An Unscientific Study of COFFEE Drinking—and What Others Are Saying and Doing
I’d been feeling very tired lately—more so than usual. What had I been doing differently? Drinking coffee.
I’d let the occasional small soya latte turn into a daily large—something I’d allowed to have happen before, with similar results. For a few weeks, I’d feel great. Then, suddenly, exhaustion overwhelmed. It’d be hard to sleep and hard to get up.
Right now, I’m a week coffee-free, and more awake. Nevertheless, I miss the habit—and have been pondering why…
It’s not so much about the coffee, itself. All the rituals surrounding a "coffee-tude" are even harder to give up.
Usually, whatever one person is feeling or talking about, others are too. The morning after writing my "coffee poem," (pasted in below), I had the TV on as background, while painting. A rerun of Rachel Ray’s Valentine’s Day show caught my attention. Her guest, Dr. Timothy Brantley, the author of a book called, The Cure: Heal Your Body. Save Your Life, was giving a more scientific explanation of "coffee habit consequences."
It was clear that what was happening to me wasn’t in my imagination, and the treatment plan I’d put myself on (to abstain, for now) was the right one. Just a week in, I feel a lot less groggy!
Like with anything else, it’s important to remember that tolerances and responses can vary—and moderation is always good. What works (or doesn’t) for me, might be different for you. Also, don’t forget, a lot of coffee shops have become cozy daily hang-outs for many—kind of like pubs used to be in Britain. They’re not popular just because of their coffee…
Coffee is "in"
A shop or two on every corner
More numerous than banks
Cardboard cup
Comforting to have in hand
Everyone does it
In the car
Walking the dogs
At a meeting
Arrive with coffee
A better greeting
A coffee drinker, I was not
Till I wanted to be like everyone else
Warming my palms on a cup of liquid I don’t really love
Putting out money, daily, for a beverage I don’t really need
Is it the coffee, itself, or something more, that beckons?
p.s. Recently, Mark Mlkoff made his own unique unscientific study of coffee. He visited 171 Starbucks in Manhattan in one day, and created a video about the experience, posted at 171starbucks.com. On his Today Show interview (July 22, 07), he and Lester Holt both admitted that neither one of them are coffee drinkers!
p.p.s. Of course there’s always another new study that will shed light on the benefits of coffee drinking. Jim Lane (at Duke University), in fact, has devoted 25 years to researching caffeine. His latest study is about caffeine and memory. For information on other studies, I’m providing links that will help you check out coffee’s effect on the liver, the heart, and the eyes. There are even research findings on abstaining from coffee! But, remember, what works for one person might not for another. Studies aside, moderation (in everything) is usually the safest. However, as most of us know, this isn’t always possible with coffee… Being aware of personal health challenges, and trying to remedy them, is an individual responsibility and choice.
p.p.p.s. Coffee drinking is getting more media attention, currently, than I’d imagined when writing my "Coffee Poem." August 8, 07, The Today Show’s nutritionist, Joy Bauer’s segment "Buzz or Bunk? Five Coffee Myths" caught my attention because it also gave details of "folks who should avoid caffeine altogether"—those who have caffeine sensitivities (conditions that can be exacerbated by it), sleep issues, gastrointesinal problems, elevated blood pressure, bad PMS. For everyone else (if there’s anyone left!), she suggested three cups a day!
