Good morning, how are you? I would like to welcome you to our series featuring Food Holidays: March 22: National Caffeine Awareness Month Let me tell you this is the perfect Holiday for David and my mom to celebrate. Because we all know Coffee is full of Caffeine and neither David nor my mom ever get enough Coffee. Are you or someone you know like this because I am not?
National Caffeine Awareness Month
As implied by the name, “Caffeine Awareness Month,” in March is the perfect time to take stock of your intake of this alertness-inducing chemical. That’s because, despite the growing popularity and variety of Teas and other decaffeinated morning brews, tens of millions of Americans begin each day with a cup of Coffee. A large percentage of Coffee drinkers refresh their doses of Caffeine with extra Coffee or Soda throughout the day.
There are proven health benefits of Caffeine and the reduction in the risk of Throat Cancer and Stroke, but there are serious downsides as well. Consuming more than 400 mg per day or five eight-ounce cups may trigger anxiety, insomnia, and increased blood pressure. On top of that, as habitual caffeinated Coffee drinkers can confirm, there’s often a “crash” when the intake of caffeine is cut off at the end of the day. Which is similar to the empty calorie “sugar crash” experienced by sweets lovers.
It’s natural in a spare moment to consider the effects of your daily habits, dietary and otherwise. This month, take the time you might otherwise use to think about improving your work status or strengthening the bond you have with a family member, and take an honest look at your caffeine consumption.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL CAFFEINE AWARENESS MONTH
In 2003, the Caffeine Awareness Alliance formed, with the mission “to provide objective, evidence-based information and advice to help reduce the health, social, and economic harm associated with caffeine abuse and addiction.” The Alliance became a 501(c) nonprofit, and staked a big enough claim with their solid points about caffeine overuse to bring National Caffeine Awareness Month into wide recognition.
If you’re like David and I, and even Charlie then you love your morning cup of Coffee. But there is simply no argument that caffeine is not an addictive drug, one that’s also medically harmful in the long run. It’s easy to joke about being jumpy from Coffee, or to answer the question, “Don’t you think you should get some sleep,” with the clever old refrain, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” But the negative effects of prolonged heavy caffeine use are real. Need more proof? The Mayo Clinic recommends that pregnant women reduce or eliminate their use of caffeine.
Next time you mention getting a cup of Coffee with a colleague and they say they don’t drink Coffee, don’t scoff. In the years since National Caffeine Awareness Month became recognized, more and more Americans are reassessing their intake. We’d recommend jumping on that bandwagon.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL CAFFEINE AWARENESS MONTH
- Instead of relying on caffeine to get you through the day, try exercising which can be as simple as going for a run after a long, hard day, or starting your morning with an energy-boosting jog.
- Besides keeping you hydrated, providing plenty of energy, helping clear your skin, and decreasing your chances of getting a headache, drinking more water can also help lessen your need for caffeine.
- Don’t let caffeine addiction control you. Take this time to reduce your typical coffee intake.
5 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT DECAF COFFEE
- Contrary to what you may have believed, Decaf Coffee actually contains about two milligrams of caffeine per eight-ounce cup.
- Since the old days of Benzene processing, decaffeination has undergone some positive changes, but many manufacturers still use methods that are quite harsh, unlike the gentler “Swiss water decaf” process, which involves simply soaking the Green Coffee Beans in lukewarm water to dissolve the caffeine.
- Poll results show that about ten percent of Coffee drinkers actually prefer Decaf over regular Coffee, in fairly even proportions across genders.
- The root of the Chicory Plant, a flower in the Dandelion family, contains no caffeine but tastes similar to a nutty, woody Coffee, a fact that has inspired many producers to mix Chicory into their Decaf Coffee.
- The original company that stemmed from Roselius’ decaffeination discovery, Cafe HAG, and the first French decaf maker, Sanka, are now properties of Kraft Foods.
WHY NATIONAL CAFFEINE AWARENESS MONTH IS IMPORTANT
- Even if you’re on the bottom rung of the hierarchy at your job, the less time you spend “buzzing” on caffeine and chattering at the water cooler the more real work you’ll do. Your superiors will notice and they’ll start wanting more employees like you.
- Past a certain birthday, most Americans come to the realization that “I’ll worry about it later,” is not the lifestyle that they really want. From cholesterol to early arthritis the nagging enemies within our bodies seem to multiply as time moves on. Take care of at least one or two concerns by changing any unhealthy relationship you may have with caffeine.
- Caffeine does have certain medical uses like fighting OCD or dermatitis, so completely eliminating caffeine from your life may not be the best idea. When we talk about limiting intake, we mean just that there is no need to quit “cold turkey,” just establish a reasonable set of boundaries.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
