Caffeine Talk
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Got your morning (or afternoon) joe in hand? For many readers, this would be a yes. Even if you said no, it might just be because you’ve joined ranks with the tea crowd. And, while cultural practice (a mug on the work desk being as American as apple pie) and taste are undoubtedly big draws, for many of us it all boils down to that rousing, invigorating, motivating little substance: caffeine.
When it comes to caffeine, there’s a lot of dissent among those who in some way align themselves with the paleo approach. Purists shun it. Some partake sheepishly and publicly support tea more than coffee, cocoa or unsweetened caffeinated sports waters. Still others openly embrace caffeine as a reasonable compromise. (You’re harder pressed to find common support for soft and sports drinks.)
It’s true that Grok had no Starbucks or Tazo. But should we “can” caffeine?
We should first get the antioxidant issue on the table. Tea, coffee and cocoa, indeed, sport some lovely little flavonoids, but a diet rich in fruit and vegetables can offer the same. The issue is caffeine, the stimulant, itself.
As a stimulant, caffeine offers the temporary benefits of improved concentration, enhanced memory and an extra bit of energy. However, this “heightened” state has some unappealing physical effects as well. Obviously, there are the proverbial caffeine jitters and, for a few people who are either caffeine sensitive or who regularly overindulgence, even heart flutterings. But there’s more. Recent caffeine consumption can reduce blood flow to the heart during exercise.
And, apparently, some of us are “slow caffeine metabolizers” (who knew?). Being part of this crowd and partaking of caffeine, some research shows, puts us at increased risk for non-fatal heart attacks. Caffeine has been shown to also raise blood sugar levels in those with type 2 diabetes.
Additionally, caffeine induces heartburn in many people. Given that prescriptions targeting acid reflux are so common these days, we often wonder how much caffeine plays into many people’s symptoms. At a certain point for certain people, caffeine probably isn’t worth it just from that standpoint alone.
And then there’s the question of why we reach for the mug in the morning (and perhaps the afternoon). Is it really just a pick-me-up, or is it a band-aid for a larger problem like sleep deprivation, hormonal imbalance, lack of physical activity, lack of adequate sunlight, you name it. Are we really taking care of ourselves?
And is caffeine the only answer? Would heading out for a morning walk offer the same benefit? If you’re falling asleep at your desk come 2:30 p.m., would working out over the lunch hour make a difference? We’d argue that scrutinizing caffeine consumption is about the why, how much, and what else, more than a resounding yes or absolute no.
For some of us, in the end, a small amount of caffeine can be a true (and, arguably, truly needed) leg up. It’s a compromise we make in the context of our real, harried modern lives: global business trips with inevitable jet lag, heavy workloads with last minute deadlines, teething toddlers we’re up with half the night, etc. We make a commitment to truly take care of ourselves day to day, but the caffeine option is there to help get us over the hump. It’s a moderate dose of concession in the midst of a busy and otherwise healthy lifestyle.
And maybe that can bring us back to the convenient antioxidant justification. If it should count as an indulgence, why not make it one with a few health benefits on the side?
Send us your perspectives, reasons for abstaining, rationales for imbibing.
Refracted Moments, dawn_perry, clara & james Flickr Photos (CC)
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Posted By: Worker Bee
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I began to notice a ‘reverse’ effect of too much caffeine consumption making me feel fatigued, like I had done an intense workout earlier in the day. I used to drink a lot of coffee AND do a lot of intense workouts, so I figured it was the exercise.
But then I noticed it on days I had no reason to feel physically fatigued neither from intense effort nor lack of sleep. I tied it to the excess coffee over a period of days of purposefully drinking too much on light workout days and not drinking so much on hard days.
Now I have coffee on my way to the gym in the morning and sometimes a second cup later with breakfast after the workout. Then it’s black tea the rest of the morning; green tea in the afternoon; and only herb- or decaffeinated-tea in the late afternoon and evening. Haven’t had an episode of fatigue since.
I wonder how many other people experience this then reach for another cup of joe as the ’solution’?
