Today’s video and post are about using the world’s most widely used psychoactive drug: the coffee bean!  Coffee is a powerful plant that has plenty of beneficial properties but can also be easily abused due to its addictive nature as a powerful stimulant.

First I want to outline the potential benefits of coffee:

• Coffee contains caffeine, a powerful stimulant to the entire hormonal and nervous system.

• Coffee also contains other beneficial amino acids, antioxidants, and plant polyphenols that can be very beneficial to the body.

• Coffee has been shown to potentially help prevent Alzheimer’s disease due to increased blood flow to the brain.

• Coffee is one of the best sources of antioxidants which work to reduce free-radical damage to the body caused by oxidation.

• Coffee may help prevent heart disease according to some research.

• Coffee may help protect the liver according to some research.

• Coffee can be an effective stimulant and potentially aid in digestion and elimination.

• Coffee can help increase mental focus due to increased blood flow to the brain and its stimulant-like properties on the hormonal and nervous systems.

• Coffee can help increase athletic performance.

 

With all these benefits, you must be thinking, wow coffee is AMAZING, why would I not want to drink tons of it?

There are a couple of important factors to consider when using coffee, like any drug, it comes with potential side effects, addictiveness, and DANGERS.  My experience as a health coach has shown time and time again that many of us replace other healthy habits with Coffee because it is a quick and easy boost of energy.

For example, you may be getting tired in the afternoon at work because you skipped lunch and need to drink a glass of water.  Many people turn to coffee instead of eating or drinking water.

Maybe you need a cold shower and a workout in the morning to get going and feel great all day, but instead many will rely solely on the power of coffee to get going.

Some people are dealing with considerable auto-immune, hormonal imbalances, and health issues while ALSO relying heavily on coffee for energy as a form of self-medication.

We must make sure that we do NOT use coffee in place of other health habits that support our energy and vitality.  Otherwise, coffee can easily transform from a healthy ritual and plant to a potentially dangerous addiction.

Coffee users have been shown to experience chronically elevated stress responses that are more intense than non-coffee drinkers. Coffee can also lead to chronically elevated cortisol (Stress hormone created by the adrenals) within the body.  

For example: coffee has a 6-hour half-life, meaning 50% of the caffeine in coffee is STILL in your body 6 hours later.  This means a cup of coffee at 5 pm. Containing 200mg of caffeine would still cause 100mg of caffeine to be circulating in your body at 11 pm!  Late afternoon coffee use could greatly disrupt sleep. I recommend stopping coffee or any caffeine intake by 1-3pm. The absolute latest for this very reason.

Remember, any habit that no longer serves your greater health goals that you cannot give up could be said to an addiction.  Coffee addiction is extremely common and prevalent, and withdrawal from coffee can be non-existent to severe, everyone’s body is different.

Learn how YOUR body responds to coffee.  Everyone’s body is different, I am already a very stimulated and active person with a busy brain, even one cup of strong coffee can cause me to crash and feel terrible.  Others could drink multiple cups a day and be absolutely fine! Everyone’s biochemistry is different, and everyone will handle coffee differently.

Another important tip is to always buy organic coffee, coffee beans are one of the world’s most heavily sprayed crops with pesticides.  To avoid potentially harmful pesticide residues it is always advised to drink Certified Organic Coffee whenever possible, and especially for your daily use.  Also looking for fresh coffee beans is highly important as a lot of product can end up sitting for prolonged periods of time.

So remember, coffee can have great benefits, but it is still a powerful stimulant and drug that boosts the speed and performance of the entire body.  Anytime we push our body, we must counterbalance it by hydrating and resting just as intensely as we push ourselves to perform. 

In short, coffee can be one of the best morning rituals to enjoy a plant that many people love, just make sure that it works for your unique goals and bodies needs, otherwise, you may experience some of the downsides.