Coffee and Caffeine

About 90% of adults consume caffeine daily (from any source including soda,tea, and food).  This begs the question, what would the world really be like if people did not get their caffeine? - yikes!!  Coffee smells and tastes delicious and gives us the boost we need but make no mistake that caffeine is a psychoactive drug.  Some of the information I found was interesting but much of the information stills leaves a big question mark.

According to the Mayo Clinic, coffee was long blamed for many ills.  As with many things, the medical community has changed their perspective on this topic.  It states that for healthy individuals there is no increased risk of cancer or heart disease as once suspected.  In fact, newer studies have shown the reduction in Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver cancer.  Coffee is also high in antioxidants.  As with most things, everything in moderation is suggested.

That brings us to the second point.  What is moderation?  That may depend on the person from a couple of perspectives.  According to MedicineNet, here is the breakdown of caffeine consumption:
Low to moderate consumption is 130-300 mg, Moderate consumption is 200-300mg, High doses is above 400 mg, and heavy consumption is considered 6,000 mg.  Plain brewed coffee is about 135 mg, 1 oz espresso 40 mg, Tea (avg) 53 mg, and Soda 35-45mg (avg).  The other point I found interesting is that decaf coffee actually has caffeine due to the process to make it decaffeinated.  I knew this from being pregnant but never saw any of the numbers.  Decaf can have anywhere from 5 mg - 32 mg depending on the brand that was tested.  Also, remember that chocolate, chocolate candies, cookies, ice cream, and even some OTC drugs contain caffeine when figuring your daily consumption.  You can look at MedicineNet.com for more specifics on different products including energy drinks.

Coffee, How bad is it?

I  have been wondering lately how bad is it to drink coffee.  I drink a lot of coffee everyday and I am going to start doing some research regarding the effects of coffee.  The reason I started thinking about this topic, is that I read about coffee being a crop that was loaded with pesticides.  This made me think about buying organic beans but I still love Caribou, so now I buy both.  I realize that I write a lot about food but what about the stuff we drink; some of these can be just as bad for our health.  Stay tuned for my initial findings on this topic.

Common Spice, Curcumin Cure

I found this article about curcumin, the key chemical component of the spice turmeric, to be very interesting.  Not only are doctors using this to repair damage of stroke victims, it can cut your risk of common cancers prevalent in the US.  In fact, in India cancer rates are 10 times lower for breast, lung, colon, and prostate cancer.  Most interestingly, prostate cancer in men is very rare and they are attributing this to the amount of turmeric consumed regularly.  Branch out and start eating more Indian and Thai dishes that contain turmeric.  If you buy this spice for home use, it is best to buy a high quality organic spice so you know you are getting the full benefit.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/02/common-spice-protects-and-rebuild-brain-cells-after-stroke.aspx

There is also a bit more about vitamin D in this article.  In fact, being deficient can actually double your risk of having a stroke.  80% of strokes are preventable and therefore within your control; don't ignore your health.  I truly believe prevention is the best medicine.  Get to know your own body and start slowly to implement healthy habits including getting your vitamin D levels checked.  Hopefully, taking control now will keep you out of the doctor's office late with something more serious.