The Quick stop by my house used to sell a “Double Big Gulp” for $1.87. That’s 64oz. of soda for under 2 bucks. I’d down one daily, always diet coke (because diet coke is healthy, right?). By the end of the day I would be bouncing off the walls from the caffeine. I couldn’t focus or sit still. I still do the 64oz a day, but now it’s water. Also, I keep doing Starbucks, but I believe I’m more addicted to the Norah Jones atmosphere than the caffeine.
I stopped going to Starbucks specifically because I couldn’t stand the Norah Jones. To each his own…
so around 1.5 years ago (at 44.5), I got into a cup of coffee in the morning for some um!! digestive help. Despite doing everything right, my system liked that jumpstart!! I dont think I couldve counted the times I had coffee (in my whole life) before that on one hand!! This was around the same time I started being more vigilant on my path to fitness (CF) and all!! Now I always drink home brewed organic java (rarely frequent Starbucks and then basically only if with a friend for a tea). I usually have 1-2 cups in the morning before I start my day and an occas cup of yerba mate too! No caffeine for me after 10 am as it effects my sleep at night!
I tried stopping the coffee in Dec 07 but I wasnt as energetic and had the same plumbing difficulty that sent me to the coffee!
I can’t handle caffeine. At low doses I like the energy it gives me, but the come down just isn’t worth it. I envy those that can drink coffee with no side effects because I love the taste. I will indulge in a periodic mug of green tea on the weekends or when I have a big workout ahead of me, but often times I find (especially if I drink it on back to back days) that the day after I drink it I get a headache. I must be especially sensitive to caffeine. On the occasions when I have had an entire cup of coffee I got really jittery, irritable and uncomfortable.
I enjoy a cup and a half to two cups of coffee most days of the week. I find it helps to get my digestive system going in the morning. Suffering from IBS, I’ve ready many materials suggesting that I avoid coffee and other caffeinated beverages like the plague, but my body handles it fairly well. I’ve had IBS for some 10 years, and I only started drinking coffee about 9 months ago. I’ve noticed no change for the worse, and, instead, found that coffee helps to soothe my rumbling stomach and gets me going, in more ways than one.
I actually enjoy the taste of plain, black coffee, so much so that I’d even spring for a cup of decaf at night, if the mood strikes me. When I first started drinking it, the caffeine buzz would smack me right upside the head. I’d feel buzzed and giddy, kinda like I had had a few drinks. It was very strange. Now my body seems to have grown used to it. I don’t seem to suffer any ill effects if I skip the coffee for a few days, so I don’t think I’m addicted. I’ve heard horror stories about people trying to quit caffeine and getting raging headaches after a day or two without.
Coffee is Not a band-aid for anything! Maybe it is this whole health craze that has kept you from really enjoying coffee. Try taking a week off from the gym and vacation indoors with a fresh cup of Black Joe in front of your TV.
I think I’m one of those slow metabolizers of caffeine, which makes me really sad. I love a good cappuccino in the morning! But if I have any sort of caffeine after about noon I can’t sleep that night, and even too many days in a row of *decaf* coffee will eventually keep me up all night. I also really dislike how the caffeine makes me feel, jittery and shaky and my heart races and it intensifies my anxiety. But I still indulge once in a while, especially if I have a busy day planned because then I don’t notice the effects as much.
Wow, I had a memory crop up about when I was a younger gentleman probably in 4th or 5th grade. Does anyone remember Jolt Cola??? It was this hyper caffeinated, well come to think of it, it is exactly how it sounds. A friend of mine, Matt Bodell Layton used to drink that stuff and just go crazy at school for about an hour. I remember the boys in my class had to read petitions at mass (catholic school) in front of the all school mass and the old people that came to church. We drank Jolt Cola before we had to read it. I mean we all slammed dunked as much Jolt Cola we could before morning mass. And none of us could stand still, we were laughing and carrying on like crazy people. The priest, Father Dennis. Calmly got up and walked over to us, which was the scariest thing in the world btw, and took us to the office behind the church, locked us in, and told us to stare at the wall. We still could not sit still and congregation could still hear us going nuts in this office. All the other students in the church started laughing and all of us could here the kids in church laughing so we began to laugh much, much harder. We also we getting very loud. Anyway our teacher came back and yelled at us so loud that everyone busted into tears laughing so hard. We were all sent home for the day. Luckily my grandmother was in church that morning and I went home with her. She bought myself a subway sandwich. When I came crashing down off the Jolt Cola high. I slept for what seemed like a week. I still cannot believe that stuff was legal. It was like crack cocaine in a can.
