Coffee is Life

[marmar]

Be a proud bean fiend !!! :headbang:





By Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D., Associate Nutrition Editor at EatingWell Magazine


I really like coffee. The morning ritual of brewing a cup, the smell that perks me up before I take a sip and, of course, the flavor all make it my favorite beverage aside from water (water’s delicious!). As a registered dietitian and a nutrition editor for EatingWell Magazine, I know that coffee is fine in moderation. It has lots of antioxidants and is low in calories if you don’t load it up with cream and sugar. Nonetheless, I always feel slightly guilty about drinking it—you know, in a “it’s so good, it must be bad” kind of way.

Which is why I’m always delighted to hear of new reasons that coffee is good for your health...and there are plenty! Over 18,000 studies on coffee have been published in the past few decades, revealing these benefits, many of which Joyce Hendley wrote about in the March/April issue of EatingWell Magazine:

1. It protects your heart: Moderate coffee drinkers (1 to 3 cups/day) have lower rates of stroke than noncoffee drinkers, an effect linked to coffee’s antioxidants. Coffee has more antioxidants per serving than blueberries, making it the biggest source of antioxidants in American diets. All those antioxidants may help suppress the damaging effect of inflammation on arteries. Immediately after drinking it, coffee raises your blood pressure and heart rate, but over the long term, it actually may lower blood pressure as coffee’s antioxidants activate nitric acid, widening blood vessels.

2. It diverts diabetes: Those antioxidants (chlorogenic acid and quinides, specifically) play another role: boosting your cells’ sensitivity to insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar. In fact, people who drink 4 or more cups of coffee each day may have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to some studies. Other studies have shown that caffeine can blunt the insulin-sensitivity boost, so if you do drink several cups a day, try mixing in decaf occasionally. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/5-health-reasons-to-not-quit-coffee-2460820/

[hobbit709]

1. I am a caffeine-based lifeform.

[Glorfindel]

10. So am I! What a great way to put it....

:hi:

[Edweird]

19. I am as well. I work hard to regulate the blood level in my caffeine stream.

I'm not much of a coffee drinker - I only like Cuban style and the eventual sugar crash is a killer. I opt for pill form usually since I don't drink sodas.

[Raksha]

24. I guess that makes three of us!

Four of us - sorry, I've only had one cup so far this morning.

[mike_c]

2. the magical substance!

Yep, coffee makes getting up worthwhile.

[JitterbugPerfume]

3. so lets have another cup of coffee--

lets have another piece of pie!

does anyone else remember that ancient old song?

I have been drinking coffee since I was about twelve or thirteen years old and I can not function without it.

[Jackpine Radical]

5. I didn't know coffe had been discovered

by the time you were 12 or 13.

:hide:

[JitterbugPerfume]

27. it grew wild and we ground it with rocks

while looking out for cave bears:spank:

[Jackpine Radical]

30. Yeah, cave bears were a bitch.

I remember back before we discovered coffee, when we just ground rocks with rocks and boiled the results. We were trying to get stoned, of course.

[jdlh8894]

9. Irving Berlin- cira 1932

[grasswire]

13. ha GMTA

I could remember the first six lines but had to go looking for the rest.

[grasswire]

11. Irving Berlin, 1932

Why worry when skies are gray
Why should we complain
Let's laugh at the cloudy day
Let's sing in the rain
Songwriters say the storm quickly passes
That's their philosophy
They see the world through rose-colored glasses
Why shouldn't we?


Just around the corner
There's a rainbow in the sky
So let's have another cup o' coffee
And let's have another piece o' pie!

Trouble's just a bubble
And the clouds will soon roll by
So let's have another cup o' coffee
And let's have another piece o' pie

Let a smile be your umbrella
For it's just an April show'r
Even John D. Rockefeller
Is looking for the silver lining

Mister Herbert Hoover
Says that now's the time to buy
So let's have another cup o' coffee
And let's have another piece o' pie!

[FredStembottom]

15. I do!

I have been a fan and collector of Swing music since I was 14 years old - and you just have to stumble over that song somewhere in the ol' 78's!

:hi:

[grasswire]

26. well then that's three things I like about you.

Gee!

Hiroshige, Lapham, and swing music! You must be my alter ego.

I have 12,000 pieces of vintage sheet music and have been an avid fan of American popular song forever.

[FredStembottom]

43. oh very cool!

I have a box of Big band sheet music (you know, 18-20 or so seperate instruments)from the 40,s. Lots of forgotten stuff mosyly.
But each wrapped in surprisingly colorful poster-like wrappers.

