Morning Joe Delight!

I blame my coffee addiction on Italy.

When I was a freshmen in college, I wanted to do it all....study, class, hockey, marathoning, partying, dating....everything. There just weren't enough hours in the day, so I cut back my sleep to nearly none and relied on coffee to fuel me through my days...every day. By second semester I had decided that PROBABLY wasn't a healthy way to live (duh)...so I cut the coffee cold turkey. 

Enter: worst headaches of my LIFE x 1 week. And I was still drinking diet soda to get a caffeine fix! Scary!

I remained "sober" (hehe) for YEARS...until I went to Italy with husband. My glorious 10 weeks in Italy reignited my love for coffee, particularly espresso and cappuccino! I've expanded my arsenal to most any form of coffee, just take a look at my kitchen...

My beloved Kitchen Aid espresso machine with frother for cappuccino. Yes, I have a mini Starbucks operation running over here!

And then I have my rinky-dinky Mr. Coffee coffee pot...which I opted for this morning.

Mmmm! And does everyone else have a favorite coffee mug? 

I am blessed to have a set of 6 so I never run out!

And how about coffee's healthfulness, huh? Let's consult WebMD for some truth...

Coffee is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and colon cancer. Coffee can lift your mood and treat headaches...and lower the risk of cavities! 

...and the more your drink the better!

Harvard researchers found that consuming 6 or more cups of coffee daily reduced mens' risk of type 2 diabetes by 54% and womens' by 30% compared to those who don't consume coffee [1].

The article states [1]:

"Consider this: At least six studies indicate that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's, with three showing the more they drink, the lower the risk. Other research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily can translate to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer, an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk, and nearly half the risk of gallstones."
 
My take....
Drink in moderation. Too much caffeine can cause insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, stomach irritation, nausea, vomiting, an increased heart rate and respirations. Large doses of caffeine can cause headache, anxiety, agitation, chest pain, and ringing in the ears.

 

Question: Do you drink coffee?? Every day? How much? What's your FAVORITE coffee drink??

 

DON'T forget to enter into my Giving Back Giveaway...just scroll down and leave a comment to enter! Drawing will take place today at 6 pm Central Time. Thanks for your support!

 A HUGE THANKS to Lindsay with the National Peanut Board. I received a most exciting package this week containing this:

Peanut oil, peanut flour, a beautiful letter, recipe cards, and patient information 

(diabetes + peanut butter = heck yeah!!!)

Thank you!!!!!!!

TGIF...enjoy it, bloggies!

[1]. Kirchheimer, Sid. Coffee: The New Health Food? WebMD.

Blog topic request: sleep and diet

Our friend Lena requested a blog topic: sleep and eating. She asked, "How does sleeping tie into what/how you eat? Is there really much of a connection?" Lena, I'm so glad you asked!

Yes! There most definitely is a connection between sleeping and what and how one eats. There has been a lot of recent research focused on sleep and diet/weight/nutrition with the ever expanding obesity epidemic.

What's the deal? There's lots of theories and ideas, let's discuss.

Scientifically speaking, hormones such as leptin, ghrelin, and cortisol can become out of whack with insufficient sleep. Leptin is the hormone playing a central role in fat metabolism; ghrelin is a hormone counterpart to leptin, which stimulates hunger -- increasing before meals and decreasing after meals; cortisol is a hormone commonly referred to as the "stress hormone", which helps the body use sugar (glucose) and fat for energy (metabolism). A lack of sleep triggers a wave of reactions in the body that begins with the hormones mentioned above. This results in the body waking up exhausted and craving fat and carbohydrates, says Dr. Joseph Koninck, director of the University of Ottawa's Sleep Research Laboratory. There is no doubt that the hormones which control appetite are effected by insufficient sleep [1]. So, sleep more!

Basic math would also lead any logical person to the conclusion of less hours awake leads to less hours of eating, and thus, less calories consumed. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Those staying up late to watch TV, catch up on emails, or surf the Internet are more often than not consuming high-calorie foods. When you eat late at night, Dr. Koninck suggests one's sleep is more fragmented due to the body's digestion process. Lack of deep sleep can also cause a drop in the "satiety hormone", leptin. This can cause excessive hunger the following day, even after eating. All the while, ghrelin, the "hunger hormone", is rising...setting one up to overeat [1].

