Coffee

From the year dot, my mother taught all her children that coffee was not bad for you. But of course it is. As a result, I managed to keep away from coffee, at least until the difficult age of 10, when, as I recall, I was allowed to join my mother and her neighbors in their regular gossip sessions at the coffee table.

That was when I started to exercise my taste buds on coffee. In those days, I developed a liking for coffee with milk. Perhaps I should have said I drank milk with coffee. However, I know now that the coffee I was drinking back then really was not so good. It was pre-ground, over-boiled and sometimes brewed with the grounds from the day before. Could you imagine anything worse? No wonder I wanted to hide that hideous flavor with tons of milk.

In the meantime, I probably took a good sip of coffee on the road and woke up to a much more pleasant reality. Coffee can be very good. But why do so many voices whisper that coffee and health do not belong together?

Caffeine

Call it food or beverage, coffee is free of any nutritional value. As indecent as it may sound, we consume it exclusively for pleasure.

Yes, the caffeine content in coffee is partly responsible for that pleasure. Caffeine acts as a mild stimulant across the central nervous system. It leads to a better memory, better judgments and idea associations, better coordination of body movement.

A single-serve espresso contains between 80 and 120 milligrams of caffeine. A normal cup of coffee (even drip coffee) contains about 100 – 150 milligrams of caffeine. Common sense calls this moderate consumption at one sitting. Within several hours (although this may vary from one person to another) caffeine is eliminated from the body. Average coffee drinkers can have three or four cups of coffee every day without from any health risk.

As with other foods and beverages, the effects of coffee consumption vary with the dose. Moderate coffee-drinking can be medicinal. Excessive coffee-drinking can be poison. The average female coffee drinker can experience ill-effects after ingesting 550 milligrams at one session. The amount for males is 700 milligrams. These effects refer to headaches, nausea and petulance. Ten grams of caffeine constitutes an overdose. This would be impossible to reach exclusively by drinking coffee. You would need to ingest 100 cups at one session. If you ever do, this may be the last thing you will ever do.

Coffee consumption is not recommended when certain health problems arise. While we have no solid proof for this it is wise to avoid unwanted risks.

Acidity

Acidity describes the sour component of the coffee taste. It is particularly strong in Arabica coffee and in light roasts. It may have a negative effect on digestion. People less tolerant of acidity but who still wish to drink coffee, can choose a decaffeinated coffee or a natural low-acidity coffee from Brazil, India or the Caribbean.

Other effects noted (for example, in pregnant women) have not been proved to be significantly negative. The medical community today has tended to clear coffee of long-term negative effects upon human health.

The beneficial effects of coffee

Coffee has proved beneficial for asthma sufferers. Two to four small cups of coffee throughout the day will help to reduce the recurrence of astma-attacks, and moderate their intensity.

Coffee contains natural antioxidants called ‘flavonoids’ which are widely known as disease protectors.

The beneficial effects of moderate caffeine consumption are widely recognised: caffeine works on alertness, mood, sensorial activity and memory. Of course, you may choose to take your daily caffeine ration from other foods and beverages, such as chocolate, carbonated drinks based on coca-nut extract, or tea.

Beside these effects, more or less proved by the medical community, I would mention one more: the pure pleasure of sipping a good cup of coffee. If every person on this planet did this every day, I believe there would be fewer wars, suicides and health problems generally, fewer people who suffer from depression. But I could be wrong.

Iulia Pascanu writes for http://www.madcoffeemaker.com where you can find more information about The Mad Coffee Maker

Please feel free to use this article in your Newsletter or on your website. If you use this article, please include the resource box and send a brief message to let me know where it appeared. mailto: iuliap@gmail.com.

Author: Iulia Pascanu
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you are a coffee drinker, you no doubt have asked yourself how much coffee is it safe for you to consume on a daily basis. This is not surprising since so much has been blamed on coffee. Heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, you name it. At one time or another, coffee has been made to blame. Coffee has joined the ranks of red wine and chocolate as a guilty pleasure that may actually be good for you. As much as it is a great way to get that fix in the morning, recent studies have shown that coffee has been found to be rich in antioxidants and contains hundreds of pain-relieving and anti-bacterial compounds. Although one should not drink coffee with wild abandon, it’s comforting to know that maybe that cup or two in the morning may be good for you. Here is a statistic to ponder: did you know that there are over 160 million coffee drinkers in the Unites States alone? In terms of consumption, the average American consumes 8.8 lbs. of coffee per year. But consider this: the world leader in terms of consumption is Finland which comes in at nearly 30 lbs per year. That’s a lot of coffee!