My real desert-island music choice would be Western swing!

I was born and raised in Minnesota but come from a long line of Okies - breeding tells.

[niyad]

46. yes, I remember that song--grrr, now I will be hearing that for hours.

[Skidmore]

4. My mornings start out with the double delight of

chocolate and coffee in a steaming cup of mocha in the winter time. In the summer its iced mocha. And then I come back later for a refill in my 12 oz cup.

[Jackpine Radical]

7. That's decadent.

Downright degenerate.


Where's mine?

[alterfurz]

37. "Coffee enables you to get up in the morning...

...and chocolate makes it worthwhile."

[niyad]

47. so very, very true

[disillusioned73]

6. Mmmmm... coffee

:donut:

[xchrom]

8. ...

:applause: love coffee.

[grasswire]

12. and if you are a specialty coffee fan...

...check out this trade magazine: www.freshcup.com

[marmar]

14. Thanks for the link.......

I am very much a specialty coffee enthusiast.

[hlthe2b]

16. I always loved waking up to the smell--well before I ever drank it...

I can still vividly recreate in my mind the smells of my Grandmother's home from childhood-- coffee was always a big part of that.

A good cup of coffee is such a treat. Though I now drink quality loose leaf teas throughout the day, there is no way that anything can replace coffee.

I fear what will happen with coffee prices in the near future, btw.

[FredStembottom]

25. My grandparents were in a small Kansas town....

There was a coffee roaster on one end of town and a meat-processor plant at the other - you would go to bed and wake up smelling coffee and bacon.

I can still evoke that today - 45 years later.

[Motown_Johnny]

17. Tea v. Coffee: Which One is Better for You?

While the taste debate is still heatedly contested, tea has been scientifically proven to be much healthier for the human body than coffee. Next to its caffeine content, coffee doesn’t do much else for its fans. If you’re trying to decide which drink is better for you in the long run, it’s tea by far.

Below are 10 reasons why you’ll be doing your body a favor by incorporating the ancient beverage into your everyday diet.

1. Tea’s rich in antioxidants.
Teas contain high levels of polyphenols, which function as powerful antioxidants that protect your body from free radicals. Heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are all contributed to by the damage done by free radicals. Antioxidants aid in preventing and repairing such damage.

2. Tea has less caffeine than coffee.
High amounts of caffeine can raise blood pressure and health professionals generally recommend a maximum daily coffee consumption of four 8-oz cups. Tea, on the other hand, contains much less caffeine than coffee, allowing tea aficionados to enjoy more of the healthful brewed concoction each day.



The complete article is at: http://matadornetwork.com/life/tea-v-coffee-which-one-is-better-for-you/



Not Trying To Start A Flame War!!! Just trying to offer some comparison so DUers may make a more informed decision when choosing a beverage.

The article in the OP offers only 5 reasons to not stop drinking coffee and does not bother with any comparisons of the alternative. It also starts #3 with the admission/disclaimer that the research is limited on their claim. #4 also has a disclaimer about the amount of coffee which needs to be drunk to obtain the benefit.

#5 does not bother to explain how the claimed benefit is obtained. I believe any caffeinated drink would have the same effect.


^snip^

http://www.headaches.org/educational_modules/caffeine/fast.html

Adding 130 mg of caffeine to a regular, two-tablet dose of common ingredients found pain relievers (aspirin and acetaminophen) makes them relieve headache pain about 40% better than they do without caffeine. Caffeine also helps your body absorb these medications, allowing you to get back to your daily life faster.





Full disclosure note, if you follow the article's link and then follow that link about the author you will find this:

"If you must know I'm: I'm taken
Good books. Bad jokes. Strong coffee."

I found that amusing, given the circumstances.

[marmar]

21. I don't think it's an either/or situation. I drink and enjoy both.

nt

[Motown_Johnny]

58. I never meant to imply that it was

Perhaps after reading my post and looking into the article linked to it you will choose tea a bit more often and coffee a bit less.

Maybe not, the choice is yours.

[Ichingcarpenter]

18. I use the Italian non electric coffee moka pot

I have found it better tasting and it uses no paper filters
as compared to a drip type electric


You can even take them on a camping trip

I love my morning coffee.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

20. and never forget the double pleasure of Irish Coffee

Dog's Gift to Dyslexics everywhere.

[bigwillq]

22. I can only do decaf.

But I love the taste of coffee. I don't drink caffeine. Makes me a bit jumpy. But the decaf works fine for me. :)

[pipi_k]

29. Me too, unfortunately...

since there seems to be a larger selection of flavors available in the caffeinated coffee.

