Posts: 1,248 Member
    I have my coffee no sugar and fat free cream in the morning then, green tea(has no caffine) the rest of the day. I find if I drink it later in the day it does keep me a wake at night. I dont like it but you can always try decaf. :drinker:
  • neeterskeeter
    neeterskeeter Posts: 571 Member
    Keiko,
    Our reasons for giving it up are more similar than you think. I have night terrors which are more frequent when I am hot at night. I have to make sure the room is cool or I don't sleep with any covers, etc. During a night terror I can be drenched in sweat becaues I am so hot. They arrived when I was 12 and that is the same time I got my period; I have done some research and, there isn't much research on adult night terrors, but I found studies suggesting a link between night terrors in women and hormones. All of the doctors have told me that night terrors are genetic but there is no history of them in my family. However, my mom has very bad hormone problems, she has had menopausal-like symptoms since she was 40 (now she is 47 and still having problems). Therefore I am convinced that my night terrors are related to hormonal problems or a hormonal imbalance that is genetic. Plus, although there is really no cure for them, the doctors have told me that they are linked to stress and anxiety. So I just think that coffee cannot help any of those things -- hormones, stress, anxiety -- and in fact maybe it's something I've used as an aide to help cover up the real issues without letting me work on them naturally.

    So thanks for sharing that and if it's helped you sleep better I really hope it will help me too. I love hot tea and I like it decaffienated (whereas with coffee, I always think, what's the point in drinking it if it's not caffeinated LOL), plus it relaxes me before bed, so I'm going to switch to just that and water.

    I have already gone yesterday and today without coffee. Yesterday I was very tired, more than usual, and today I have a bad headache that makes it hard to focus. So that shows me right there that my body is too dependent on those 2 cups of coffee daily. Maybe as it totally leaves my system I'll start to see good side effects instead of bad from giving it up. Thanks again!
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