Coffee Conspiracy

Coffee could have killed me. Seriously, I was drinking two large coffees a day. Usually decaf which we all know still contains caffeine. Needless to say it took a while for me to see it. I mean coffee is all over the place. People walk around holding various name brand disposable cups of it. It is  part of the morning routine only to be trumped by brushing your teeth. How many times have you heard or said "It's too early to talk about that. Wait until I have my coffee"? That was me. 


I was all set to write this blog on various biased research studies. I was going to use coffee as an example. I thought I could easily find research that supported both sides of the coffee argument. Is it good for you or is it bad for you? Well, guess what, I had no problem finding studies that report on the positive effects of coffee consumption.  But finding a study that speaks negatively on the effects of coffee-no where! Maybe if you are drinking 4 cups a day you might find  some research for negative effects, but most of those reported minor side effects. I was shocked. Really? I had to be drinking 4 cups a day before I started feeling badly?  Well, I only drank 2 cups and I was feeling pretty crappy but research suggest it isn't the coffee. I did find a study that stated coffee could KILL you....if you used it as an enema. 


According to studies I found out coffee can do amazing things for us. It can prevent various cancers, specifically liver and colon. It can slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease, is rich in antioxidants, aids in weight loss and it can help with type 2 diabetes and blood sugar levels. Wow! That coffee is pretty amazing stuff! I was still feeling crappy!


I didn't suspect that coffee was part of the problem because the media and science supported my addiction. Yes, I am going to say it was an addiction. It was a socially acceptable addiction. Studies can prove it is good for me even though the my body was saying something different. I believed the studies rather than my own body. 

Because of this distorted take on coffee it took me a long time to realize that coffee played role in 

my illness. I are walking around in a coffee cloud. Floating on half and half,  high on

sugar (or Nutra-Sweet). Everything is hunky dory in coffeeland. In fact, it was 

apparently helping me concentrate. Maybe I was concentrating on all my ailments and that 

was the problem!

When I quit coffee I started to feel better, sleep better, taste better. In fact, my mood was better, my skin was better and my hair was better. I made other major changes in my overall diet too. But this was a big one. This was the one that made the biggest difference.


I am now part of a minority of non-coffee drinkers. It feels strange being an outcast.  I feel left out. I do like to be part of the in crowd. It gets easier as time goes by. I can now walk by a Dunkin' Donuts and not wimper. I can pass by a Gloria's Coffee Beans and not long for a large decaf, light with half & half.  Now I would rather feel good than be intravenously feeding myself coffee from Starbucks and setting my insides on fire. Even though the science doesn't back up my findings I can safely say coffee is dangerous.......for me!