Stanford University connected a lack of sleep to the rise in obesity back in 2004. Their 15-year study of 1,024 volunteers with sleep disorders found that individuals sleeping less than 4 hours a night were 73% more likely to be obese [1]. If you don't have time to sleep, you certainly don't have time to cook or eat properly, right?

Think YOU'RE getting enough sleep? Maybe not!

In 2006, University of Chicago researchers found that while adults may be in bed for 7.5 hours, the average woman slept for 6.7 hours, while men enjoyed a mere 6.1 hours of rest [1].

How much sleep does one need? Follow these steps to find out...

1. Set a bed time. Calculate back 7 1/2 hours from the time you need to get up to figure out what time that bedtime ought to be.

2. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier every day. Make note of what length of sleep leaves you feeling refreshed and awakening without the use of an alarm clock. This is your optimum length of sleep -- likely between 7 1/2 and 9 hours each night.

3. Keep a journal. Track when you go to bed, when you get up, any restless periods, when you ate and exercised before bed, whether or not you napped, and if so, for how long.

4. Keep on this schedule! Your body and waistline will thank you!

Key points to remember:
- exercise 30 minutes daily, but not within a few hours of your bedtime
- keep your bedroom a place for sleep and sexual activity only
- get into a pre-bed routine (i.e. bath, music, reading)
- DO NOT check email, watch TV, or play video games before bed -- it can leave you sleeping restlessly or unable to get to sleep
- cut out caffeine in the afternoon and evening hours
- DO NOT go to bed on a full stomach OR hungry
- use alcohol in moderation, and not as a sleep aid!

I have to say, I may ace this test. Mark and I climb into bed around 9:40 every night. My alarm goes off at 6:22 am, which is when I get up, so long as Lily has a restful sleep, too. Generally, I feel refreshed and ready for the day. While I still require one dose of caffeine and an alarm clock, I think we happily master the sleep routine.

What time is your bedtime? Are you often tired? What gets in your way of getting more sleep?

[1]. Beun, Chown, Julie. Dozing to diet: Sleep as a diet aid works, research shows. Canwest News Service. September 18, 2009.

Ban the buzz?

Caffeine-containing alcoholic beverages (or mixes - i.e. Red Bull and vodka) are under fire. The state attorney general and health-advocacy groups are seeking federal government support in regulating caffeinated alcoholic drinks. These beverages are a fast-growing product line popular among younger partakers [1].

Some proponents of regulating these beverages call for an all-out ban. Others advocate for warning labels advertising the potential health and safety risks of mixing caffeine and alcohol [1]. I certainly didn't think much of my Sugar-Free Sparks back in college! MillerCoors LLC has agreed to remove caffeine, guarana, and other stimulants from their products (i.e. Sparks) as of last year. Anheuser-Busch has done the same. Other companies, however, are seizing such markets with their similar products.These companies include Four Loko and Joose, and are currently under investigation by several attorneys general, The Wall Street Journal reported in July 2009 [1].

Why such the fuss? Most importantly, the mixture of caffeine and other stimulants may mask the feeling of drunkenness which can lead to reckless behaviors. Is this really a public concern? Probably ought to be. Sales of one brand of caffeine-containing alcohol, Four Loko and sister brand Four Maxed rose in sales by 2,680% over the past year [1].

A Wake Forest University study published in 2008 found that 24% of college students consuming alcohol in a given month were doing so by mixing with caffeinated beverages. Those that did mix alcohol with caffeinated beverages were more likely than those who did not drink alcohol mixed with caffeine to experience negative consequences, such as alcohol-related injury, getting into a car with a drunk driver, or being taking advantage of sexually [1].

But how MUCH caffeine are in these products? Because the companies are not required to list the amount of caffeine in the products, most of them to not list the content. Rich Brest, a 36-year-old JETT drinker, says that putting the amount of caffeine on the label is a "no brainer." However, he explains that putting a warning label pointing to product risks seems no more feasible than including a label on all alcohol explaining, "the only thing that can sober you up is time, not caffeine, not a shower. [1]"

What does the FDA say? According to their website, the FDA permits 200 parts per million of caffeine in alcoholic drinks -- the same amount permitted in soft drinks. The FDA is currently performing further research on caffeine and alcohol, says Mitchell Cheeseman, deputy director of the FDA's office of food-additive safety [1].

Stock up on Sparks, just in case, my dear northwestern boo bear!

[1]. Kesmodel, David. Buzz Kill? Critics Target Alcohol-Caffeine Drinks. The Wall Street Journal. August 3, 2009.