4 Reasons To Kick Your Coffee Habit

By Makeisha Lee, Health and Nutritional Advisor


Are you the guy or gal that has to stop at Starbucks every morning to get that liquid rush? Would you just have the most terrible day if you were running late for work and had to skip it? If you are, than you make up an estimated 90% of Americans that need that fix everyday!

Despite recent controversy about alleged benefits of drinking coffee, you may want to reconsider your position upon considering some not-so pleasant long term effects.

Coffee contains nearly 200 chemicals. Many of these chemicals are oil based and therefore put an added stress on liver function. One chemical, caffeine has several different ill-effects on the body. Here are 4 reasons to kick your coffee habit:

REASON #1: In large amounts, caffeine can interfere with normal sleep patterns as well as become difficult for liver metabolism.

REASON #2: Caffeine in coffee consumed during mealtime, fools the stomach's ability to secrete the needed amount of Hydrochloric Acid. This reduced Hydrochloric Acid often times contributes to an Acid Reflux response.

REASON #3: Caffeine stimulates adrenaline, the “fight of flight hormone”; however once it wears off, you face fatigue and even mild depression. So then you have to take more and more to get the adrenaline going again. That’s the typical addiction that you want to stop!

REASON #4: Although some studies have shown coffee may reduce your risk of developing breast cancer; coffee drinkers are also more likely to increase their risk of stomach cancer and leukemia.

These are just a few of the known effects that coffee can have on the body, but understand that coffee, with its hundreds of chemicals, affects each person differently and it is still a drug - even if legal!

Just like with any other drug, it is very addictive and as is the case with all other drugs, “the damage that drugs can do, will outweigh it’s hoped for benefits”!

Here are some suggestions if you are looking for that pick me up:

1) Drink More Water. Every morning when your feet hit the ground out of bed, drink an 8oz glass of cold water. Doing this first thing in the morning will help jumpstart every bodily function and elevate energy levels.

2) Get The Proper Rest. Make sure that most nights you are getting to sleep between the hours of 10 pm – 2am. When you get recuperative sleep at night, it will be much easier to arise well rested in the morning.

3) Find An Alternative. Find a suitable energy drink without caffeine that contains no added artificial flavorings, colorings or artificial sweeteners. There are many herbal based tonics that are safe to consumer regularly without adverse side effects.

Makeisha Lee is a health and nutrition consultant. For more information about cleansing and detoxifying your body, contact her at 614-595-1425 or znck04@yahoo.com or learn more at www.CleanseFormula.com

She is also the author of "Why Black People Can't Lose Weight" available at www.WhyBlackPeopleCantLoseWeight.com and in bookstores nationwid


BlackNews.com - 4 Reasons To Kick Your Coffee Habit

Well, I don't have to worry about this because I only had coffee once in my life and it was only three years ago. I did NOT like it.

coffee is gross
it smells disgusting

must send this to all my coffee drinking friends

I know from direct experience that too much coffee is seriously harmful. Some good advice in the article, though it's strange that no mention is made of decaffeinated coffee - been on it for years and you get the taste that makes coffee enjoyable (not all of it smells gross, though the cheap stuff does - and Starbucks is junk) without the caffeine hit.

Never drink it after midday, though, and always start the day with water, then breakfast.

I'd rather drink Gingko Biloba tea than this nastiness. Coffee is gross and 'normal' tea with all it's supposed antioxidants isn't far off either.

Yes, coffee is nasty. I like tea though. I drink it every time my mother buys it. she doesn't buy it all the time. I drink the brown sweet tea. I've never had green or white or any other kind of tea. I hear they are healthy.