Are you one of those who have to have 1 cup of coffee to start your day, sometimes even having it twice the shot? You are most certainly not alone. Grabbing a cup of coffee on the go seems part of the culture and habit, but could it actually be harmful to your health?
According to the FDA, caffeine can be part of a healthy diet for most people, but too much caffeine may pose a danger to your health. Not only coffee naturally contains caffeine, but tea as well. It may also be added as an ingredient to foods and beverages such as tea, carbonated drinks and energy drinks.
Up to 400mg a day of caffeine seems to be safe for most healthy adults. That’s roughly 4 cups of coffee, or 10 cans of Coca-Cola!
Back to the question…
Honestly, it depends. Certain conditions tend to make people more sensitive to caffeine’s effects, as can some medications. In addition, if you’re pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breastfeeding, or are concerned about another condition or medication, it’s better to talk to your doctors first before consuming caffeine.
Caffeine is also not recommended for children and adolescents. Even among adults, heavy caffeine use can cause unpleasant side effects.
When to stop having caffeine
You may want to stop or cut back if you have the following symptoms:
- insomnia
- jitters
- anxiousness
- fast heart rate
- upset stomach
- nausea
- headache
- a feeling of unhappiness
How to curb your caffeine habit
If you feel you are having the symptoms or just wanted to cut down on your caffeine intake, there are some tips that might help you with that:
1. Cut back gradually
Drink one less cup of coffee each day or avoid drinking caffeinated drinks late in the day to avoid symptoms like insomnia
2. Go decaf
Although “decaf” beverages do contain traces amount of caffeine, they only contain about 3% of the original caffeine content, which is way lower than normal caffeinated drinks!
3. Find alternatives
If the reason you consume coffee is to boost up your energy to get through the day, why not try natural herbs such as ginseng extract, ashwagandha, rhodiola.
4. Keeping tabs of your caffeine intake
Pay attention to how much caffeine that is present in your food or beverages by reading the nutrition labels carefully and keep track of it. Be aware of some foods that contain caffeine but don't list it.
CONCLUSION
There is not a fine line between when we should take what vitamins or supplements, but it really depends on our personal needs, lifestyle and health goals. Knowing our needs will certainly improve the results we are getting from the supplements. Getting them from a daily diet would be best, but there is no shame in taking in the form of dietary supplements as well. Always try to monitor our own body condition so that we know what’s best for ourselves!
Read more health info here.
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REFERENCES
- https://www.vitapacknutrition.com/blogs/caffeine:-would-it-ever-be-too-much-
- https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-much
- https://www.ncausa.org/Decaffeinated-Coffee#:~:text=How%20much%20caffeine%20is%20in,about%2095%20mg%20of%20caffeine
