Is Coffee Bad for You?

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Coffee is a fascinating beverage. Part of what makes coffee so intriguing, is that it can be good for you or bad for you — depending on how you use it.

This article reveals some startling ways that this brewed liquid made from the roasted seed of the coffee berry can be detrimental to your health and well-being.

However, there has also been new research that explains how coffee can be helpful to your body!

Below, you will discover some tips and techniques on how to enjoy coffee in a way that nourishes your body — instead of damaging it!

4 Surprising Reasons that Coffee Can Be Bad for Your Health

Why is coffee bad for you? The importance of the human body to receive a deep and restorative sleep cycle each night cannot be overestimated. Good sleep is a key component of health, and anything that impairs your body’s natural sleep cycles — such as caffeine — could been seen as detrimental. There are four more particular dangers associated with coffee-drinking that you’ll also want to be aware of:

#1   Coffee Is Addictive

The downside to coffee is that it can be so addictive. If you drink enough of it for many days in a row, then one day you will wake up and no longer merely want it, but rather, you’ll need it in order to function. Stranger still, if you’ve had daily coffee for many weeks in a row and then one day you decide to skip it, you’ll probably notice that you get a headache and have withdrawal symptoms.

An easy way to tell if you’re addicted to coffee — or anything else — is to ask yourself: can I imagine my life without it? When you can’t even picture your morning without coffee or remember what your morning ritual was before coffee came along, then you’re very possibly addicted to the substance.
 

#2   Coffee Is Acidic

Another potential downside to coffee is that it’s so acidic. Generally, it’s helpful to keep your body’s pH balanced toward alkalinity. Some health experts believe that when the chemistry of your body lives habitually in an acidic state, it can contribute to health problems.

#3   Coffee Can Be Overstimulating to the Body’s Delicately Balanced Systems

Yet another downside to coffee is that it’s so stimulating. Some health experts believe that too much habitual, daily use of caffeine can ultimately have a negative impact on the small adrenal glands of the human body — basically over-stimulating them into eventual exhaustion.

#4   Drinking Coffee Can Be Fattening

Coffee is 98.5% water, so it only has about 5 calories per cup, regardless of brewing method. However, many people no longer drink their coffee black like in the old days.

Now, specialty coffee drinks are increasingly popular and they are loaded with calories. For example, a large mocha cookie crumble frappuccino blended beverage at Starbucks has almost 600 calories — even more if you add “extras.” 600 calories! I’m not suggesting that you can’t enjoy the occasional treat (after all, life is for living), but if you’re going to have a beverage that might be 1/4 to 1/3 of your day’s allotted calories, I hope you at least worked out that day!

Is Coffee Good for You?

Can drinking coffee regularly ever be good for your body? Yes, it can!

Coffee is loaded with powerful antioxidants. A recent New England Journal of Medicine study reveals that coffee might add years to your lifespan! And according to the Life Extension Foundation, coffee is unusually rich in natural compounds that can interact favorably with the cells of the human body, including to:

• ◕ reduce vascular disease
• ◕ preserve cognition
• ◕ mitigate diabetes
• ◕ slash cancer risk
• ◕ turn on genes that promote youthful cellular functions
• ◕ lower the risk of death

Why Do People Drink Coffee?

Coffee has become a culinary social adventure.

In the US, there used to be a bar or tavern in each neighborhood. Today, most of those pubs have been replaced by cafes. In our high-paced lifestyles, coffee just makes more sense than booze. Coffee can improve productivity and increase mental clarity. There’s a flavor for everyone, it’s for adults (coffee is an acquired taste), and it’s become a welcomed, bonding ritual is our modern lives.

Also — though no one talks much about it — there is an extremely functional aspect to the ritual of a morning cup of coffee. In our 8-to-5 jobs, we only have a little time to get ready in the morning before leaving for work. And most people like to have their “constitutional” before they shower and dress for the office. A cup of coffee is effective for kickstarting digestion and elimination in a way that few other substances are!

Is Coffee Healthy?

Coffee can be healthy for you if you learn how to offset the downside of coffee-drinking with positive lifestyle habits:

• ✔ consume more vegetables to counteract the acidic impact of coffee
• ✔ replace some of the coffee you drink each day with tea (tea also has proven health benefits, yet is less addicting)
• ✔ try using only a little rice, almond, or hemp milk in place of sugar or cream
• ✔ only drink one cup of coffee a day, except on days you workout — then you can have more! (coffee is a great sports supplement!)

Bonus tip: you can replace some of the coffee you drink each day with Swiss water decaffeinated (the caffeine has been removed without toxic chemicals). My personal favorite is Van Houtte; their organic, fair trade Swiss decaf has a mellow, woodsy flavor.

How many cups of coffee, on average, are you currently drinking each day?