I blog gluten-free

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Coffee, the Good, the Bad, and the Odd

Note: Yes, yes, the mug is permanently attached to my hand. Or it just seems that way.

Coffee is that mystical dark brew, that can snap you awake, make you jittery, or be something warm that might possibly keep you centered in a tough situation. We alternatively crave and loathe it. Coffee has its' good side, and the bad, then there's the incomprehensible.

History: (Abridged)Many years ago,  (1100 BC) Ethiopian goat herds watched, bemused, as their little goats frollicked happily, dancing about, and probably sitting around mehhing about how Candy's ram had run off with that new hussy, (Oh, those Nubians think they've got it all! As if! Kidding, we females do not actually act out Sex and the City. At least not the chicks I know and adore!)
They saw that the happy goats had gotten their little hooves on coffee berries.
"Hmmm... interesting." They ate them, and later found adding them to heated water made a beautiful black liquid,  kept them awake- and that they could now drink the coffee berries.  And voila! There was coffee. And it was good.

The Good: 
-Keeps you awake
-Wakes you up
-Relaxes you (or feels like it does) in high-stress situations
-There is evidence coffee can curb a headache (Anecdotal evidence: Survey Says: DING! True.)
-Coffee drinkers are 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's Disease.
-May reduce colon cancer by about 25%
-Coffee indeed DOES contain antioxidants, if not as many as a cup of tea.

The Bad:-The capability to keep you awake can be a bad thing, if it works at the wrong time
-Ai dios mio! The withdrawal!
-Can cause or exacerbate IBS symptoms
-Links to osteoporosis in the long run
-Higher heart rate
-Some concentration issues for some (At the same time, I've seen kids with ADD do well on black coffee. Stimulants can actually aid in concentration, rather slippery slope here.)
-The fact that caffeine is a drug, and it is rather easy to become dependent on it.

The Odd: I just read, flipping through, that 3+ cups of coffee/day can reduce breast size. The reporter apparently preferred the IBTC, and so, did not report it as "OMG, HORRIFIC!"
Credit: Ambro (Thank you!)
The Local -Sweden's News in English- Swedish Study, Coffee& Breast Size (Not original source, actually that was "Male writers waxing philosophical on women, never hurts to double check!)


Well, enjoy or not, I would also join for tea :) Love you no matter what you are. Some will be confused, but many more will be delighted.
Salut!

3 comments:

  1. Juan Valdez, how I love him so!

    ReplyDelete
  2. He was a beautiful man, he and his donkey have saved my life many times!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Juan Valdez, how I love him so!

    ReplyDelete