The coffee debate...GOOD vs BAD

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Permalink Reply by Michael Woodruff on March 5, 2011 at 10:31am

I stopped drinking it a while ago when I started changing my diet (used to drink 5 cups or so a day!) and now I only drink it when I go away on holiday or am away from home for a long period of time for an extra energy boost. But two to three days after I get back I have a massive decrease in energy. So I say its good in an emergency when your away from your usual food and daily patterns because that energy boost will get you through the day, but the bad part is when you crash!

 

I don't drink alcohol, smoke, eat refined sugar or drink anything else other than drink water so if I do eat or drink anything that has stimulants in it...its effect is pretty big!

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Permalink Reply by Madelyn on March 6, 2011 at 9:14am

Coffee is a stimulant, which is poisionious to the body. I avoid coffee at all costs.... 

 

Some information by Dr. Graham:

 

"How do stimulants work?

First is it important to express a basic concept; stimulants do not stimulate. That would be an action, and stimulants are not capable of action. Only living being are capable of undertaking actions. Stimulants do not do work and they do not act; the body does all the work and takes all the action. The only possible action on the part of a stimulant is chemical action. For instance, if there is an acid in the stimulant, it could burn you.

When a stimulant is introduced into the body, the body acts upon the stimulant. The action taken by the body is relatively predictable in the case of substances classed as stimulants. Raises in blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and respiratory rate are expected. The adrenal glands respond with a surge of adrenaline that results in increased uptake of sugar from the bloodstream to the muscles. The smaller, peripheral blood vessels constrict, while the deep large ones dilate. Various aspects of our special senses are prepared for flight or fight, affecting our sense of sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste. The function of large muscle groups is enhanced at the expense of fine motor control.

Do stimulants increase or drain your energy?

Essentially, under the influence of stimulants, finesse is traded off for power, neurological control is traded off for endurance, but overall there is a net loss in efficiency. We measure human energy use in calories. Stimulants, as a rule, come in forms that supply no calories, therefore they can supply no energy. There are calorific foods that also have a stimulating effect. The stimulation comes not from the calories themselves but from other specific substances in the food. If the calories supplied stimulation, all calorie sources would stimulate to some degree, yet this is definitely not the case. Stimulants, it must be concluded, act as a drain upon the body's reserves of energy.

Why do we feel more energetic after using a stimulant?

The release of vital reserve energy brought about by the consumption of stimulating substances adversely affects bodily homeostasis. The human body is constantly attempting to maintain homeostasis (a condition where things remain relatively the same) or to reinstate it if conditions, substances, influences or forces result in change. When we consume or are exposed to a stimulant, the body must deal with that impact. It does so in the physiological ways mentioned earlier in this article. Effectively, the body recognizes a situation that must be dealt with, and makes the clearing out of the stimulant a priority, an emergency, if you will. Therefore, bodily vitality is directed towards the task of neutralizing the stimulant, or in some fashion ridding the body of it. This focused attempt by the body to free itself of the damaging stimulant influence is perceived as energy. It is not energy supplied by the stimulant, however, but simply body reserve energy that is stored exactly for such emergencies. In the same way that we feel more energy if we touch a hot coal, get a cut, or have a car accident, the energy that is released from the use of stimulants is false.

.............."

 

to read the rest of this article go to http://foodnsport.com/blog/articles/do-you-find-this-stimulating.html

 

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Permalink Reply by Kadee on March 7, 2011 at 9:13am

Hey there..Coffee is acidic as others have already stated and the chemicals they usually but not always use to make it decaf are really nasty...At Cafe Gratitude a Raw Vegan restraunt here in California makes a coffee like syrup using a cold filter process...U can purchase these cold coffee makers and they cut down on the acidity making it less lethal for your system...I too cut coffee for over a year but recently with the onset of cold rainy am's found myself slipping back into the constitution of it...I love the taste of coffee..but not the stimulating effect and can go with our with out it for long periods of time...I just ordered a Cold-process Coffee Brewing System @ www.4filtron.com  It will be facinating to see how it goes...If you have or have the opportunity to stop in Cafe Gratitude they make great coffee drinks with this type of coffee.  The coffee I beleive has to set over night and makes this syrupy kind of concentrate...wonderful for nut milk lates` etc..Oh an interesting side note...I found various aches and pains disappeared when I stopped drinking coffee..brewed at home or elsewhere...and since adding it back in I have had alot of joint pain etc...

Best of luck to you all,

 

Kadee

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Permalink Reply by Cardio Captain on March 14, 2011 at 6:39pm

Thanks Madelyn, that article was very useful and I will pass it on!! I love to hear about the inner workings of what society is so blinded by!

 

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