The short answer is “all of the good.” It’s high in antioxidants, it keeps you awake and focused, and it’s delicious. Teddy Roosevelt drank his coffee from a cup that was really more of a bowl, and he ran the country while learning jiu-jitsu and reading a book a day.
There are some caveats. The first is that you have to drink real coffee. Don’t fool yourself that a milkshake with a splash of coffee from Starbucks is good for you. A bit of sugar or cream is fine if you don’t get carried away. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that sugar doesn’t count when it’s in coffee. You’re drinking calories.
Mass produced coffee in tubs is not nearly as good for you as single source beans you grind yourself. Like any other food, the more coffee is processed and the longer it sits on the shelf, the less healthy–and tasty–it gets. Decaffeinated coffee is the worst because it has been chemically treated to remove most of the caffeine. It affects the taste and introduces extra chemicals, which is generally bad.
There may be factors specific to your situation that influence how much coffee you want to drink or if you want to drink coffee at all. If you’re prone to anxiety, for example, coffee can make you extra jittery. If you have trouble sleeping, you may want to drink less coffee or set a firm cut-off time, like no coffee after noon.
If you have occasional heart palpitations or arrhythmias coffee may make them worse. This is a particular concern if you have a history of smoking, alcoholism, or stimulant use, which may have caused heart damage. Even if you are generally in good health, arrhythmias are distressing. Cutting back on coffee may help resolve the problem.
Something else to consider is opportunity cost. If you’re drinking coffee, that means you’re not drinking something else. If your top priority is health, you may prefer to drink tea, which is higher in antioxidants but lower in caffeine. Coffee isn’t quite as good for you as tea, but it will keep you awake during meetings and help stave off the uncomfortable cravings that can come with early recovery.
Serenity Oaks Wellness is a 5-week long treatment program where clients regain their ability to live and restore their confidence in living without drugs and alcohol. We seek to adorn each client with the tools and foundation they need for living a beautiful life of recovery. Call us today for information: 844-720-6847
