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What’s Wrong With Coffee?

The other day I heard somebody say to me “What’s wrong with Coffee”?  And my reply was “there is nothing wrong with coffee if you enjoy it, have a cup of organic coffee and really relish it”.  But the reality for the majority of people is that they reach for coffee as a habit, something that fills in a gap for them, for energy boost or if they are stressed.

These are all the wrong reasons. Walk down any high street today and there is no shortage of coffee shops; all doing a booming business because, don’t forget, coffee is addictive.

Everything you eat has an effect on your body; good or bad depends on your choices.  When you drink caffeine, it triggers a stress response by acting on the adrenal glands to make adrenalin (your fight and flight stress hormone) in order to get you out of danger that ‘doesn”t actually exist’. The reason you feel mentally sharper after drinking coffee is because your brain is high on adrenaline, the purpose of which is to get your body ready for fight or flight.  Remember the body reacts the same whether it’s real stress or perceived stress.

So what really goes on in your body whilst you are enjoying your cup of coffee?  Well, triggered by the adrenalin, the blood supply is diverted from all your organs and digestive system towards the limbs in order to ‘make that run’. Now in order to ‘make that run’ your body needs fuel so it communicates to your muscles to release the glucose that is stored as glycogen into your blood stream, this big sugar dump raises your blood sugar level, your blood pressure rises, your heart rate increases, your respiration speeds up, your immune system stops working, your reproductive hormones and organs stop functioning because none of this is important when your life is in danger.

Phew!! It’s stressful just thinking about all that!

Now, of course, during all this time you could just be sat at your desk or sofa with your laptop dealing with your emails and workload causing you physiological stress, or worrying about something that you have no control over, though the hormone still communicates to all your cells that your life is in danger. After years of this abuse your body may suffer from adrenal exhaustion.

As if all that is not bad enough coffee is also an ‘anti-nutrient’ in that it stops the absorption of minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants.

Caffeine is also a diuretic, leaving you dehydrated, which adds to the stress.

Not to mention that caffeine is addictive and affects your body just like any drug.  As your body develops a tolerance to it, you need more and more to feel the same effects. Eventually, your body reaches a point where, without it, you start to experience withdrawal symptoms.

Instead of reaching for your morning cup of coffee, try eating a healthy breakfast with slow releasing carbohydrates and good quality proteins, followed by a good lunch and you will be able to keep your energy levels up all day. The money you save from your daily coffee fixes can go towards organic foods or good quality supplements to keep your energy levels up and helping your body to repair itself.  Believe me your body will love you for it and you will still be saving money.

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