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A Morning Without Coffee … Is Like Sleep |
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The virtues of coffee consumption
DR. SAN DIEGO
If your blood type is Starbucks, then read on. For many, like David Letterman who first said it, “If it wasn't for coffee, people would have no discernible personality at all.” For others, it’s the gasoline of life. Unless, of course, you are Ronald Reagan, who quipped, “I never drink coffee at lunch. I find it keeps me awake for the afternoon.”
So whether you enjoy your morning cup at Rebecca’s Coffee Shop, or you swear Mystic Mocha is the best, or you enjoy lounging in one of the Living Room Coffeehouses, or any of the other 24,000 neighborhood coffee shops across the country (there will be 50,000 cafés by next year according to the National Coffee Association — and no, they aren’t all Starbucks), you are among the 50 percent of Americans who drink coffee daily.
Remember when people took a relaxing “coffee break?” Then remember when the research said coffee is harmful to your health? Well, now it seems that new research suggests that a moderate amount of coffee may actually be beneficial for your health.
That’s right. Some data find that moderate coffee consumption can aid in “protecting” against type 2 diabetes, cirrhosis, Parkinson’s disease and liver cancer. It can improve cognitive functioning, reduce the risk of gallstones, and help you stay alert — the latter, especially if you spread your coffee consumption over the course of the day. It can even improve your mood.
For those who drink lots of coffee, it’ll simply allow them to do stupid things faster, with more energy. Remember, a “Tall” has 240 mg of caffeine, a “Grande” has 320 mg, and a “Venti” has 400 mg — as reported by the standard of all contemporary cafés, the leader of coffee culture, Starbucks.
Of course caffeine is a mildly addictive stimulant. Caffeine is generally thought to make up about 2 percent of a cup of coffee, and in large enough doses can increase feelings of anxiety, make you feel jittery and add to your insomnia. It can also be unhealthy for those with hypertension.
At the same time, as an agent that promotes the ability of muscles to work harder, caffeine boosts performance in both very short and very long athletic events. Did you know that the International Olympics Committee once ruled that caffeine was a “controlled substance?” Did you also know that all coffee is grown within 1,000 miles of our Earth's equator between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn?
Some more health facts:
It’s a diuretic? Only if you consume more than two Grandes (575 milligrams of caffeine).
Heart disease? Research shows no increase in heart disease among daily moderate coffee drinkers.
Hypertension? Caffeinated colas carry a higher risk of hypertension than coffee.
Bone loss? Caffeine’s negative effect on calcium can be offset by one or two tablespoons of milk.
Weight loss? Bummer, folks. Caffeine does speed up metabolism, to the tune of 100 milligrams of caffeine burning an extra 75-100 calories a day, but there is no long-term benefit to weight loss without proper diet and exercise.
I always think of my local favorite coffee shop across from my office as my “adult student center.” It’s the place to lounge in a comfortable chair, read a magazine or newspaper (any newspapers left here anymore?), read some interesting Web sites on my iTouch, chill out in the morning before work, or simply people watch. Oh yeah, and have a cup of coffee. That’s why they say, “it’s home, the office and Starbucks.”
Ever wonder why all of the tables are round in Starbucks? Purposely, so solo coffee drinkers can enjoy sitting at a table that has no “empty seats.” It’s not just coffee — it’s psychology. The language is even intentionally developed to add a sense of sophistication and to get consumers always thinking in Starbucks-ese, so that customers will feel out of place at other coffeehouses.
This “student center” idea is not new. The association of drinking coffee and social pleasure dates back to 14th-century “kaveh kanes” coffee houses in Mecca. Soon, board games, gossip, music and business dealings all found their way to these social meeting cafes.
Not only does moderate coffee consumption increase our pleasure, improve our concentration, improve our ability to cope with life with an alert outlook, it also enables us to enjoy simple human activities — social interaction and conversation — without yawning.
I guess if you answer your door before people knock, or Juan Valdez named his donkey after you, or every shirt or blouse you own has a coffee stain on it, or you enjoy watching your DVDs in fast-forward, you just might be drinking too much coffee.
