International Coffee Day!
It’s Wellness Wednesday!
Today is International Coffee Day! Woohoo! One of the first questions people ask me when they start one of my Wellness Coaching programs, is often, “Are you going to make me give up coffee?” I get it. Coffee is a major part of most American’s lives. From a nutritional standpoint, I don’t have a big problem with coffee, as long as your body can handle it! For many people, the caffeine in coffee can be an issue and even cause dependence.
If you experience side effects from drinking coffee, such as jitters, shaking hands, severe dehydration, or brain fog, that’s your body telling you it’s not a fan. Another thing to evaluate is that caffeine is often considered a drug. If you find that you cannot function or sleep without coffee, it’s a sign that your body may be dependent, which is not a good thing. In those cases, I would recommend giving it up for a few weeks to see how you feel. One group of people who should not drink coffee, regardless of caffeine content, are those with gallbladder issues.
How much is too much? Some research suggests capping it at 2 cups per day. Also, make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Caffeine is a diuretic which means it makes you pee. You can easily become dehydrated or depleted in certain nutrients.
Check out these benefits of drinking coffee:
1. Caffeine can help burn fat by boosting your metabolic rate.
2. Caffeine stimulates the nervous system and can increase adrenaline levels in your blood which can boost performance.
3. Contains riboflavin, manganese, potassium, magnesium, niacin, and pantothenic acid.
4. May help to reduce your risk of type-2 diabetes.
5. May help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia, and Parkinson’s.
6. Helps fight depression and makes you happy (although too much coffee has the opposite effect).
Check out the full article here: