Do I have to give up coffee completely?

tumsbums
tumsbums Posts: 32 Member
edited September 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there! I am a 23 year old student who really loves a coffee. However - recently I have seen a lot of articles on why caffeine is bad for you. :'(

These articles state things along the lines of "Just one cup can increase stress and unhealthy belly fat", "It causes cancers", "it can cause brain damage by overstimulating the body" etc.

I try not to get too scared by these statements, but I must admit they are worrying me, :/ and I really don't want to cut coffee out my life! I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this subject?: Do I really have to go without it from now on?

Just to add a little more info - I don't really think I am addicted to caffeine. I don't have a coffee everyday, and I never make it at home. I have it about 4 times a week when I visit a coffee shop with friends. I am a huge fan of a cappuccino or a yummy gingerbread latte now and then!

Any help on this would be much appreciated - thanks! X :)
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Replies

  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    No. Coffee is good.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    You need to stop reading bad articles. You absolutely do not have to give up coffee.

    This right here ^^

    You are reading junk articles with no basis in science.

  • stephyc2016
    stephyc2016 Posts: 46 Member
    Enjoy your coffee! Log it like anything else and move on with your day. :) If you believed everything you read then you wouldn't eat because everything, according to "research" gives you cancer.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    Ignore all that crap. It is BS and click bait. Drink your coffee and don't read silly stuff. :)
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    Well, everyone in this thread is already dead...

    And a lot of health articles are now recommending caffeine, so your click-bait articles seem outdated compared to the ones I'm currently seeing on FB.
  • jagodfrey08
    jagodfrey08 Posts: 425 Member
    Shoot. I only gave up coffee because of the fat and calories in my creamer...and the massive reflux I got. Then, I found those Powerful Yogurt mocha double espresso drinks. Love them! Tastes like one of those Starbucks Frappuccinos in the store, has 170 MG caffeine and 2q g protein per 12 ounces. So yummy! Plus, no heartburn. Love it!!

    I would probably die and take a few people with me if I had to give up coffee forever.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Many sources suggest 400 mg of caffeine a day from all sources should be a safe upper limit for most adults.

    Sample article:
    http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20045678
  • DanerTee
    DanerTee Posts: 263 Member
    Spliner1969 wrote: »
    Pfft. When I first started dieting I was told to give up coffee and the weight would come off faster. I didn't question it and dropped it for the longest time along with soda. It worked, but I found that the problem wasn't coffee, it was the ton of processed sugar and creamers I was using that I wasn't logging. Now I drink it black with stevia for sweetener, and find it beneficial still. I drink it less, because honestly I like the creamers and sugar, but this way it's an energy boost and has 0 calories. Helps me keep my metabolism going. However, I still don't drink it past noon each day, because if I do, I won't sleep at night.

    Do you find that stevia has a terrible after taste? I drink my coffee black, but popped some stevia in my Americano once and had to dump it, it was so vile!
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Heck no! Coffee is a great tool in the weight loss arsenal. Might wanna watch the cream and sugar.
  • bshrom
    bshrom Posts: 71 Member
    Coffee is fine, at like 5 calories a cup there is no reason to give it up if you ask me. It's not the coffee itself that is the problem it's what people add to it that could cause an issue.
  • sarahlifts
    sarahlifts Posts: 610 Member
    *Sips grande skinny vanilla latte* No enjoy your coffee. skip the sugary add ons bc they add up.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Coffee actually has quite a bit of nutritional value. Excessive caffeine isn't good for you, but a moderate amount of caffeine isn't a biggie either.

    Take these kinds of articles with a huge grain of salt...even ones that are written on studies often misinterpret those studies or cherry pick certain things from those studies to make for more sensationalized reading and thus more sales.

    Your best bet is to look at actual studies and not articles.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    Nope! I drink coffee shamelessly almost everyday. Coffee itself usually has 0-5 calories, it's the add-ins that are bad. There are tons of hacks that can make a lower-sugar coffee taste delicious though. Try out a cold brew + coconut or skim milk with a few pumps of sugar-free syrup (vanilla or cinnamon dulce) at Starbuck's or a couple pumps of the unsweetened flavor shots (15 cals each at Dunkin' Donuts - they have endless flavors!). To "fake" a latte, get an Americano with an extra shot of espresso, no water and extra skim + flavor. Little to no cals, all the flavor and caffeine.
  • Catawampous
    Catawampous Posts: 447 Member
    DanerTee wrote: »
    Frankly, you can pry my morning coffee out of my cold dead hands.

    ^^ This ... right there.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    DanerTee wrote: »
    Spliner1969 wrote: »
    Pfft. When I first started dieting I was told to give up coffee and the weight would come off faster. I didn't question it and dropped it for the longest time along with soda. It worked, but I found that the problem wasn't coffee, it was the ton of processed sugar and creamers I was using that I wasn't logging. Now I drink it black with stevia for sweetener, and find it beneficial still. I drink it less, because honestly I like the creamers and sugar, but this way it's an energy boost and has 0 calories. Helps me keep my metabolism going. However, I still don't drink it past noon each day, because if I do, I won't sleep at night.

    Do you find that stevia has a terrible after taste? I drink my coffee black, but popped some stevia in my Americano once and had to dump it, it was so vile!

    I can't use Stevia for that reason. (And I've pinpointed it as something that may be giving me headaches). I tried Truvia in a cup of coffee once, and it had a horrible aftertaste and also kind of made my mouth tingle. For a moment, I was worried that maybe someone had left some kind of cleaning fluid in our coffeemaker.
  • JeanLaw131
    JeanLaw131 Posts: 78 Member
    DanerTee wrote: »
    Frankly, you can pry my morning coffee out of my cold dead hands.

    ^^^ This!
  • JenniDaisy
    JenniDaisy Posts: 526 Member
    I actually started drinking more coffee when I started to cut down calories, I switched from tea with milk and sugar to black coffee to save calories.
    Moderate caffeine is actually good for you, up to about four cups is benificial to your health (obviously barring any medical conditions).
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    What. Please.... no. Just have a cup or two and be happy. I have been drinking coffee since I was a young child. Why they gave me coffee that young is beyond me. But here I am. Still living.

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