Another statistic is that there have been well over 19,000 studies done to analyze the effects of coffee. Now, studies can often be skewed to show whatever the author wants, but here is what is generally agreed: consuming 2 to 3 cups of coffee per day is often considered more beneficial than harmful. Recent studies have shown that moderate coffee drinking can reduce the risk of colon cancer (due to it’s ability to keep you regular), gallstones, cirrhosis of the liver and more, due to the fact the it is loaded with healthy antioxidants. So loaded, that studies have implied that coffee contains higher levels of antioxidants compared to other commonly consumed beverages, such as tea and fruit juice. Coffee has joined the ranks of red wine and chocolate as a guilty pleasure that may actually be good for you. As much as it is a great way to get that “fix” in the morning, recent studies have shown that coffee has been found to be rich in antioxidants and contains hundreds of pain-relieving and anti-bacterial compounds. Although one should not drink coffee with wild abandon, it’s comforting to know that maybe that cup or two in the morning may be good for you. Several studies are also being conducted on Parkinson’s and diabetic Patients. Research has shown that just one cup of coffee per day can halve your risk of Parkinson’s, the brain disease that causes tremors and affects movement. Caffeine may protect the brain cells typically lost to Parkinson’s disease. However, it has been noted that women on hormone therapy do not seem to benefit. It is felt that Estrogen may dilute the effectiveness of caffeine. It has also been found that if a woman drinks three cups of coffee a day, she can reduce her risk of Type 2 Diabetes by twenty to thirty percent. Coffee may help promote the delivery of insulin to the tissues. Experts believe that coffee’s antioxidants, such as chlorogenic acid and caffeine acid, deserve the credit. There are also on going studies that are producing favorable reports on coffee helping to fight Alzheimer’s due to the caffeine stimulating the cognitive area of the brain. This is just the tip of the ice berg.

People with asthma who drink coffee can have up to 25 percent fewer symptoms because one of the compounds in coffee – theophylline – acts as a bronchodilator. A recent Brazilian study showed that consumption of coffee promotes better sperm mobility – and now studies are in progress to determine whether caffeine can help infertile men. Coffee contains polyphenols, substances that may reduce the risk of cancer and coronary artery disease. Caffeinated coffee, as opposed to decaffeinated coffee, makes you a better thinker. Studies have shown that coffee keeps you focused, particularly when you are doing not-so-pleasant work. A researcher with the U.S. Army stated caffeine improved scores on a range of cognitive tasks, such as decision making, learning, and attention in the sleep-deprived. Coffee can also boost your mood, probably by making you feel more energetic. A little known fact is that coffee contains antioxidants which have been shown to imporve oveall health. Here is a short list of some benefits which have been shown to be present in coffee:

Reduce symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

Antibacterial ingredients

Reduce the risk of developing gallstones

Preserve mental accuity

Reduce risk of developing type 2 Diabetes (if you have diabetes, reduce your consumption

If you are free of hypertension, coffee will not likely produce it

Headache relief

Reduce the risk of some types of cancer

Improve physical endurance

Aaron Matthews-Morgan is the owner of Heavenly Kona Coffee, an e-business that specializes in 100% Gourmet Kona Coffee from Hawaii. HeavenlyKonaCoffee.com [http://heavenlykonacoffee.com/] is also a premier website for free information and resources, providing quality info and articles on everything related to coffee. Go to: [http://www.heavenlykonacoffee.com/]

Author: Aaron Matthews Morgan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The first thing I recommend to a friend buying a coffee machine is that it needs to look good. Yep, The Most Important Thing about a coffee machine is how it looks. Every day you’re going to walk up to this machine and make a coffee. Think about how you’ll feel when you use it, will you appreciate the slim design? Do you prefer a machine with lots of dials and buttons? Do you prefer large or small? A machine that looks “wrong” to you won’t be a pleasure to use.

The second big question is automatic or manual. An automatic coffee machine contains a grinder that grinds the beans and dispenses an espresso or long black for you. Some automatic coffee machines also froth your milk for you. There’s several advantages to having an automatic coffee machine; firstly, the coffee is always the same, get the grind setting and temperature right and you’re guaranteed the same coffee each time. Secondly it’s quicker, press a button and the coffee is made, your time is spent chatting, preparing a meal or reading the paper, not messing about with the coffee machine. Thirdly there’s no mess, you’re not filling the filter handle (and spilling it) with ground coffee and you’re not dealing with the wet “puck” that gets produced, everything is held neatly inside the coffee machine. Lastly, if there’s an auto frothing attachment, you’re not messing about with milk jugs trying to get a nice silky foam on your milk, it’s all done for you.

