| |
| |
|
Coffee Information |
|
|
|
Is Caffeine a Hero or a Villain in Your Life?
Many sober, law abiding people who would never dream of knowingly taking a mind- altering drug, actually consume one every day. Chances are that youâ??re doing it too! What is this drug? â?" Caffeine! Caffeine is so pervasive in our culture and in many other cultures that we often forget it is literally a drug that affects our brain. Caffeine is present in coffee, tea, many cola drinks and over the counter medications. The real question isâ?"is caffeine a bad drug, or is it â??okayâ??? Is caffeine even better than â??okayâ??, does it do good things for us? The verdict on caffeine, particularly when taken in the form of coffee, seems to be mixed. There are nutritional advisers who claim that coffee makes us age faster, wears out our adrenal glands, and causes all sorts of untold damage to our cells. Other researchers claim that coffee, especially if itâ??s freshly roasted and ground, is full of antioxidants, and therefore good for us. Most doctors say that drinking one or two cups of coffee a day is probably not harmful. And of course there are others who say we ought to avoid caffeine altogether. Many of us feel that we cannot really get going in the morning until we have had our first cup of coffee. We often continue to use it throughout the day whenever our energy appears to be flagging and our brain seems to need additional help to think more clearly. Does caffeine really enhance mental performance, or is that just a myth? Yes, caffeine does give a temporary boost to brain cells. But the amount required to improve mental performance is not very high. Even half a cup of coffee will be enough to give your brain a boost that lasts several hours. Oddly enough, more caffeine is not necessarily better. In one test done when high-level executives were given the equivalent of fourteen cups of coffee in a day, they made their decisions faster, but the decisions were not of very good quality. Not every person reacts to caffeine in the same way. Some people experience greater mental clarity, alertness and productivy after a cup of coffee. Others become jittery, anxious, or depressed. Although caffeine will keep most of us awake if taken at night, it does not have this effect in everyone. In some older people, coffee or tea can improve memory and alertness enough to partly offset the effects of aging. It is true that caffeine is mildly addicting for most people. Some people can quit using caffeine with absolutely no withdrawal symptoms, while others will feel headaches, fatigue, and experience cravings for caffeine for weeks. Caffeine works by blocking one of the neurotransmitters--adenosineâ?"which normally tells brain cells to calm down. Brain cells that have been affected by caffeine will remain excited and on high alert for several hours. The most noticeable negative effect of caffeine is that it can interfere with sleep. In most people, drinking coffee, tea or cola in the late afternoon or in the evening will cause insomnia. The quantity and quality of sleep will be greatly reduced, setting in motion a vicious cycle, where the person affected will feel so tired all the next day that he drinks a lot more coffee in order to try feel awake. If this is happening to you, cut back on the amount of caffeine you consume each day. You may experience fewer withdrawal symptoms if you cut down gradually. You may wish to substitute green tea for some of your cups of coffee. Green tea has some caffeine, but not as much as coffee. Better yet, consider substituting exercise for some of those cups of coffee. If you canâ??t leave your workplace, at least get up from your chair periodically. Do a few stretches, walk around a bit, and jump up and down a few times. Take some deep breaths. A little exercise break can revitalize your brain without giving you the caffeine jitters. Remember that your brain wonâ??t really benefit from more than one or two cups of coffee in a day. This article is taken from the new book by Royane Real title "How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better, and Be More Creative" You can get the paperback version or download it at http://www.lulu.com/real
MORE RESOURCES:
Coffee - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Coffee Culture in the USA It wasn't until I moved to the US that I started drinking coffee regularly and became what they call in the Netherlands a 'koffieleut', which translates literally into 'coffee socialite.' Although the average European drinks more coffee per year than the average American, the cultural importance and its effects on the average European seems to me smaller than that on the average American. History of Instant Coffee Mention instant coffee to any connoisseur and you are sure to get a frown of disgust. Yet, who among us hasn't, after finding the coffee tin empty, scoured the cupboard in desperation with hopes of finding a long since misplaced jar or 'hotel packet' of instant coffee? And, after sighing in relief, relished in amazement that it is still good after all those years of obscurity, abandonment and outright neglect on the dusty top shelf at