Jasmine Willis, a 17 year old from the UK, made headlines today after being hospitalized for heart palpiltations and a fever from too much caffeine. Report’s say she downed 14 shots of expresso in four hours! While this might seem like an extreme case, college kids and adults everywhere are drinking all sorts of crazy concoctions to simple stay awake to study or work overtime. Most recently, energy drinks have become so popular its scary.
The question becomes how much is too much caffeine? While researchers go back and forth on exactly how many cups we all should allow daily, the jury is still out. In light of several new studies about the high antioxidant content of coffee and other possible health benefits, recommendations waiver between 2-5 cups daily.
From a more Eastern perspective, tea is the drink of choice. Why tea instead of coffee? The high acidity and caffeine content of coffee is thought to involk anxiety and nervousness, insomnia or light sleep patterns, stomach and intestinal problems, and moodiness. Doesn’t this sounds all too familiar? Instead teas such as black or green tea have caffeine, but also carry many health benefits and lack the acidity. To learn more about this perspective check out Healing with Whole Foods on my book list.
So what is a girl to do? I say its all about moderation. I love coffee, but try to drink only one cup of coffee in the morning and occasionally another in the early afternoon. I also try to mix it up every couple days by having tea instead. To find out more ways to cut back on caffeine and get healthier click here.
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