Way back in the Tenth Century, an Ethiopian goat-herder by the name of Kaldi was lolling around in a forest plateau. Seems like an average guy, right? Wrong. This simple goat-herder was about to discover the world’s most famous beverage. Although when this caffeinated sleep-inhibitor was first found, it wasn’t the warm and dark drink we adore today.
While Kaldi was having the time of his life in the forest with his goats, his bleating companions were eating strange berries from an unidentified tree. Later that night Kaldi discovered his goats were so energetic that they couldn’t sleep. The goat-herder notified the abbot of the local monastery about his discovery, and the abbot made a drink with these berries which helped him stay awake through evening prayers.
From there in Ethiopia, the new found coffee made an extraordinary journey across the globe.
Why coffee you ask? What’s getting everyone so hyped about a drink?
Well I’ll tell you. One-hundred and fifty million Americans drink coffee based drinks such as Espresso, latte, iced-coffee, etc. This staggering amount isn’t surprising. The most noticeable trait from a hot mug of coffee is its caffeine content. Most people who drink coffee look for that buzz that Kaldi’s goats had, and the rest just enjoy the taste. For me, I like both taste and buzz.
The next trait of coffee, is that it is a number one source of antioxidants. In fact, coffee is the only source of antioxidants in the casual Western diet, albeit hidden behind all the milk, sugar and cream. A cup of black coffee is equivalent to about two calories. When chain retailers like the famous Costa and Starbucks pump your morning stimulant with whole milk and sugars, it quickly racks up the calorie count. Making your daily hero, more of a long-term villain.
Why does coffee give us a buzz?
Caffeine is a drug which stimulates the nervous system causing alertness. You can find caffeine in food products like chocolate and soft drinks, also in over the counter medications like Anadin and other headache/migraine tablets. Caffeine is a medicine and it’s used in the most extraordinary ways.
Coffee Enemas
Coffee enemas are proven to be a more effective medicine against Systemic Candida than the actual prescribed medicine. Candida loves to mess with the liver, and coffee (being the biggest detoxifier), flushes Candida and any other naughty bits right out. Coffee enemas are a way to get your caffeine without becoming hooked on it. But that’s not the only benefit. They can help with depression, drowsiness, bloating, digestion, energy and detoxification of course! This is also beneficial if you’re sensitive to coffee as it won’t affect the user this way. The coffee used has to be organic, not decaffeinated. Or the effects won’t be the same.
I’ve never tried a coffee enema but maybe, just maybe this is the way the world should go. Instead of drinking coffee, we insert tubes into our rectums and let the coffee flush our problems right away!
It’s like a shower, but for the inside of your body. Think about that.
Let’s now talk about how you can optimise your coffee drinking and get the most from it! Coffee is still under the microscope, being investigated by very smart people to determine if it is more than just an energy booster. It’s said that coffee can help prevent diabetes and lower the risk of liver disease. After drinking a cup of coffee (depending on the consumer’s tolerance), the effect of feeling energetic will come within twenty to sixty minutes. The effect of coffee will last for anywhere between four to six hours. So in reality, you want to be drinking your last cup at around 4:00 PM or just a bit beforehand as the effects should ideally be completely gone by the time you sleep.
Now, onto the risks of coffee. Before we start I’m going to correct myself there. There’s no such thing as ‘the risks of coffee’, but there are the risks of drinking too much coffee. A straight cup of coffee is nothing else but beneficial to the human body. You might know of people whose line of work is to travel or stay conscious for so many hours. These types of people will tend to buy more than one Costa beverage on the job, and these are the people who will have a higher chance of exposing themselves to risks.
According to a study by researchers at the University of Oklahoma: “caffeine can cause anxiety symptoms in normal individuals, especially in vulnerable patients, like those with pre-existing anxiety disorders”. This study makes sense as anxiety is a feeling or emotion. Going back to those lovely enemas and using these patients as examples; the coffee enemas would give them the same benefits without all the symptoms. Of course the University of Oklahoma aren’t going to approach these patients and say “Yo Billy, put this tube up where the sun doesn’t shine to fix your depression”, because that’s silly and unprofessional.
Another study from the University of Nevada School of Medicine, explains that regular coffee intake can reduce a woman’s chance of becoming pregnant. There are other sources suggesting that consuming 200mg of caffeine (two cups of instant coffee), can increase the risk of miscarriage. The sources also suggest that coffee should be limited at this time. In all honesty, would it really be too much of an ask for a pregnant woman to stop consuming caffeine altogether whilst they are pregnant? There isn’t enough science to back this up as yet, but if I was a potential mother (and female obviously!) I wouldn’t fill my unborn child with caffeine. It’s just a bit unethical in my opinion.
But concluding this talk on coffee, coffee can be a good thing. There are so many different misconceptions and controversies simply because if it was rediscovered today, it would be a class A drug. Coffee is very potent, and when used correctly can be a huge help to the body. If you’re a healthy person who wakes up on their body clock with a little bounce in them, maintains all their essential minerals and vitamins and exercises regularly, then coffee may not be needed unless you just like the taste!
And one final thought…how many people drink coffee for the taste, how many drink if for the buzz, and how many are just plain addicted?
By Kade Baker
Be happy, be healthy, enjoy life