Coffee Debate

There are many different things said about coffee. Some say it is very unhealthy, while others say it has antioxidants.

Do you believe daily coffee consumption (1-2 cups a day, excluding added sugar and creamer) is bad, alright, or beneficial to one's health? Do you drink coffee? What kind and how much a day?

Just curious! :) I drink a mug of coffee every morning, as I need something to perk me up for my first class at 7:20. I have half decaf, half regular, and I get flavors like hazelnut and vanilla. I also drink it black, heh!

A mug?  When I'm in a coffee mood (my coffee taste buds kick into gear as soon as the leaves start changing) I'll go through two pots on a light day.  Black coffee mild roast, or heavy roast with homemade berry syrup.  Depends on how frumpy I'm feeling in the mornings.

As far as  know, coffee is perfectly fine for you.  Someone will probably say the caffeine will kill you, but I like to live in ignorance.

I like to drink about 1-2 regular sized coffee cups of coffee every morning, depending on how much my grandad has left me :)  He does like half columbian folgers and half of some other grocery store specialty coffe with cinnamon. I put in 1 packet of splenda and 2-3 tsps. of coffee mate. Somtimes I will add almond breeze. I love it because it wakes me up and helps me stay regular (tmi). It is also a greaty way for me to close off breakfast feeling full and happy until lunch.

I'm a happy 1 cup a day coffee addict.  One cup a day doesn't sound like much of an addict, I know, but when I don't get it - massive headache.  I take it with 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, some creamer, and one packet of equal.  Although, I'm a huge sucker for a Starbuck's double tall non fat pumpkin spice latte (I love fall....).

I think a nominally healthy person doesn't have anything to worry about with coffee, unless the caffeine consumption is so high it's giving them the shakes (which I've seen before).  My hubby can't have any caffeine because of high blood pressure, so there are some instances where it can be bad.

I have a large mug of dark roast coffee with real sugar almost everyday.  Some days I skip it.  No fake sugar in my coffee either, must be the real thing!

I drink anywhere from 2-4 cups of coffee a day. I use a teaspoon of powdered creamer and a packet of sweet n' low. I think each cup equals no more than 20 cals.

If anything, it has saved me. I was born with a MAJOR sweet tooth. I constantly crave things like chocolate. But, drinking my coffee satifies it and saves me from binging on candy.

Of course, the caffine isn't great for you, but I have heard a lot of health benefits of coffee lately, so why stop?

i adore a really really great coffee, but only real coffee from cafes, not instant or percolater coffee.  Usually the urge hits when i walk past a cafe and gets beautiful delicious wafts of coffee.  I never drink it at home though, so it all depends if the smell gets to me! 

I dont think its particularly bad for you.  Practically every food can be scaremongered into some awful carcinogen.  Coffee in moderation is fine! 

i'm a total coffee snob.  i make/drink about 2 1/2 cups of drip coffee every morning.  the beans i use are roasted in my home town, and they're fair trade, shade grown, and organic.  i drink it black, no sugar.

i rarely drink coffee away from home, because it's usually a disappointment and always a disappointment.

since i learned that caffeine stays in your bloodstream for twelve hours, i try not to have any after 10am.  otherwise, i don't worry much about it.

I think a lot depends on the type of coffee you choose to drink. Foldgers vs. Dark Organic varieties. Just remember, that caffeine is a drug. For antioxidants, I turn to acai berries and Raw Cocoa Nibs. I used to be a devoted coffee junkie, but have pretty much been coffee-free for over 6 months, only enjoying on once in a while - like when out with friends. Remember, with anything, the good rule of thumb is moderation. Don't deprive yourself, but don't over do it. =)

coffee, when not used as a chronic replacement for sleep, and when not made 'cheaply', is a beautiful thing.

i have a poor family, and i love it, i love being grateful for everything, and being price conscious and saving for life.... but i don't like cheap treats.  cheap chocolate, or ice cream, or coffee.... i'd rather just stick to real food.

a while ago, i cut out coffee from my system, and after dieing of withdrawal symptoms, i felt great.  on hindsight, i felt great only because i had not been sleeping more than 6 hours a night for months and months.  now, i sleep 8.5 hours a night, plus more on weekends, and when i drink coffee, i can not have it the next day and be perfectly fine.

 halloween night, i drank 24 oz of coffee at 10 pm, and went to bed at midnight, waking up refreshed.  (real holiday columbian roast)

I replaced my diet soda habit with coffee, and I love it.  Sure, there are drawbacks - the sugar, the caffeine, but it's really only about 4 tsp of sugar a day, and I feel a lot better than on the diet sodas.  I'm thinking of eventually switching to tea, but one thing at a time...

