How Much Coffee Is Too Much?

With the end of the semester coming upon us for many college students, many students, like myself, will be drinking excessive amounts of coffee to help us stay alert and focused while studying and trying to finish work for a certain deadline. But have you ever wondered about the question of how much is too much coffee to consume? The temptation with coffee is to keep pounding it down but you may not want to do that. According to the American Dietetic Association’s Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, “for most healthy adults, moderate amounts of caffeine 200 to 300 milligrams a day, or about two cups of coffee poses no physical problem.” So two cups of coffee good for you but three cups may be too much. If you have been substituting coffee in place for water and juice in your diet, are having trouble falling asleep at night, are pregnant or nursing a child, or have a medical condition such as high blood pressure, gastritis, or ulcers- it is time to switch to decaf coffee, or even give coffee a break for a while. Coffee addicts, like myself, send it down like water, but we also go to the gym, eat healthy, and take a few hours each night to relax. Coffee can get you through the stressful times, such as the end of semesters, but if the stresses aren't dealt with at their root cause, then you will be stressed in the days to follow. Some advice is for every cup of coffee you drink, you should drink two full glasses of water, to help your system replenish what the caffeine takes out. For every cup of coffee that you NEED to get through the day, sit at home on the couch for one hour every night and read. Doesn’t matter what you’re reading (magazines, books, the back of a cereal box) the point is, you need to give your body a chance to slow down and relax naturally. And on another note, ditch the sodas and chocolates altogether. Sure you enjoy them, but you also know full well that they’re doing bad things to your insides.

Dunkin Donuts vs. Tim Hortons

Originally I am from Canandaigua, the two places where I get my coffee from are Dunkin Donuts and Tim Hortons. After acquiring the taste of both different brands, I have favored one over the other. Not to talk down on Tim Hortons, but I would prefer a cup of coffee from Dunkin Donuts anyday over Tim Hortons. Tim Hortons is the closest to me so I usually will end up going there to get breakfast and coffee in the mornings before I go to work or go to the ymca to work out. So in the most cases, I tend to go to Tim Hortons if I am in a rush to get somewhere but everytime I do, it makes me appreciate Dunkin so much more. On the other hand, if I am leaving town to go towards Rochester I always make the stop at Dunkin since it is in that direction. Also, with Dunkin Donuts being the closer of the two while at school, I make the stop there. From trying the different drinks at both coffee places, iced coffee, mochas, lattes, and coffee, my favorite place to get coffee is Dunkin Donuts. What is your preference on places to get coffee? I would be interested to know. Oh, but of course I do love to get my coffee from Starbucks as well.

Music and Coffee

I'm sure everyone has their own personal selection of music they love to listen to all the time, but have you ever thought about the music you listen to while enjoying a cup of coffee or if you already do listen to music when consuming coffee, what is it? I recommend you all to check out the band Morphine then next time you are relaxing and enjoying a cup of coffee. Morphine is an alternative rock group which originated in 1989, which may be why none of us really know who they are because they ended the band in 1999. This was probably a time when people like myself were not big into music, at least not the alternative type of music, growing up in the 90s, the music I listened to was NSYNC, 98 degrees, S Club 7, Britteny Spears, etc. So why listen to 'Morphine' while consuming a cup of coffee? Morphine is a jazz/rock with very interesting vocals, when I hear them I associate it with low key pubs/bars with lots of cigarette smoke filling up the place. If the band could be labeled it would have the association of low rock. Low rock music gives off the relaxing vibe, so next time you have a cup of coffee don't forget to check out the band 'Morphine' and it has been said to help enjoy the cup of coffee.

Here are lyrics to one of their songs- pretty face: Love's strange, bee sting, what a fool I've been Serpentine, lives unwind, trees sing, flowers cry A fronter town, carpet brown, picking gold, raining down This time I do it now but I'll fast forward to a better spot now I can go back, later I remember the place But it's not so easy to erase a pretty face Erase a pretty face, a pretty face Hand on mind, all this time unraveling this ball of twine Butterfly back, climb through paths, not too slow, not too fast Perfect place, pretty face, nice place for a rattlesnake Perfect place, out of face, a good day to make a mistake Each time and I do it now, fast forward to a better spot Go back later, I remember the place But it's not so easy to erase a pretty face