COFFEE (AND CAFFEINE)
HOW SHOULD I "USE" IT? OR SHOULD I?


tba beginning draft, but you get the basic idea

Zero coffee is just fine.  We do not need it.  However, health professionals approve of one cup of coffee as being ok and stimulative of alertness.  In excess, coffee will stiffen arteries and raise blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

WHAT WE HEAR...AND BELIEVE...

Coffee is needed to get you going in the morning.

Coffee increases your mental alertness and your ability to take tests well.

Coffee is one of the best anti-oxidants.


QUESTIONS...INQUIRY

But did we drink it as cavemen?  Do we need to now?

Do we need artificial stimulants? 

Don't those cause side effects?

Isn't coffee highly acidic?  (I add pH drops to it.)

Doesn't it therefore hurt calcium storage/supply and utilization, creating side effects?

Don't we put possibly harmful extra stuff into the coffee to flavor it?

Doesn't drinking it affect my body's ability to regulate and stimulate itself?


COULDN'T I, INSTEAD...?

Given that I am seeking the three objectives in the first section, can't I achieve those through other methods that are less toxic and homeostasis disturbing?

Couldn't I use more beneficial body movement instead, such as in exercise and in Instant Energy From Something Good?


SO, I AM EXPLORING...WHETHER TO...

I'll let you know what the results are of my experiments with replacing it...


LATER...

I got off of coffee for more than a month, as I thought it would be better for me to self generate my "energy", especially since my health practitioner (Kirk Hamilton) was having me on a "perfect" high nutrition diet (lots of greens!).  We tried all sorts of supplements, which did not feel like they "upped" me at all, though I did get to no longer having cold hands in the morning.

So, feeling a bit stiff and non-energetic, non-strong one morning I went over to the cafe and had a good tall cup of bold blend - and I felt good all day, rather quickly.  I tried the "ready brewed" (see sidebar) the next morning and I felt better quickly. 

So, for now, unless there is a change somewhere else that works, I will use coffee as a wake up, alertness, feel stronger product.

I took my blood pressure before and after to test out the effect and my blood pressure was normal.  I have noted no jitteriness nor other side effects. 


SIMPLIFIES, CUTS TIME

Using the strategy in the side bar, simplifies things and I don't have to hassle with prepping the coffee or waiting for it to brew (I don't set the timer for automatic starting). 

It saves space, with nothing to take up space on the counter nor in the pantry.


A BETTER ALTERNATIVE

Working out early in the morning is a better alternative for waking yourself up, if it is something you will do.  I would recommend it over coffee, along the idea that artificially stimulating the body might throw it off a bit (out of homeostasis and its own natural way of awakening and firing up).


WRITE ME

Write to me if you have something better, especially a good reference. Contact.




The process

Coffee binds to adenosine receptors and prevents it from doing its job, which is to make us feel drowsy (to indicate that we need to restore, rest, recover so that our body would then fix that problem).  Coffee shortcuts fixing the problem that causes us to feel drowsy.  It is an artificial stimulant.

Too much...

If we do supersize doses, we raise blood pressure and cause irregular heat reat, accelerated breathing, anxiety ("coffee jitters") and sleep disturbances.  Sleep disturbances cause our bodies and minds to not be able to sufficiently repair themselves for good functioning in life.


The coffee strategy I've chosen

I liked Starbuck VIA packets for "ready brewed" coffee (just put in hot water).  I ended up, due to evaluations and a lower price buying Mount Hagen Organic Freeze Dried in a jar (from Amazon). [The jar is considerably less expensive than the individual packets and received the same level of evaluations - so, except for travelling convenience, I chose the jar.] 

I stored away my coffee maker (deciding that the Keurig Kcup one cup coffee maker was too much of a hassle and had maintenance). 

Now I just heat water with my quick hot water system (and microwave it for about 30 seconds) and put some instant in it, with some Stevia.  With the brewed coffee, I had to cut the acidic taste by adding alot of cream, but I found that the "ready brew" coffee tasted better and needed no cream added. [My health advisor suggested that I drop all dairy products.]

I still have a good supply of the small packets for travel and I carry the Stevia packets with me. 

I also use the pH drops (from SwansonVitamins.com) as a precaution against the acidic properties of coffee.