How much coffee should I be drinking?

All of us Aussies love a good coffee!

Did you know that over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed in the world every day. That’s a lot of coffee.

Coffee is the worlds most consumed drink next to water.

It’s also the 2nd most traded commodity after Oil.

No matter what financial crisis we find ourselves in, we always manage to find $$$ for a cup.

As a Nutrition Health Coach, I speak to a lot of people who get through their average day by drinking copious amounts of caffeine outside the recommended healthy limits and this is not good.

I’m not only talking about coffee but other caffeine sources such as coke, energy drinks or even some teas.

Caffeine is not essential for healthy function however, when consumed in the correct amounts it has a number of positive benefits such as increased alertness, improved motor and mental tasks.

According to researchers with the International Life Sciences Institute, up to 400mg/day of caffeine is safe in healthy adults. Notice i said healthy! There are many conditions that can be made worse with caffeine consumption & has been linked to high blood pressure and heart disease, according to WebMD. Women who consume more than two caffeinated drinks a day are more likely to miscarry during the weeks leading up to conception, the National Institutes of Health found.

Recent research has found many new things & Vasanti Malik, a nutrition research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health, fully supports the consumption of multiple coffees as part of a healthy diet. To be clear, that’s coffees which aren’t loaded with sweeteners, syrups and whipped cream. He has said coffee contains “a number of healthful vitamins and nutrients” and can help reduce the risk of “diabetes, cardiovascular disease and mortality”,when consumed within the limits. Doctor Aaron Carroll from the Indiana University School of Medicine combed through a lot of data and came to the same conclusion.“It’s way past time that we stopped viewing coffee itself as something we need to cut back on,” he said.

So check in and ask how much are you having?

– 1 espresso shot = 70-250mg (Barista dependent) – 1 level tsp of instant coffee = 79-90mg – 1 cup (250ml) of plunger coffee = 100mg -1 small can of energy drink = 80mg -1 cup of tea = 20-50mg

Low doses of caffeine (up to 300mg) can have the following positive affects on exercise:

– increased fat mobilization – decrease your perception of effort – recruits more muscle units for a given activity – potentially an increase in muscular power

As little as 1.5mg of coffee per kg of body weight is enough to improve sports performance. So having a standard coffee an hour before your workout may provide you with an extra edge but of course, moderation is the key.

Always listen to your body and If you’re feeling agitated, snappy and wired after a couple of doses, it just maybe time to cut back.

If you feel you have an issue with caffeine and it is affecting your health and quality of life, I would love to help you create change. Contact me to book a Nutritional Health & Wellness consultation today on 0404852215