By Daniel Dessinger
November 14, 2009
I’m here to tell you that coffee is very unhealthy for you. Everything is relative, of course, so it is undoubtedly healthier for your body than other energy drink alternatives. This post is written from the perspective that “some foods actually promote health while some endanger your health.” So healthiER might not be actually healthy (in the health increasing sense), just less toxic or dangerous than some alternatives. Today we’re going to talk COFFEE, so let’s dive in.
DISCLAIMER: I LOVE COFFEE
Before you think I’m a “holier than thou” type, know that I love coffee more than any other beverage. Wait. That’s historically not true. I’ll back up in a bit and go through my beverage history so you know where I’m coming from.
For now, let’s see what Dr. Mercola, the leading osteopathic doctor on the Web, has to say about coffee.
Coffee can:
- Increase your risk of stomach cancer and leukemia
- Interfere with your body’s ability to use water, and promote fluid loss
- Interfere with your body’s ability to use folate, and vitamins B12 and B6
- Raise your cholesterol
- Send your insulin levels out of control
- Contribute to rheumatoid arthritis and stroke
- Damage your blood vessels
- Increase your risk of heart disease
- Contribute to Parkinson’s, prostate cancer, and miscarriages from the pesticides heavily sprayed on coffee trees
- Stimulate your adrenals and eventually burn them out
Before you run away thinking this is all just a bunch of bad news, read the rest of the article by Dr. Mercola to read why he strongly recommends a specific type of organic green tea over coffee or even black tea. It’s worth the read. He puts it in a much more positive, make-you-want-to-be-healthier light.
If you think YOU’RE a mess, just read my history
Before you think I’m one of those semi-alien health nuts who never ate a french fry in his life, check out my beverage history below:
1991-1995: Mountain Dew / Dr. Pepper. I drank several per day.
1998-2005: Dr. Pepper. I literally drank 6-12 Dr. Peppers daily. I had to have one with me at all times. No, really. I’d stop important conversations to drive to Racetrack or Diamond Shamrock just so I could have a Dr. Pepper on hand. This habit lasted at least 8 years. I drank almost no water. Except after playing basketball or right before bed.
I used to tell people that I’m lucky they don’t make a Dr. Pepper flavored alcohol. I’ve never been much of a drinker, but that would have pushed me over the edge!
2005-2008: Coffee and Starbucks Lattes. I quit drinking Dr. Pepper as often after I quit smoking a pack a day (smoked a pack a day for most of 10 years). Dr. Pepper washed the cigarette smoke taste out of my mouth, but reminded me too much of smoking after I quit, so it had to go.
My coffee craze started out as a Starbucks iced venti vanilla latte obsession (3 shots of espresso in every cup). I had one a day. Sometimes two. I switched to coffee with cream and sugar to save money. Eventually my body became too acidic and I had some, ahem!, side affects which will not be discussed here.
2009: Black Tea. As much as I love love love coffee, it does me wrong. I had to make a change. Black tea provided a good caffeine kick but was MUCH gentler on my system, so I made the switch. Still dosing my organic black tea with a good deal of organic sucanot, a less processed and unbleached type of sugar.
Late 2009: Green Tea. I am now making the switch to Organic Royal Matcha Green Tea, per Dr. Mercola’s recommendation.
And now, the takeaway
Before you leave, I want you to hear my heart on this. I’m writing this because I care. I want to make a difference in your life, and I’m not one of those judgmental health nuts who will try to shame you into changing your habits.
Here’s my motto: find just ONE THING that you can do to upgrade your health to the point you can actually FEEL the difference. Just ONE. That’s all. Once you’ve experienced living at a higher level, add ANOTHER SINGLE THING to upgrade your health and quality of life. You can do a dozen things that have long term benefits but yield no short-term results, and if you do them, you’ll lose hope and feel like nothing’s changed and you’ll be more likely to revert to your old easier way of life.
Just do ONE thing that makes a difference, and that small victory can lead to another. And one step at a time, you’ll move forward into a better experience of life.
If you want some suggestions on where to start and what ONEthing to try, hit me up with a comment below or fill out my contact form. It’s all about you here, and I’m here to help. Pretty soon I hope to share the ONEthings that piece by piece have brought me out of a toxic manic depressive pit and into a more centered and enjoyable life.
© 2009 – 2010, Daniel Dessinger. All rights reserved.
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I never knew that its can be. But covering side to side. I mean the good and the bad because some say that coffee is good anti-oxidants.
Nice blog sir…
I never knew that its can be. But covering side to side. I mean the good and the bad because some say that coffee is good anti-oxidants.
Nice blog sir…
I HAVE A FRAPACINO FROM STARBUCKS DAILY(CREAME BASED THOUGH…IS THAT OKAY????)
IN THE SUMMER TME I DRINK STRICTLY PASSIONFRIUT ICED TEA FROM STARBUCKS
SHOULD I TRY BLACK TEA???
Alex, I'm not going to tell you whether it's “okay.” I'm not your mom.
I WILL tell you, however, that you're ingesting serious doses of high fructose corn syrup with every pump of flavored syrup. That regular corn syrup intake will lead to the progression of diabetic symptoms as well as weight gain.
There is no “healthy” drink at Starbucks. Having said that, I confess I drink there twice a week.
Green tea is the healthiest tea served at Starbucks, but if you're like me, it won't satisfy your caffeine needs immediately. I would recommend you switch to black tea for a season to get your caffeine without corn syrup or detriments of coffee. Then, once your system has adjusted, you can decide for yourself whether you'd like to step down on your caffeine and enjoy a gentler and healthier version, like green tea.
Coffee does have some anti-oxidants. That's true. But if we're to look at food and drink from an objective health standpoint, we should look for foods or beverages that deliver anti-oxidants without the harmful qualities.
Too many people look to unhealthy things and champion the fact that there is a single health benefit, despite the fact that there are dozens of detriments.
We won't see the significant improvement in our overall health that is possible until we change the way we think. It can't be “good enough” to consume toxins simply because we get a couple vitamins or anti-oxidants. These can be found elsewhere in nature where they aren't accompanied by serious risks.
I don't know what to think and do about this. In fact, I like drinking coffee every morning and after your article are considering stopping it! But really I do not know how to do it!
Those side effects depend on the type of coffee your drinking and how many times you drink coffee in a day. For me low acid coffee can reduce all this risk, because it has less caffeine than other coffee.
I really don't know that it can be. Coffee is good and I like it very much, anyways thanks for the information you had in here, I learned a lot. And both sides are heard, thanks again.
hope that there will be more informative post like this
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It proved to be Very helpful to me and I am sure to all the commenter here! It's always nice when you can not only be informed, but also entertained! I'm sure you had fun writing this article.