coffee

[Edward Smith]

what is everyone's stance on coffeee.

[Paul]

I'm not a big coffee drinker because of my heart condition (SVT). If I drink more than one cup a day I'm more likely to suffer an SVT attack which is where my heart takes the wrong electrical pathway and it suddenly jumps to over 200 beats per minute. I've experimented by drinking coffee about 30 minutes before exercise and I think it does give a slight energy boost during the workout. On those occassions though I did get abnormal heart flutters so I just avoid it. Because I only drink one cup a day, if I have more than that I find it makes me tense, increases anxiety and ruins my sleep so I guess I'm sensitive to the affects of caffeine.

Paul.

[Tetsu]

Personally i dont like coffee either, thats not to say its bad but i get tense after a single cup plus an elevated heart beat which i find unpleasant.

I do like my freshly picked white silver needle & oolong teas though. in fact i spend at least 30-40$ every 2 weeks on tea. 8)

[Luke Leaman]

If you do not have any pre-existing conditions and if you keep it to 2-4 cups of organic coffee a day, then it's great. Recent studies have shown that coffee drinkers live up to 5-7 years longer than non-coffee drinkers. Just make sure it's done moderately and you do not go overboard.

[Edward Smith]

I try and keep it to just one a day at most two every now and again I go without coffee for a couple of days just so I don't get an addiction

[StevenL]

Coffee is full of health-promoting phytonutrients. Despite popular opinion, overwhelming research suggests that moderate coffee and caffeine consumption causes no adverse health effects.

[David Picó García]

Well is one of my addictions but just 2 coffees a day, but I need it after I wake up.

And you have the plus, if you drink up to 100 cups, and you are a cartoon you get super powers:

http://www.videosift.com/video/Futurama ... -of-coffee

Hey!!! i said if you are a cartoon, because i saw some stupid people surfing the web trying to do that.

[Nic Scheelings]

I love that episode!

[Edward Smith]

Yeah I have all the season's of futurama (and the movies). Like I said before I limit my intake to 1 cup a day (rarely 2). I just returned from school camp, where I hadn't had any tea or coffee for a week, and had a cup of coffee when I got home and I noticed that it had bigger effect on me than it normally does. I'm guessing this is the result of being off caffeine (well decent doses) for a week and being quite tired when I had it. It reminded me of the fact that such substances as caffeine, alcohol, etc. become less effective (not exactly the right word) stimulant for the user and the body needs increased levels of it to get the same 'effect'.

Ed

[User24]

I purchase green coffee and roast it myself, to ensure freshness and tailor it to my liking.

The caffeine is a natural pain blocker, athletic performance enhancer, and mood enhancer. There have been times I would just drink some coffee to alleviate bodily pain, since I don't take those artificial drugs.

I have all sorts of different methods to prepare the coffee for drinking, anywhere from french press to espresso, but they are beyond the scope of this forum.

[David Picó García]

Nespresso, what else? :wink:

[mikey88]

Although if Im a work I have the odd cup im not sure how beneficial having caffeine on a regular basis is for you health. As afterall it is a stimulant and therefore does excite your adrenal system.

However I have had lots of success with it before exercise. Especially after a long day, I often feel so tired that at gymnastics practice (especially when tumbling) which requires a maximum amount of explosive power I am useless.

However if I have a cup a coffee about 30-60 minutes before it gives me a massive boost and allow me to greatly increase my training intensity and endurance.

Obviously this effect is lessened with regular coffee drinkers. Hence why I try and limit my regular caffeine intake so I can enjoy the maximum effect "if" I need it for training.

Mike

[Blairbob]

Stimulants in the morning helping clarify and get the mind going, especially if you are training early and are not typically a morning person.

However, coffee gives me the shakes because I don't drink it but maybe a few times a year. I did get into those frappochino bottled coffee things but that's also because it's milk and sugary.

I prefer tea a lot more than coffee. Not as much caffeine though, but still a lot of nutrients and what not. It would be interesting to see some studies on tea that are like the coffee vs no coffee types.

[Gittit Shwartz]

My $0.02:

- Caffeine energizes me in the sense that it makes me more willing to start training and to train harder, but I find I don't get "laser focus" with it. I wouldn't drink coffee for a math test or for handbalancing, but for most other types of workout it can help.

- I believe caffeine intake should be cycled to give the adrenals a rest. If you start feeling like a zombie without it, or find you need more and more to get a response, back off for a bit. 1-2 days a week on a rest day just drink herbal tea instead.

G

[Edward Smith]

Thanks Gittit,

I do try and cycle my coffee every now and again. Does tea count as caffeine/a stimulant. I now it contains caffeine but I've heard it is 'cancelled out' by another nutrient in tea?

Ed

[Gittit Shwartz]

Ed,

Since tea (black/green) affects me the same as coffee, I treat it as I would coffee and avoid it when I want to take a break from caffeine. One cup of strong tea contains more caffeine than a small espresso.

[StevenJ]

About the tea having more caffeine than espresso, that's not true. Green tea (no matter how long you steep it) has about 1/10 the caffeine, and black tea is about half. They still have caffeine, just not nearly as much.

Edit: After looking at this post, it looks a little mean (which was not my intent) so I'll elaborate. By weight tea and coffee have similar caffeine content, but when one brews tea they can get about twice to three times liquid out of it, as compared to the coffee. So right there is where the difference lies. At least, this is what I've been told by a lot of people. Anyone else keen on the subject?

[Gittit Shwartz]

No worries, Steven. I was comparing by "serving size", not per ml, but whatever. The point is, the caffeine content of tea is NOT negligible and it should be cycled along with coffee.

[Daster]

ive never liked coffee..hate the taste..

[Luke Leaman]

Unless you have issues regarding adrenal fatigue, regular consumption of coffee should not pose a problem to the adrenals. Also the time of day makes a difference and the amount, of course. Cortisol should be higher in the morning, tapering off until the late afternoon/early evening so it's preferred to drink it early.

Results and effects may vary but I have been drinking 2 venti coffees from Starbucks every day for about two years and my adrenal stress index is always in the normal range.

I think coffee may also spare muscle glycogen, so it could be useful for nutrition above and beyond mobilizing fatty acids and phytonutrients. I find that I partition nutrients much better when drinking coffee regularly.