For the record, I prefer my Grande Pike Place with cinnamon and chocolate powder — lots of it.
For more than 30 years, Dr. Mantell has successfully been bringing upbeat, friendly and helpful psychological insights to individuals, families and businesses in San Diego as a clinical and corporate psychologist in private practice. He's been a regular on Good Morning America, KFMB-TV News 8, has appeared on Oprah, Larry King Live, the Today show, authored two best-selling books and speaks regularly for audiences throughout the country.
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Reader Comments:
Hey Doc M.,
Sadly, I am one of those people for whom the caffeine in coffee is comparable to using gasoline to kindle a fire. Even a little bit is too much.
The morning of my wedding day my parents were staying at my home and Mom made the morning decaf for me (yes, she has always taken good care of her boy). Only after I had 2 cups and was completing my morning shower and shave did I notice that my hand was shaking. Turns out that we ran out of decaf ground coffee as she was filling the percolator so she added regular ground coffee to make it the right amount.
I spent the next couple hours vibrating, rolling my eyes and speaking in a chipmunk voice. Mom says it's because I was nervous about getting hitched but I know better.
I do remember getting a lot done that morning. By the time of the wedding I was actually pretty calm - guess the coffee had wrung the nervousness right out of me.
I'm a barista at you know where, and LOVED this blog on the coffee culture...you got it down doc from the round tables to the lingo people use to customize their beverages...IT'S JUST COFFEE, but it's so much more than that when people come into the "adult student center" -- coffeehouse, cafe, whatever you call it. I enjoy my customers, and I'm passing your blog onto many of them...enjoy your next Grande!
Coffee is the root of all mornings (and for some of us ...all afternoons) You hit the nail with this one. Why though are some people so nasty without that morning brew? I guess it BOILS down to the addiction factor...and yes the round table, though sometimes a bit uncoordinated, does alleviate the alone factor.
Great Blog once again..GTG..TTYL
Dr. San Diego, you beat the LA TIMES!!!!
Check out this article I read entitled, "READ THIS OVER COFFEE: GO AHEAD THAT CUP OF JOE WON'T HURT YOU, THE LATEST RESEARCH SAYS. IT MIGHT EVEN HELP YOU." Written by Judy Foreman, in Health Sense, LA TIMES, May 18, 2009.
Nice going Doc -- your blog has become a staple of mine and now you see why.
Dr. Mantell, you would be one great guy to have coffee with! I cannot wait to see what comes out of your mind next week! It's hysterical how you come up with a psychological look at any- and everything that is in contemporary culture...by the way, my favorite coffee shop in town? My vote goes to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf--I mean, c'mon, they have REAL whole cream!
Dr. San Diego, these blogs are awesome!
I printed this one up and passed it out to my morning coffee pals and of course they got a kick out of it...
Coffee culture is a very real thing, a part of our every day life and, a bit like caffeine, you opened my eyes to some of the psychology behind my favorite morning stop. You have a terrific sense of humor on top of it all.
Your blogs are now posted weekly by our water cooler, so please keep 'em coming!
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is the best! I am glad to see that coffee isn't so bad after all!
As much as I love coffee houses, this is an expense I've successfully cut from my daily budget for a savings of $910 annually. Now, I drink the coffee at work (these days, its one of the only employee perks - no pun intended).
So when is someone going to open up a coffee shop in Bay Park called Bay Perk?
In terms of coffee shops, I'm a fan of the Newbreak Cafe in Ocean Beach.
From shopping malls to gyms,now to coffee shops -- you are covering my town! I can't say what my favorite coffee shop is, since San Diego has two on every corner it seems. So, like your blog on shopping malls, the "best" is wherever I am at the time, and in the most relaxed mind-set I can create for myself. See, I am listening. I just had a "Tall" Pike over lunch in a Starbucks in Carlsbad and chuckled at the round tables as I sat alone. You are right about the psychology surrounding this coffee culture. As a recovering alcoholic, you might enjoy knowing that I think of coffee shops not as the "adult student center," but as the "bars for the rest of us." Nice job, once again.