When people usually take a break from a long day of work, they usually head for the pantry to reach for a cup of coffee. Many a coffee drinker believe that coffee is one of the best stress reliever around. But unfortunately, the opposite is true.

Caffeine, which coffee has a lot of, is a stimulant and not a relaxant. It helps increase one’s work performance, but it can also heighten stress and anxiety.

Caffeine has been proven to increase stress hormones like cortisol and neurotransmitters like norepinephrine in the body. It is these stress hormones that give us a sense of alertness, not to mention an increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure.

When stress hormones and brain chemicals are released, concentration is enhanced, strength and agility improved, and reaction times become snappier. This is mainly because the circulation is diverted to the extremities, thus allowing for heightened response and concentration.

But when you combine a sedentary lifestyle with a daily consumption of more than 3 cups of coffee a day, you keep your stress hormones level constantly elevated. And when this happens, the memory and concentration enhancing effects of coffee is not sustained because feelings of anxiety and tension are now increasing. At the same time, one’s fine motor coordination gets impaired. Constant intake of caffeine through coffee will significantly increase cortisol and norepinephrine production, triggering the body’s stress response.

If you’re under the impression that habitual coffee drinking will help you develop a tolerance to caffeine and its effects, well you’re wrong. The body does not become immune to the caffeine, nor will the increase in stress hormone production be dampened.

Coffee may be your comfort food when you’re stressed or feeling anxious, but know that if you continuously chug down on this caffeine-rich beverage, you’re only going to make your stress and anxiety worse. With this in mind, it is best to keep your coffee consumption in moderation.

There are of course many people who swear not to touch coffee because of the negative health effects they believe it can have on them. There are actually a few benefits to the moderate consumption of coffee like the reduction of risk of some illnesses and diseases. Really most people who drink coffee do so because they want to stay awake, feel more energy and go longer without a nap. If you are drinking too much coffee there are of course negative side effects that can come of it despite the positivity of these new studies. We will talk about a few of the potential health effects coffee can have in this article.

Women who drink too much coffee are said to have a higher degree of infertility and birth problems. There are markedly more stillbirth deliveries in women who say they drank coffee throughout pregnancy. 2 or more cups per day significantly increases your chances of spontaneous abortion during the first trimester stages of pregnancy. Too much coffee during pregnancy can also cause low birth weight. Switching to a less caffeinated version isn’t going to make a big difference because of the harmful chemicals used in the removal process.

Cirrhosis of the liver is found fewer times in in coffee drinkers than in most others. These can make your liver stop doing it’s job. Those who consume coffee may benefit from the caffeine’s stout anti-fibrotic properties. Some studies have linked a decreased risk of liver cancer to the consumption of caffeine in coffee.

Those trying to diet and lose weight may actually be hindered in their progress by their coffee consumption. If you want to avoid long term weight gain you should avoid caffeine. You might think in the short term that you can lose more weight by drinking more coffee each day. This happens as a result of the diuretic effect of coffee, you’ll initially lose water weight but not fat. Your caffeine consumption isn’t helping your blood sugar levels either. This hormone actually stimulates your appetite and makes you feel hungry before you should. It certainly won’t help if you are also adding cream and sugar in your coffee, since you’ll be increasing your overall calorie intake.

In conclusion you aren’t likely to see any harmful effects from moderate consumption of caffeine but too much could cause you problems. There are health risks involved in drinking excessive amounts of any caffeinated beverage. In order to avoid these problems be diligent with your monitoring and self control. Keep from making these mistakes by using some self control and moderation.

You can find the calorie count of most products on the label. Coffee is somewhat different, you will actuallystart out with no calories, carbohydrates or any nutritional value whatsoever
All that changes when you begin to add the sweeteners. Sugar and creamers are what makes calories in coffee worth considering. The stimulating effects of coffee are the reason that many people will add coffee to their diets. Coffee and the unwanted calories that are in it will give you the energy and endurance to keep going at a fast pace throughout your day. Just how many calories are in your favorite coffee drinks may actually make you reconsider drinking coffee while on a diet. Knowing exactly how many calories you’re actually consuming will help you regulate your calorie intake, while still enjoying your favorite beverage.

Calorie count in your cup of Starbucks Coffee

A lot of people seem to love Starbucks, with their wide variety of coffees, that once you taste them the calories seems to be forgotten. If watching weight, one needs to be aware of the calories in these coffee drinks. For example, a Frappucino in a large cup yields the impressive three hundred and thirty-one calories. Quite significant for a beverage that originally has no calories at all.
Don’t forget the calorie count in your Latte. A tall one has the impressive two hundred and ten calories. whom You’ll probably agree that it’s this calorie count will not aid your diet, but having this information can help you make them more educated decision in regards to coffee consumption.

So what should you do, if you’re on a diet and still want to drink coffee

Remember, you are only adding calories to your beverage When mixing in your cream and sugar.Since you are actually the one adding the calories to your coffee, there are simple ways to avoid, or at least minimize it.
Let’s start with quantity.
Start by choosing a small cup, either eight or 12 ounces can be something you’ll get used to. When ordering, make sure prepared with fat free milk. This can save you from up to 80 grams of fat.
let’s not forget sweeteners. You should be able to find a sugar substitute to your liking. (1 tablespoon of sugar is 15 calories)
You should always order coffee without cream, whipped cream, coffee syrups etc. when you are trying to cut back on the calories in your coffee.
Taking your coffee black, is probably the easiest way to avoid calories in coffee altogether.

A bit of trivia

If you are thinking of taking a walk to burn the calories from your fancy coffee, take into account that it may take up to an hour.

Coffee machines that aren’t clean properly will surely experience problems in the future. One method that should be done regularly is descaling which is a term that enables the user to remove lime that may cause damage to either the boiler or the pump.

Normally, descaling instructions can be found in the user’s manual that came with the appliance. If the instructions are unclear, here is some information that the owner will find useful.

Descaling should only be done when the coffee machine is cold. It should be turned off and unplugged for a few hours if it was just used so no one will get burned by performing this chore.

Water isn’t sufficient to remove the lime. People shouldn’t use vinegar but instead try a citric acid solution. This should be mixed with the water and when it is ready, it is time to pour into the water container.

This is the time the coffee machine is turned on. The user should then pump water out of the nozzle for 20 to 30 seconds before switching it off. Not all models have this function so those who don’t will have to pump this through the group handle.

It usually takes about 10 minutes for the lime to dissolve. The procedure should be done again so that the remaining liquid content in the container is pumped out. The entire process of descaling usually takes about an hour since it is done 4 or 5 times.

While waiting for a few minutes to pass, the person can work on other things to keep the coffee machine in good condition. This includes washing some of the parts in warm water while wiping the others with a dry piece of cloth. This will surely remove the stains that accumulated due to the many occasions that it has been used.

The last part of descaling is making a fresh cup of coffee and then throwing it out. This may sound silly since the person won’t even take a sip but this is part of the process to ensure all the lime has been removed and the machine is as good as new.

After all the hard work, you can relax and make another cup. The taste should be like when this was first purchased from the appliance store until next month when this chore has to be repeated.