What’s the deal with coffee anyway? Is it healthy?
Well, it’s hard to say. There are studies that claim benefits while others claim there are some risks. Any scientific study that tries to single out one single food or nutrient is not ideal. The way we eat/drink is based on our diet as a whole, not just the consumption of one thing. So coffee drinkers that also eat high volumes of vegetables may see health benefits, but those who only have vegetables once a week do not. So it really depends on the population being studied and other factors that our influencing their diet. The famous line in scientific research is “correlation does not equal causation” which means, just because there’s a relationship does not mean one cause the other.
Okay, so yeah, I’m a coffee drinker…
So, basically I didn’t give you an answer above so some of you coffee drinkers may be asking why I post the question, “Are you a coffee drinker?” It’s because there are some habits associated with drinking coffee (that I’ve heard and even seen personally) that could affect your health.
I’m not going to tell you to go without coffee. I could never do such a thing, so I don’t expect you to do that either. My major concern is, if you are sipping coffee all morning, are you getting enough water? Does your water intake match your coffee intake?
Caffeine can be a mild diuretic, which means rather than contributing to your hydration, it’s having the opposite effect. A good habit to get into is to drink 1 cup of water for every 1 cup of coffee that you drink, alternating between the two. Once you finish your cup of water, go for more coffee if you wish. Now, when I say 1 cup, I mean the actual measure 1 cup, or 8 oz, not a large mug, or a travel cup… be aware of how much your favorite mug or travel cup actually holds and match that with water.
I also recently learned that this tactic of drinking water intermittently with coffee can help prevent some of the negative effects coffee can have on your teeth. Another win!
As far as how much you should drink… about four cups/day is about the recommended limit. I’ve recently cut back my coffee consumption on most days. I find that if I need too much coffee I probably did something else wrong in the days before like didn’t get enough sleep, overworked myself, or ate crappy food.
The only other suggestion I would have regarding coffee consumption is timing. Try to consume most of your caffeine earlier in the day. Even if we don’t think caffeine affects our ability to sleep, there are still things happening chemically in our body that suggest otherwise.
So, that’s about it. Match your water and coffee intake and pay attention to when you’re consuming your caffeine.
Creating these healthy habits is the way to creating healthier humans.
I’ll leave you with that.
Happy Friday… cheers!