I have anxiety and panic disorder, so even one regular coffee can set off a massive attack. Last time it happened was 6 or 7 years ago when a Dunkin Donuts worker accidentally gave me a "high test" coffee at the drive up window. Luckily I wasn't driving at the time. The result was not pretty.

:(

[Control-Z]

23. What a nice post.

Thank you. :)

[Blue Owl]

28. Yes it is, Marmar

Yes, it is...

:donut:

[slackmaster]

31. ENDORSED!

:kick:

[HappyMe]

32. Kickin for coffee!

:hi:

[pipi_k]

33. My very first memories of coffee....ahhhhhh....

As a young child, mid to late 1950s

Going shopping with my mom in the local A & P

They used to grind the coffee at the registers. You could smell it all over the store.

Even at that age, the smell was Heaven...

:)

[Knight Hawk]

60. In the 50's there was

a great Friday night tv program titled"Mama" about an immigrant Hungarian family.Maxwell House Coffee was the sponsor.Great program,it always ended with the oldest daughter saying that she remembered many things about the old days circa 1925 or so but mostly she remembered "Mama".To this day I appreciate Maxwell for puting on that enriching program.

[malaise]

34. I love coffee

adore coffee.

[Thunderstruck]

35. Good to the last drop.

[niyad]

48. except that maxwell house is bilge water

[orwell]

36. I roast my own...

...so I guess you could call me a coffee fanatic.

My personal favorites right now are Ethiopian and Sumatran.

[JCMach1]

52. Me too... I get fresh green Kenyan Java and Yemeni beans

Enjoy my how to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ylmn8xGNSo

Shamwow guy eat your heart out... LOL :(

[AsahinaKimi]

38. I drink mostly tea, but there are some days when

I plug in the coffee maker, and make a cup o' joe. But I prefer to put a little ice cream in mine, or some Cool Whip.

[Shiver]

39. Coffee makes me gag.

Can't even stand the smell of the stuff. I think it has something to do with being a supertaster.

[pink-o]

40. I would give up: 1) Wine. 2) Food. 3) Sex. 4) Music

Before I'd sacrifice coffee!! Since I was 9 I've been indulging in the black gold that is a cup o'joe. Like the rest of you, it's not just the taste or the caffeine high, but the whole surrounding ritual that I crave. When I hear the sound of a milk steamer in an espresso house, it's like Pavlov's dogs and that darned bell. Love coffee, love it love it love it.

They'll have to pry my latte out of my cold, dead hand before I ever give it up!!

[etherealtruth]

41. My raison d'etre

Mmmmmmm coffee

[kevinbgoode]

42. I have become soooo spoiled. . .gone are the days when I was placated by an inexpensive

can of ground at the supermarket. . .and while I've never been a Starbuck's fan, I have become terribly addicted to ordering coffee online. I know there are several web sites to do this - my favorite is specialtyjava.com. . .man, they roast the beans the next morning and ship them right to your door!

The bad part is that it reinforced my addiction to fresh coffee and I have to make a conscious effort to moderate my drinking, though I remain only a morning consumer (nothing with meals or after noon!). Still, the aroma itself can wake me up, and there is something about that first swallow that transforms me from an unenthusiastic greeter of the day to a happy and ready-to-go person!

[DesertFlower]

44. i gave it up 3 years ago. i don't

like being addicted to anything. don't really miss it.

[Fuzz]

45. I love my freshly roasted Kenyan coffee that I grind myself. Best in the French press, but

I use a 10 cup drip for mass quantities. :)

[grasswire]

50. I prefer French press too...although the current style is ...

....single source "pour-over". Pour-over is the new term for "drip." Dunno where you live, but out here in the Pacific Northwest the trendy coffee houses all sell "single source" beans meaning that the beans for that variety all come from the same coffee farm. So you order a single source pour-over and they grind beans from that one farm and pour water through a single drip cone for your cuppa.

[pinboy3niner]

49. IT'S ONE OF THE MAJOR FOOD GROUPS!1!!

But no matter how many letters I write to FDA, they still keep getting those pyramids and other diagrams wrong!1!! :evilgrin:

[trusty elf]

51. J.S. Bach wrote a coffee cantata! :-D

Bach's Coffee Cantata BWV 211
Libretto by Christian Friedrich Henrici
Composed for perfomance by Bach's Collegium at Zimmerman's Coffee House, Leipzig, between 1732 & 1734

Recitative Narrator
Be quiet, stop chattering, and pay attention to what's taking place: here comes Herr Schlendrian with his daughter Lieschen; he's growling like a honey bear. Hear for yourselves, what she has done to him!

