Caffeinated

I love coffee.

I’m not sure if it’s the wondrous smell, or the fact that it’s just plain addictive, but I keep wanting more. Coffee is more a way of life than it is a beverage. Coffee fuels us, warms us, and awakens our minds. Coffee is the creative and the insomniac. Coffee creates connections, sparks conversation, and builds community. Coffee is my drug of choice. And yes, it’s a drug. It’s addictive, healthy, and absolutely delicious. Coffee is part of my life everyday.

We love coffee.

According to the Huffington Post, Americans drink over 400 million cups of coffee per day. In fact, 54% of people over the age of 18 drink it daily. This makes us the greatest consumer of coffee in the world. Guys, it’s a thing. We love coffee. And don’t feel bad about it. The few cups of coffee you have in the morning may be doing more for your health than just providing you with that pick-me-up. Coffee provides us with antioxidants, shows signs of lessening effects of disease, is great for your liver, and lessens stress. If you don’t drink coffee, give it a chance. It is an essential to life.

So how much coffee could be healthy, and how much is too much? Moderate coffee drinkers have about two cups per day while heavy coffee drinkers consume up to four or more cups per day. But health concerns are based in the amount of caffeine you’re consuming each day. According to the Mayo Clinic, up to 400mg of caffeine per day appears to be okay for most healthy and fit adults. That’s roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of coffee or caffeinated tea. However, too much caffeine is bad for you. We’ve all gotten the jitters. According to Duke University researcher James Lane, this is to be expected. “Think of caffeine as a drug that creates ‘stress,’ and has similar effects on the body.” Caffeine can boost your bodies adrenaline levels so high that one can start to feel symptoms such as high blood pressure, sweatiness, and jitters, all of which can be attributed to overcaffeination.

Coffee can become unhealthy for a few reasons: it’s just plain bad beans, there’s too much cream or sugar, you’ve gotten ahold of that specialty drinks menu, or you’re just drinking too much. Dr. Rob van Dam says in an article in Time Magazine, “black coffee is a healthy, non-caloric beverage choice.” I drink it black, because the best coffee needs no garnishment. The best coffee is like wine, it has subtle smells and tastes that you only can appreciate in it’s most raw form. It goes without saying that the healthy benefits of black coffee aren’t mirrored with those of the sugar-filled concoctions we so love. Ever since that moment we found out Starbucks had a secret menu, there was no turning back. Your best bet is to skip the sugar-laden Caramel Snickerdoodle Macchiato from Starbucks and order a basic black coffee.

For the love of coffee, let's get to work.