Morning Joe

Hilarious :)  BP Spills Coffee

Good Morning Everyone:

As I sit here drinking cup 1 of my 2 cup coffee routine every morning,  I had a thought...

Probably one of the hardest things about taking my stand against Refined Sugar is having to drink black coffee.  If you're like me and love your morning coffee, you probably understand this issue.  Black coffee is like beer to me; it is an acquired taste.  I am used to having half my cup filled with coffee creamer in order to mask the bitterness that comes with black coffee.  Recently, I decided that the creamer wasn't good for me (because of all the fake additives in it), and I have been drinking it with plain white sugar.  That made the coffee taste REALLY good :).  But now that I have promised to go refined sugar free for 30 days, I have to give up all additives in my coffee.  It's been okay so far.  It forces me to drink the coffee at a slower pace (because it doesn't taste like I am drinking a candy bar), and I drink less as a result.

I know what some of you are thinking "why drink the coffee at all?"  The truth is that I love it.  I have been drinking coffee since I was 6-years-old.  Seriously, that's not an exaggeration. When my cousin Brittany and I were young, we loved the coffee creamer that my grandma had in her refrigerator.  My grandma just couldn't justify letting us drink plain coffee creamer, so she would brew some De-Caff coffee and give us one small cup of coffee,extra creamer.  We loved it!  We felt so grown-up drinking our coffee with grandma.  It is one of the best memories I have of my childhood.  I am sure Britt can say the same.

There have been many times in my life that I have tried to quit drinking my morning coffee.  Just like you, I have heard nothing but bad things about it.  I have heard that drinking tea is much better for your body, and that the caffeine is really bad for you.  WELL, it turns out that drinking black coffee is actually GOOD FOR YOU!! Yes coffee drinkers, you read that correctly, and you can rejoice!  Studies have shown that drinking 1-2 cups of coffee per day has significant health benefits when compared to those who don't drink coffee at all.  According to WebMD.com, the health benefits of drinking coffee are the following:

Coffee Drinkers (compared to non-coffee drinkers) are

1)  Less likely to have Type 2 Diabetes
2)  Less likely to have Parkinson's Disease and Dementia
3)  Have fewer cases of certain cancers
4)  Less likely to have hearth rhythm issues
5)  Have fewer cases of strokes

There is no evidence showing  that drinking caffeinated coffee is better than decaffeinated or vice versa.  You must also be aware that the studies being conducted are considering coffee alone, not with the other additives like sugar, milk, creamer, and syrup.

Not only is coffee good for your body, it's good for your mood!  According to an article on philstar.com entitled "11 foods that can make you happy", coffee made the list.  A study in Brazil showed that those who drink a cup of coffee in the morning were less likely to suffer from depression.  It also says that the caffeine in coffee helps improve your mood, make you more alert, and improve memory.

Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, as we all know.  Too much coffee consumption can cause anxiety, lack of sleep, heart problems (because of the increased blood pressure), and occasional irregular heart beat.  All of these problems come from OVER CONSUMPTION of coffee, so just stick to your 1-2 cups per day to stay safe.

So, the next time you reach for your morning joe, be happy that you are making a healthy, mood-improving choice.  Try drinking it black...you may be surprised at how much you like it!

My 2nd cup of coffee is gone, the cup is on the table, and there is a smile on my face.  What a perfect way to start the day!