It is hard to imagine a world without coffee. It seems like the whole world runs on coffee. In fact, that is pretty much Dunkin' Donuts' slogan. Everywhere I turn there are shirts, cups, and pillows that have "clever" sayings such as, "I'm not me without my coffee." There are even Snapchat filters that say "I need coffee" in cute writing to make you think that you can't function without it.
Yes, coffee can be good, and yes, maybe it helps people to be more energetic. This is not me saying that drinking coffee is a bad thing, but the fact that people rely on it so much is what is hazardous. Simply putting a phrase like "I'm not me without my coffee" on a cup or pillow seems harmless, but people have completely forgotten the harm that can come from drinking coffee in abundance. I know a few people that say that if they don't get their coffee fix then they will end up with a headache or be in a bad mood for the rest of the day.
People can't honestly think this is healthy, but because coffee can fit an aesthetic it has become acceptable.
People seem to connect coffee with productivity and in doing so, they are constantly filling their bodies with unhealthy amounts of caffeine. It is sad to think that people can't get things done if they don't have coffee to get them going. Not only is this an unhealthy mindset, but there is also the problem that most people add extra things in their coffee which are full of extremely high calories.
In my opinion, people often associate calories with what they eat and not really what they drink. If someone wants to be healthy and think about their calorie intake, they often think about the food they put in their bodies. But what you are drinking also has a major impact on your body. If you think about all of the things that are put in coffee such as sugar, creamer, milk, etc. that tends to add up to a high-calorie count. If you simply drink coffee with nothing extra then it is not as bad, but having three or four cups a day with all that added sugar takes a toll on the body.
According to the CaffieneInformer, there are 22 known harmful effects that are caused by heavy caffeine intake. Several studies indicate that drinking so much coffee can raise your blood pressure, create a higher risk of heart attacks, cause insomnia, and it is even linked to early death according to a Mayo Clinic study.
You need to stop thinking it is cute or funny to consume so much coffee in a day every day of the week.
Honestly, anything taken in excess is harmful to you, but in today's society, they have made you think it is acceptable to consume coffee to the point where you think it is the only thing that can help you to accomplish the tasks you have set up for yourself. There are healthier alternatives to drinking coffee. You can have kombucha tea, yerba mate, coconut water, sparkling water, and even hot apple cider! You don't have to cut out coffee entirely. All you have to do is simply cut down how much you drink in a day. Don't rely on coffee so much because it's not cute, it's only harmful.