Bunch o’ thoughts.
1. Is it the caffeine that causes heartburn, or some other compound in coffee? I find that decaf, consumed in excess, aggravates my acid reflux. I almost never drink caffeinated coffee, but I’ve had to cut way back on the decaf, too.
2. I never fall asleep after lunch (or, heavens, after breakfast) any more, now that I gave up carb heavy meals.
3. Sarena – I think the effect on your plumbing may also be caused by some other compound in coffee besides the caffeine, because decaf has the same effect on me.
4. Starbucks is a victory of style over substance. Their coffee is demonstrably terrible. They overroast it on purpose to get rid of the volatile oils that cause coffee to go bad. Removing these oils increases the shelf life tremendously. The problem is that those volatile oils are also what makes coffee taste good. So they have deliberately made their product inferior in order to extend its shelf life and foist stale coffee off on you, the consumer, at an obscene price. The joke’s on you, yuk, yuk. (Or maybe I should say, “Yuck, yuck.”) No wonder that most of the Starbucks coffee drinks have a giant pile of sugar or dairy added to them – who could stand to drink the stuff au naturel? Lest you think I’m fussing at Starbucks because they are a giant chain, I discovered a while ago that one of the Whole Foods stores in my area roasts coffee fresh daily. If you get there at the right time, the metal scoop in the bulk bin will be warm from the freshly roasted coffee. So that’s where I buy mine. I drink it with a tiny bit of heavy cream. It’s utter luxury, and even at $13/lb, it’s a bargain compared to Starbucks because I brew it myself – and I actually like drinking it!
I drink one cup of coffee in the morning upon rising. It’s a habitual ritual and I enjoy the taste very much. It helps me wake up, but I’m still not sure if it’s the ritual or the caffeine.
Although my guess is, that it is both.
Starbucks? Starsucks
Ooooh how I love-a my java. And my green tea when I’m taking especially good care of myself. But what about a cup of hot water? This is an amazingly simple, healthful, and available form of liquid satisfaction any time of day. Skeptical? Take a day off the cuppa cuppa and drink a cup of hot water instead. Ayurveda recommends a hot lemon treatment first thing in the belly each morning and I find that’ll “get things moving” as well as Joe. I have been surprised at how easily H2O can substitute for coffee. Period.
it is the sign of a true addict that I feel superior (tongue firmly implanted in cheek) that I derive my caffeine from a hot mug in the morning rather than a canned energy drink or (*gasp*) a PILL.
ahhh, excuses.
how I HEART thee.
M.
Like many – I have a love/hate relationship with coffee.
Pros – (1)Increased energy; (2) Increased focus; (3)Increased digestive function.
Cons – (1) Pulled muscles; (2) increased compulsive/obsessive behavior; (3) anxiety.
I now limit my coffee consumption. I use it when I really need to focus on one long task or need a kick start. Otherwise I drink green or black tea. Yeah, tea still has caffeine, but at an amount that does not adversely me.
I feel like I am a different person, depending on what I am drinking.
Every time I see that mug o’ beans on the front page, I want to dive right in.
I probably “don’t need it” but man does a good Americano or expresso shot just taste soooo good to start the day off especially sitting outside. One a day for me. I used to do 5 cups of coffee a day a long time ago…and that was not healthy.
Always funny to hear statements like, “Starbucks coffee is demonstrably terrible” when taste is completely subjective. My aunt who is a life long coffee lover thinks McDonald’s is the best coffee ever created. Here in our office we have people who will only drink Pete’s and only if it’s made in a press; others swear by Starbucks and others, some totally esoteric brand for $8 or more a cup. They all insist that their’s is best and the others are crap.
To each his/her own.
Kevin, I see your point. Maybe I was indulging in my lifelong habit of hyperbole.
However, I used the word “demonstrably” deliberately – it would be hard to find someone who did not agree that stale food is inferior to fresh food. I meant to say that the roasting procedure used by Starbucks’ roasting procedure makes it possible to sell stale coffee to the public.