Aria - Schlendrian
Don't one's children cause one endless trials & tribulations! What I say each day to my daughter Lieschen falls on stony ground.

Recitative - Schlendrian
You wicked child, you disobedient girl, h! when will I get my way; give up coffee!

Lieschen
Father, don't be so severe! If I can't drink my bowl of coffee three times daily, then in my torment I will shrivel up like a piece of roast goat.

Aria - Lieschen
Mm! how sweet the coffee tastes, more delicious than a thousand kisses, mellower than muscatel wine. Coffee, coffee I must have, and if someone wishes to give me a treat, ah, then pour me out some coffee!

Recitative - Schlendrian
If you don't give up drinking coffee then you shan't go to any wedding feast, nor go out walking. oh! when will I get my way; give up coffee!

Lieschen
Oh well! Just leave me my coffee!

Schlendrian
Now I've got the little minx! I won't get you a whalebone skirt in the latest fashion.

Lieschen
I can easily live with that.

Schlendrian
You're not to stand at the window and watch people pass by!

Lieschen
That as well, only I beg of you, leave me my coffee!

Schlendrian
Furthermore, you shan't be getting any silver or gold ribbon for your bonnet from me!

Lieschen
Yes, yes! only leave me to my pleasure!

Schlendrian
You disobedient Lieschen you, so you go along with it all!

Aria - Schlendrian
Hard-hearted girls are not so easily won over. Yet if one finds their weak spot, ah! then one comes away successful.

Recitative - Schlendrian
Now take heed what your father says!

Lieschen
In everything but the coffee.

Schlendrian
Well then, you'll have to resign yourself to never taking a husband.

Lieschen
Oh yes! Father, a husband!

Schlendrian
I swear it won't happen.

Lieschen
Until I can forgo coffee? From now on, coffee, remain forever untouched! Father, listen, I won't drink any

Schlendrian
Then you shall have a husband at last!

Aria - Lieschen
Today even dear father, see to it! Oh, a husband! Really, that suits me splendidly! If it could only happen soon that at last, before I go to bed, instead of coffee I were to get a proper lover!

Recitative - Narrator
Old Schlendrian goes off to see if he can find a husband forthwith for his daughter Lieschen; but Leischen secretly lets it be known: no suitor is to come to my house unless he promises me, and it is also written into the marriage contract, that I will be permitted to make myself coffee whenever I want.

Trio
A cat won't stop from catching mice, and maidens remain faithful to their coffee. The mother holds her coffee dear, the grandmother drank it also, who can thus rebuke the daughters!

[snappyturtle]

53. I should send this to Mika B. on Morning Joe! This morning she

interviewed Howard Schultz, President and CEO of Starbucks Coffee (celebrating it's 40th birthday). At the end of the interview she made the suggestion that teens need a 'special' drink, lower in caffeine.

[dddem]

54. I love coffee.

I wish, however that this article mentioned that when we purchase coffee, we should always look for fair trade.

[Stevenmarc]

55. Let's just say, if I have an issue with my espresso machine

I have a spare in reserve.

As far as the beans, thank God for Fairway market a NYC based supermarket that roasts their beans on-site, love their Benny's Blend.

[KittyWampus]

56. Actually , coffee depletes your adrenals and dehydrates your body.

Caffeine triggers your pituitary to secret adrenaline.

It also is addictive as body then craves more.

It depletes water in your body.

It eventually then begins to stress the heart.

Then there's what it does to the intestines and intestinal flora.

It causes fatigue that its addicts compound by consuming even more.

But if coffee drinkers want to believe the usual attempt to paper over the real effects of using a drug on a regular basis... that's their right. But why pretend it's good for you?

Getting antioxidants from blueberries also provides fiber and vitamins.

I now drink roasted barley tea & dandelion tea which both have the depth of coffee while actually being very beneficial. Also drink lots of green tea and delicious herbal teas.

[dreamnightwind]

59. I agree

I love coffee but i can vouch for all of the negative effects you listed. It's also, at least in my case, incredibly hard to stop using it. I've tried a number of times, cold turkey and gradual reduction, always wind up back in the same situation, drinking lots of coffee.

[midnight]

57. Anyone drink Boom Brothers coffee?

http://www.boombros.com/gallery.html

[eleny]

61. I love to wake up to the fragrance of 8 O'Clock coffee brewing

Childhood memories are stronger for me than trends. A little bit of milk in it and I'm good.