the back of the pantry. Caffeine & Low Birth Weight Babies These studies begin to point the way to the more permanent damage that coffee drinking can inflict on the unborn. The use of caffeine during pregnancy has been widely studied. Which Coffees are Highest in Antioxidants? As researchers learn more about antioxidants with health and disease, they increasingly find themselves drawn to their influence on overall health. With them becoming an ever larger realm of study, people are looking for new ways to obtain high levels for them to be beneficial. Caffeine - I Bet You Didnt Know This! Health and Nutrition! What exactly is caffeine? It is a colorless, somewhat bitter substance that is found in coffee, tea, chocolate and cola. It is also in many over- the-counter medicines and in many diet/weight loss supplements. Coffee Breaks - Do They Create Stress? The American custom of taking break during the working hours. Thus coffee breaks began in the early 20th century. Coffee Commodities and Starbucks If we look at commodity trading from a purely conceptual standpoint, we find that the true reason for having a commodity exchange in the first place, was to stabilize pricing so that the American farmer could have a better idea of what his agricultural product would sell for once the harvest was complete. It also helped manufactures who needed raw materials to know how much money could be charged in their end product, by knowing their costs. Woman Dies from Caffeine Overdose and Expert Calls for Action in New Book and FDA Petition An autopsy released this week has found caffeine to be the cause of death for a woman from New Mexico. The incident took place in June 2004 after she was admitted to a hospital after a fight with her son. Coffee Roasting: Learning the Fundamental Art of Making Coffee Can be Fun Coffee roasting from light to very dark, is an art form in itself. Green beans have none of the flavor we are all accustomed to. Coffee Roasting De-mystified How many different names have you run across for different types of coffee roasts? Light, Medium, Dark? Espresso? Continental? Vienna, French, Italian, Spanish? City? Full-City? C'mon, who's thinking up these things?Well, the dark secret (pardon the pun) of the coffee industry is that, well, there really isn't full agreement on which roast is which. So basically, we all pretty much get to hunt around, try different coffees from different sources and pick the one(s) we like. Why Your Cup of Coffee in the Morning May Keep You Up All Night One of the most common complaints among coffee drinkers is that the caffeine can disturb their sleep. This result has been known for thousands of years and is, in fact, one of the reasons why many drink coffee in the first place: to stay awake. 3 Simple Tips For Making Perfect Coffee Want to brew the perfect cup of coffee?Here are 3 simple tips that will make a difference in every single cup you drink.Tip #1 Clean Coffee PotA clean pot is essential and can make a world of difference in the taste of your coffee. Make the Switch! Coffee to Tea Having a hard time giving up your 4 cups of coffee each day? Evidence shows by switching to tea you can add some significant health benefits. The health benefit of drinking tea is chalked up to one explanation, antioxidants. The Great Bean Mystery - Find the World's Best Coffee Who doesn't love solving a good mystery? Is the Loch Ness monster real? Who built Stonehenge? Does Big Foot really exist? What is the world's best coffee? While you may need to be an expert to solve the first three, no advanced degree or special knowledge is required to unravel one of the greatest mysteries of the 21st century: What is the world's best coffee?All you need to solve this caffeinated mystery is equip yourself with the right information. And, thanks to the Internet, finding the information for your coffee trekking adventure is as easy as the click of a button. What Makes Hawaiian Coffee So Special? Coffee was first introduced to the Islands by Chief Boki, the Governor of Oahu, in 1825. He acquired coffee plants in Rio de Janeiro while aboard a British warship, the H. Italian Roast Coffee For An Authentic Espresso One of the things people think of with Italy is it's coffee. In fact Italian roast coffee is perfect for bringing a touch of Europe to your home. Arabica Coffee As you may have guessed, Arabica coffee gets its name from Arabia, the land of kings. When it comes to coffee, Arabica is definitely king. Coffee, Caffeine & Fitness One look at a line at the local Starbucks in the morning and you don't need to be convinced of the huge amount of coffee consumption in the U.S. Kenya Coffee History In Kenya coffee production dates back several hundred years. Coffee was originally discovered in Ethiopia, Kenya's neighbor to the north. Flavored Coffee Syrup Adds A New Dimension To Beans Flavored coffee syrup is a popular addition to any coffee beverage and a welcome change for any regular coffee drinker. Whether you are looking to satisfy a sweet tooth or just want something different, flavored coffee syrups put a great kick into any drink.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
