Are you addicted to the Hot Buzz?
Mission Nutrition Blog - 23rd November 2011
For the past few weeks I have been speaking at workplaces all around the country and the general feel is that people are ready for the end of the year to come round. They’re tired, over it and hitting coffee like you wouldn’t believe. Coffee has become a religion in NZ; it seems to be a well versed routine, habit, social requirement and a coping device to deal with any long, busy day.
Fret not, this is not a lecture on why you should never drink coffee again – it is just about helping you understand what the caffeine in coffee is doing for you and to help you work out how much coffee is right for you! Here are some things you need to know: | 
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The UPside of your hot buzz:
- Coffee (well, the caffeine in coffee!) is a stimulant and can help keep you alert and awake
- For some people, a coffee before a workout or exercise can help them to push themselves harder and train more effectively (for others though, it can make them jittery – so it depends on the person!)
- It tastes good and if you have with trim milk, it can be one of your daily serves of dairy.
The information to BALANCE the conversation:
- Caffeine stays in your system for a REALLY long time, infact, when you have your 7am coffee, 12 hours later, ¼ of the caffeine from that coffee will still be in your system
- While you might be able to have a coffee before bed and still sleep or drink 8 coffees a day and still sleep without waking up – don’t think it isn’t affecting the quality of your sleep! DEEP sleep is the kind of sleep that helps you rest and recover, feel awake and alert the next day and is really a VERY important part of every sleep cycle. Having caffeine or other stimulants in your system at bed time may not stop you from having your eyes closed and feeling like you are sleeping all night, but it means that your body can’t go into proper deep sleep – and without that, you are likely to wake up not feeling rested and, hey presto, NEED coffee to wake you up!! It is a vicious cycle
- Milky coffees can make you fat! With 2 tsp of butter in every cup of blue top milk, so if you are having large regular coffees (with normal milk not trim) you will be having a lot of extra fat that you don’t need
- Black coffee might have no calories, but it can still affect your sleep and too many can increase your stress hormones which may be affecting how you store fat!
SO, overall:
- While there is no upper level of caffeine recommended for adults per day (apart from in pregnancy when it is suggested to keep below 200mg/day), when you have over 300–400mg/day it can increase anxiety and moodiness! A single shot of coffee or instant coffee (heaped tsp) is anywhere from 60–80mg, a cup of tea is less at 10-50mg (depending how long you leave the tea bag in for and the type of tea you are having!)
- I would suggest 1-2 coffees per day is max for most people and best earlier on in the day
- Go decaf sometimes, try herbal teas, green tea is great (buy ones from Japanese stores - they are the best!), add sliced lemon, fresh ginger or mint leaves to hot water as an alternative
- Remember – coffee drinking is a habit like so many other things, so it is all about breaking the cycle!
Yours in Health and Happiness,
Claire
xo
Need help with your nutrition to get your health (& body!) in great shape?
- Why not invite Mission Nutrition to do a Workplace Wellness session at your offices. These are great to boost morale and get everyone working together towards healthy eating!
- Or, for your own personalised nutrition assessment and plan, call us today and see how we can help you sort out exactly what to eat and when. We are a team of qualified and experienced Dietitians and Nutritionists who can help you be your best! Contact us today on 09 948 7999 or email us today.
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