Does this sound perfect? For many coffee connoisseurs this is a terrible travesty!! Automatic, never!! Their inner barista needs to be free!

Manual coffee machines allow you to play with more settings. How hard you tamp the ground coffee allows for subtly different flavours. Different grind settings on the separate grinder allow you to tweak your flow rates. You can froth for cappuccino or latte. You can make three different coffees with three different bags of ground coffee. The choices (and the time you spend) are endless. Many coffee fanatics would be outraged to go near an automatic coffee machine. These coffee experts are happy to spend many hours researching beans, roasters and machines in search of the perfect coffee.

The automatic vs manual coffee machine debate comes down to one simple question, are you a coffee drinker or a coffee maker?

And me? Well I have a manual and an automatic coffee machine on my bench at home. I sell coffee machines for a living so why not try them all? Sadly the manual doesn’t get used any more, if I want a coffee it’s because I want a coffee and now! I personally find that the freshly ground beans in the automatic make up for the slight lack of “tweaks” that I can so on the manual coffee machine. I’m also able to make 6 cappuccinos for friends in about 3 minutes, and they taste great.

When I walk up to my Saeco Royal Cappuccino it looks good and it’s easy to use. The quick, simple and great tasting white coffees reflect my inner soul – I’m a coffee drinker not a coffee maker!

Jim Storey is the owner of Coffee Machine Express. Jim discovered coffee when working in a desk job and never went back to his desk. For further information please visit http://www.coffeemachine.com.au

Author: Jim Storey
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If I can give up coffee, anyone can, including you! I was totally addicted. I LOVED coffee and the caffeine rush! I drank coffee all day, everyday. I depended on it for motivation, creativity, and problem solving.

Without coffee, I became depressed, lethargic, and anxious. I would go into a panic if I couldn’t get some coffee before an important event like giving a speech, taking an exam, or leading a meeting.

It took countless attempts before I figured out how to give up coffee. Between each try, I learned a little bit more about how to quit coffee. Eventually the information and experience accumulated into a formula that proved successful. Armed with this formula I found it rather easy to give up coffee. Here’s how I did it.

Caffeine Addiction Knowledge

The first step is to learn about what you are dealing with in terms of caffeine’s addictive properties and the likely withdrawal symptoms.

Caffeine is a drug. The human body actually becomes physically addicted to it. That’s why you feel good when you get your first cup of coffee in the morning and it’s why you feel bad when you try to give it up. The pleasure that you feel when you drink your first cup comes from satisfying the caffeine cravings produced by your body’s initial withdrawal symptoms. This happens because your body wasn’t getting its periodic fix of caffeine for 6-8 hours while you slept.

The pleasures you feel are not the fulfillment of those comforting storylines that you see in coffee commercials and print ads. The pleasure is your body’s relief response to getting the caffeine that it needs to function normally!

Withdrawal symptoms from caffeine include anxiety, nausea, lethargy, muscle tension, headache, constipation, and inability to think clearly. The inability to think clearly is also one of the disadvantages to drinking too much coffee.

There is a host of emotional addictions to the caffeine high as well. Some of them include the belief that with the caffeine stimulation you will perform better and have more confidence. The rush certainly provides that illusion, but the rush is brief and when it’s gone you get the opposite effect.

In order to give up coffee successfully, it’s important to understand what your body and emotions will go through for a few days during withdrawal. The intensity of the withdrawal depends on many factors including your daily intake amount, how long you’ve been drinking coffee, and your age.

As with most drugs, physical withdrawal lasts about 3-7 days. Symptoms are the most intense at the beginning and then they taper off significantly. Psychological withdrawal lasts about 30-90 days. Symptoms are the most intense during the first 21 days and then they are sporadic and progressively easier to handle in the weeks and months that follow. These durations vary depending on the individual.

If you understand ahead of time how you’re going to feel for a few days after you give up coffee, you can prepare yourself emotionally and arrange your schedule if need be. This does not mean that you should focus on the withdrawal symptoms, however. In fact, you should focus on anything else but the subject of coffee. Selecting issues and activities to concentrate on during this period is a crucial part of preparation.

Disadvantages and Advantages to Giving Up Coffee

If you consider just the withdrawal symptoms, it would be hard to see any advantages to drinking coffee. I know that there are proponents who talk about the so-called benefits of coffee. I wonder who’s distributing this information… the coffee companies?

