Is coffee really bad for you??

Just like most vices, coffee is harmless in moderation!
As a previous employee at your neighborhood coffee chain store, I had regular customers that had to have their fix. Most were normal drinks with the regular 2 shots or just a cup of coffee... but this one individual drank NINE shots of espresso in his fix, 2 x day! Not only is that a really expensive habit, but I doubt in that high of doses caffeine is good for you. I asked him what happens if he skipped it, and he said he would get tremendous headaches.

I say drink your coffee, just don't go nuts- or add a bunch of things to mask the taste (if you don't like the taste, drink caffeinated tea?)
If you are going to drink it- brew your own! its so much cheaper and honestly tastes just as good if you buy good coffee. And a french press is 12 bucks at Ikea and makes some strong brew!

It's funny because most of the people who will go out on a limb to say "COFFEE IZ BADDDDD" are the ones who probably don't exercise enough, are afraid of red meat, and eat crap like Special K cereal because the labels say it's healthy... when in reality, a little bit of coffee is the least of their problems. They just hear caffein and automatically think it' taboo.

Its not all black and white. (Sometimes Its black and sometimes its creamy brown with cinnamon sprinkles.)

There are a lot of beneficial things about drinking coffee and there is the potential for there to be harm from drinking coffee, however, I must say...Everything I have heard about coffee being potentially harmful is the result of overindulgence in it.

Its my opinion that coffee, in moderation, is perfectly safe.

Having experienced overindulgence in coffee and some painful results from it, I'm happy to say I haven't had coffee in over two months. I am basically trying to cleanse out my body and that is one of the reasons I am here at MFP.

I started drinking coffee when I got out of high school and I am now 42. At some point in the near future, I will probably have a nice decaf soy latte. But for now, I am content in my recovery.

Almost any food product that has harmful claims associated with it is fine if consumed in moderation.

Just my two cents.

there are all kinds of studies that say coffee is actually good for you. Antioxidants, and all kinds of apparent protection against things like diabetes, parkinson's, gallstones, kidney stones, alzheimer's disease. I'm sticking with that. And my 3 cups of coffee.

This is totally true!!

i don't think anyone who has replied here is a doctor!

funny...

Q: What is your take on caffeine — is it good or bad? Should I skip it altogether, or maybe just stick to a daily limit?
A:
Caffeine in moderation is a good thing. It improves cognitive function, inhibits insulin resistance, and speeds up your metabolism. The trick is not to overdo it! Too much caffeine can actually make us gain weight by burning out our adrenal glands and releasing stress hormones. For this reason, 400 milligrams (mg) a day should be the limit. (That’s the equivalent of one to two large cups of coffee, depending on how strongly it’s brewed.)

Some sources of caffeine are better than others. Organic, filtered coffee (not doctored up with sugar, artificial sweeteners, or cream) is okay. Green tea is a better a choice because it promotes fat oxidation and is believed to improve insulin sensitivity. Limit your intake of caffeinated beverages to one or two a day — and because caffeine is a diuretic, you should drink one glass of water for every caffeinated drink. Also, you should have your last caffeinated drink before noon so that it doesn’t interfere with your sleep.

Get more fitness tips from Jillian Michaels.

Found this interesting:
http://katieb.hubpages.com/hub/coffee-pros-cons

If you're 'at risk' for some of the cons that are mentioned I'd avoid it. Otherwise? /shrug It's up to you. Personally I've never liked the smell of it so I've never even tried it. Plus, I'm like sensitive to caffeine or something. It only takes one 12oz caffeinated soda to wire me up for a good 12 hours. I don't drink much soda anymore... lol

Coffee is bad for you if you drink it to excess (like > 600mg of caffeine per day)

i don't think anyone who has replied here is a doctor! it's a stimulant, so if your goal is to eat purer, healthier foods, giving up your coffee is worth a shot - or at least changing it to an occasional treat rather than a daily habit.
in my (also nonmedical) opinion, it's not good to feel dependent on any substance to get through the day.
--former habitual coffee drinker!

What's not pure or healthy about coffee? The purported health benefits are well known. As for purity, my organic coffee is picked then roasted. It then makes it's way to me where I add some hot water and consume. Seems fairly pure to me.

Coffe has a lot of antioxidants in it that are really good for your body but that's drinking it black and only like 1-2 cups a day.

This is exactly what I was going to say. In a study I once read, coffee is an Americans main source of antioxidants. So *shrug* drink coffee and enjoy!!

I drink 4+ cups of black coffee everyday. Without it, I would die, so it has to be good for you. It saves lives.

lol

coffee isnt really BAD for you, but think about the unnatural sweeteners you might put in it, with the sugar! and if youre hypoglacimic like i am, all that caffeine can make you jittery and have reactions. Not fun! I would stick to water and milk!

It's obvious from these posts that you don't want to ask an addict for advice about their addiction. Coffee IS BAD for you. It has properties that are good, but overall, it is a negative. It raises blood pressure, but even worse, it raises the acid level in your body. Your stomach has to produce more acid to properly digest it. The excess acid leads to bloating and worse. One of the greatest dangers to a person's health is a high stomach acid level. Excess acid can lead to ulcers, burn your esophagus, damage your intestine, your colon. I know it sucks to hear this. I drank a cup of coffee a day for years, but since I have quit, I feel much better, my stomach has shrunk and the occasional aching in my stomach has gone away.

It's not bad for you in moderation. You're confusing your anecdotal and unconfirmed experience with actual science.

You can always find someone who will say "I stopped eating/drinking <substance x> and I feel so much better" for every substance known to man. It's called correlation, not causation and it's not scientific.

The "science" I used is based on Dr. McDougall's book "Digestive Tuneup" you pointy-headed gusano.

It's obvious from these posts that you don't want to ask an addict for advice about their addiction. Coffee IS BAD for you. It has properties that are good, but overall, it is a negative. It raises blood pressure, but even worse, it raises the acid level in your body. Your stomach has to produce more acid to properly digest it. The excess acid leads to bloating and worse. One of the greatest dangers to a person's health is a high stomach acid level. Excess acid can lead to ulcers, burn your esophagus, damage your intestine, your colon. I know it sucks to hear this. I drank a cup of coffee a day for years, but since I have quit, I feel much better, my stomach has shrunk and the occasional aching in my stomach has gone away.

It's not bad for you in moderation. You're confusing your anecdotal and unconfirmed experience with actual science.

You can always find someone who will say "I stopped eating/drinking <substance x> and I feel so much better" for every substance known to man. It's called correlation, not causation and it's not scientific.

[/quote]

Some people definitely have a sensitivity to coffee and shouldn't drink it, such as yourself. Not all foods are for everyone. Coffee does not raise the acid level in the body. That's non-science "alkaline diet" dogma.

no coffee isn't bad- just watch out for the cream and sugar! in fact, some say a cup of black coffee can have some advantages (antioxidants, sharper/more focused) but keep it under 3 cups a day (8oz cups)... you shouldn't exceed 300mg of caffeine daily or it could start affecting you negatively.