I wonder how subjective quality really is. There’s certainly an element of subjectivity – I may never ever like bananas, no matter how fresh they are, how they are served, how they are prepared, etc. But to some extent I can recognize the difference between a good quality banana (fresh, ripe) and a bad one (rotten, smelly or green, hard). There are a lot of people who stick what they know out of familiarity, until someone shows them something better. I grew up drinking my mother’s terrible coffee, but once I was introduced to something better, it didn’t take long to recognize it.
Hello, I’m Marie and I’m a pancake junkie…I’ve been eating them 5-8 times per week for the past two months…. I just feel compelled to confess that, as I was downing my most recent stack while reading these comments
A couple thoughts: I find everything about coffee disgusting: the smell, the taste, the concentrated caffeine..eeew!
Most of the people at work who I see drinking coffee are really drinking hot milkshakes for grownups…judging by the amount of creamer and sugar they put in.
I love tea and drink a few pots per day…and it makes me happy. Mark, you are making a big, fat excuse for the one vise you have left; but I think really good health is about balance (which, judging by my carb-nightmare-pancake-addiction, is not a state I currently enjoy)
p.s.
I have never noticed a caffeine boost…I go straight to sick; with nausea and heart palpitations if I have too much.
I, for one, LOVE my coffee. I teach high schoolers chemistry all day, and that “little” venti brew with sugar free vanilla syrup is what gets me going….I may have given up on bread, thanks to Mark, but I simply cannot give up my morning Starbucks coffee.
Aaaah, a nice Americano with half & half or heavy cream, made with locally roasted beans. I don’t bother with drip coffee anymore, if I can help it.
Nice post. Caffeine is pretty much a requirement in our culture due to our reluctance to actually go to sleep. Burning the candle at both ends, eating the wrong foods, being out of shape, etc all contribute to a society where caffeine addiction is not just acceptable, but necessary. I had a post about energy drinks and their booming industry a few weeks ago.
Just a note though…cocoa actually doesn’t contain caffeine. It contains a cousin of caffeine known as theobromine, which is why the stuff will kill your dog. It can’t metabolize the theobromine very quickly and can easily overdose.
Cheers
Scott Kustes
Modern Forager
I love a non fat 20 ounce cappucino but it does not like me. I feel fine when I drink it but about an hour later I get all jittery and it usually will put me into a panic attack. I can’t breath and I feel instant doom! Am I the only one that feels this? Can it really be dangerous for me? And the biggest question is why can I drink it sometimes and have no reaction at all but other times I feel horrible! I don’t understand how one cup can have such an adverse reaction.I only drink it every once in awhile but I would like to drink it more often.
Kris – funny how a drink can impact us differently on different days. I have noticed when my aerobic activity is high, caffeine impacts me more. Just a thought…
Kris – I have a similar reaction to alcohol. Sometimes I can handle one or two drinks, but last night I had two glasses of wine and I am *seriously* hung over.
With caffeine – nowadays I drink mostly decaf. But in my past life, I noticed I was less tolerant of caffeine if I also consumed sugar. The combination would throw me into what I now know was reactive hypoglycemia much faster than sugar alone.
Are you drinking non-fat because you actually like it, or because you think fat is bad for you? I am a big believer in the healing power of butterfat!
I have abused caffeine for years now. There have been times when I would stop for a month or two and I was able to focus and not feel so anxious. I am caffeine sensitive but am also dependent on it. Can never seem to get it in gear in the morning if I don’t have at least a 44oz cup of coffee. I am planning to stop tomorrow, the caffeine is affecting my work, I feel like some kid with a.d.d. I am unable to confront people because of the anxiety it causes and I can’t sit still without getting bored immediatly.
I had to give up caffeine years ago, it raises my blood pressure about 20 points for 4 hours, just for a single 8oz. cup. I used to pound down cup after cup, so my BP was always elevated. My pulse rate *slows* about 5bpm as well. I would say 4 hours of raised BP after a single cup indicates I’m a slow metabolizer.
Now I roast and brew my own (got tired of waiting in line at Starbucks). I make decaf espresso, with half and half, maybe twice a week. That’s my cheat.