Although coffee is not anywhere near as bad for you as cigarettes, I find it interesting how the brainwashing methods are similar. After you’ve seen or listened to thousands of coffee commercials over dozens of years you can understand how you associate the good life and pleasure with drinking coffee. These are that same tactics cigarette companies used during the early to mid 20th century to get millions of people to use their product.

Coffee and cigarettes are two of the greatest products ever conceived. Why? Because they are both highly additive! Your eventual physical need (withdrawal symptoms) forces you to buy their product on a continual basis. How much different is that from a person on the street corner who sells crack cocaine or methamphetamine? Is this discussion making you angry? I hope so. Use it as one of your motivations to give up coffee, and cigarettes too!

I was motivated to give up coffee because of the physical and emotional seesaw I experienced throughout the day and the difficulty I had sleeping at night. The reason that it’s difficult to sleep at night — assuming the you don’t drink coffee too late in the evening — is that your body is in the beginning stages of withdrawal.

I grew tired of relying on a drug for my motivation, enthusiasm, and energy. Coffee’s promise of providing energy is a crock! You’ll find out when you quit that it actually takes it away!

I also wanted to give up coffee in order to improve my appearance. Coffee stained my teeth and made my face look drawn and tired.

My number one reason for giving up coffee was my determination not to be controlled through addiction or brainwashing to use a drug that did me no good.

Come up with you own list of reasons for giving up coffee. This doesn’t have to be a complicated task. Just jot down the most powerful reasons for you to give up coffee. Keep this list handy, as you may need to refer to it during the first few days after quitting.

Gradual Reduction, Then Replace with Green or Herbal Tea

You can give up coffee cold turkey, but why put yourself through that unless you need an unpleasant experience to refer to later to bolster your resolve.

To ease yourself off caffeine, I would recommend that you do it in these two steps.

1. Gradually reduce the amount of coffee you drink based on a predetermined schedule. Let’s say you normally drink 5 cups of coffee a day. Over a one week period, cut out one cup per day so that by the sixth day you’re at zero.
2. On your first day without coffee, which would be the sixth if you follow step 1, replace the habit and preparation ritual with green or non-caffeinated herbal tea. Green tea has the lowest amount of caffeine of most teas, but don’t expect any similar coffee rush – it will be very mild.

Your best choice is non-caffeinated herbal tea. But if you need a little transitional assistance, as I did, drink green tea for few days and then non-caffeinated herbal tea for a few days after that.

Sneak Away From the Addiction and Habit

During the first couple of weeks, and especially during the first few days, you may get messages from your physical and psychological body that screams, “I want some caffeine!” What it wants is the rush! It wants the pleasure of satisfying the cravings! Your mind may come up with some amazing excuses, justifications, and reasons for giving in. The key is to recognize them for what they are — caffeine cravings – and ignore them.

The way I dealt with this was to postpone consideration of whether I was going to give in or even give up coffee forever. The idea of forever was a difficult concept to get my head around at that point. I would tell myself, “I’ll think about that later on or tomorrow. I have other issues to deal with right now.”

Looking back on how I played this game with myself several months later, I defined it as sneaking away from the addiction and habit. Trying to deal with it intellectually when you are in the middle of physical and psychological withdrawal is a game that you can easily lose. If you consider how your brain is in an upheaval and misfiring during withdrawal, you can understand why you cannot trust it for a few days. All it knows is that it needs and wants caffeine to function normally and it will tell you anything to get it. When a person quits smoking cigarettes, they go through the same thing but it is much more intense. I know what it’s like, I quit smoking as well.

The stronger the reasons you identify for giving up coffee, the lesser the impact that the physical and psychological withdrawal will have on you, if any. My reasons as discussed above, were a diverse mix fuel by some strong feelings of being fed up and angry.

I was tired of being controlled by caffeine. I was tired of the negative impact caffeine was having on my body and emotions. I was tired of the stains coffee was putting on my teeth. And I was tired of being a victim of the brainwashing by the coffee companies.

I do not believe that coffee companies are evil enterprises selling a product that maims and kills like the cigarette companies do. But I can not see any benefits to putting their product into my body. Knowing how much better I feel physically and emotionally without it is certainly solid evidence to me. When you give up coffee, I think you’ll feel the same.

Brad Paul
http://www.guruhabits.com/

Copyright Brad Paul

To see the original article with graphics and links, click: http://www.guruhabits.com/give-up-coffee.html. Brad Paul is the founder of Guru Habits.com, which provides FREE self improvement and lifestyle enhancement resources. Brad left home at 15, lived in a boy’s home, graduated college with honors, headed a marketing group responsible for $400 million in annual sales, wrote 3 books, and now works on projects that improve people’s lives.

Author: Brad Paul
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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