I tend to only have one mug of instant coffee in the morning with skim milk + sweetner. It just helps to warm my tummy in the morning and get me going. :)

I have one or two big mugs of coffee every morning. I don't add milk or anything, but sometimes I'll use a packet of splenda to sweeten it up a bit. I think it's perfectly fine as long as you don't drink excessive amounts. Also, it's a good idea to brush your teeth or chew some orbit white afterwards so you don't get yellow teeth! :)

I am a coffee-holic.
I love coffee in the morning (regular or decaf...doesn't matter) with a bit of creamer and one packet of sweet n low or Splenda.
I also adore coffee flavored ice cream or anything coffee flavored.

I als like hot tea w/ cream and sugar...LOL

Again, as lollipopfairy said, in moderation coffee won't kill you :)
HOWEVER, it should NOT be counted towards your daily water intake.

Coffee loves unite!

Well the anticoffee persons are gonna kill me -- but I drink a pot- YES 12 cups a day every morning.  HOt and Black only -- none of that flavored cr@p either -- I grew up on grandma's boiled coffee with the egg shell in the grounds to "debitter" it a bit but still the pot was put on the stove and boiled STRONG!!!  I also remember campfire coffee so that is where my taste for coffee began.  I'll usually just buy whatever is on sale -- they all pretty much taste the same to me. 

I do switch to decaf sodas after 8am when my coffee is gone.   

I LOVE coffee.  I will always spend a little extra money on the good stuff (right now PNG Blue Mountain).  I used to drink around 2 pots a day, but I would get really jittery and anxious from it so I cut way back.  I'm at about 2 cups a day and I actually look forward to it more and probably enjoy it more that I did when I drank so much.

 Go Coffee!

I am a coffee person, and I've had my cup every morning since 7th grade. 

Coffee does have one particular antioxidant which is very beneficial to your health which has a particularly bitter flavor.  This antioxidant is also found in dark chocolate, green tea, and brussel sprouts.

Besides which, with 2 cups a day or more it has been shown to reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease.  Not to mention reduce LDL cholesterol levels.

The caffiene in about 2-3 cups of coffee a day is alright for the average person, but may be bad for those who are diabetic, or have a heart condition.  (Not to mention it bumps up that metabolism, some people drink before working out to get the most calorie burn.)

However, the chemical processes of decaffinating coffee often remove the antioxidants.  Those which don't are called water-filtering or something like that.  Newman's own coffee, and the coffee bean co. do their decaffinating that way, as do some others. 

I drink all coffee, but usually only decaf when I'm home visiting the folks.  I love flavored and good latin american nutty blends.  I probably get about 22 oz. a day, and while I don't sweeten, I put 2% milk in my coffee. (It's a dieting cutback from half and half...) I like a mug in the morning, or else the day never begins, and a cup after dinner to get over the post-eating slump.  (I have VERY low blood pressure, at about 83/51 and if I don't caffinate after eating, especially heavy food, I HAVE to take a nap immediately.)

Yum! Oh, and by the way, I've found that Juan Valdez doesn't make a half bad instant coffee for emergencies.

Original Post by lady_stardust:

Coffee does have one particular antioxidant which is very beneficial to your health which has a particularly bitter flavor. This antioxidant is also found in dark chocolate, green tea, and brussel sprouts.

 I found this particular bit rather amusing. I usually have my dark Columbian roast, maybe 1 cup a day w/ like 2 tablespoons of fat free half & half and about 10 grams of regular sugar. Lately however, I've been craving my green tea w/ 6 grams sugar and 2 tablespoons FF 1/2&1/2 more than my coffee (strange). Plus I've had my fair share of brussels sprouts and Hershey's special dark chocolate lately..next I'm gunna break into that 70% cocoa lindt chocolate bar I have hidden in the cupboard. :D