Nobody’s making you. Used sparingly and with conscious intent, coffee stimulates the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which energizes mentally and physically, and, by releasing adrenaline into the bloodstream, provides a slight elevation in mood. Plus, it facilitates thermogenesis, or calorie burning. What’s not to like there, right? For starters, it’s addictive, and like so many stimulants, it’s hard to stop at a little, and the irregular cup here and there can easily turn into a daily habit that defies control. So if you’re chewing your teeth at 2:00 a.m., can’t quiet your mind when it’s time to meditate, or let the guy in front of you go when he’s clearly got the right of way, it might be time to reflect on your java intake. What, you don’t think caffeine is that powerful? Or is that exactly why you don’t want to give it up? Remember the first time you tried coffee? All the grownups were doing it, and you just couldn’t wait to be an adult. So you took a sip, burned your tongue, and swore you’d never again swill that revolting brew. Years later, in college maybe, you discovered why your parents couldn’t live without it: it kept you awake during early morning classes and made possible the all-nighter that helped you ace the philosophy exam. Or maybe you discovered that it could inspire in you a sunny — if somewhat contrived — disposition when you otherwise couldn’t face the day. Whatever your route, you ended up loving the stuff, embracing its bitter flavor (or disguising it with milk and sweeteners), rejoicing when your options grew exponentially with the advent of espresso machines. Before long you, too, were hooked on caffeine, the world’s most popular stimulant. There’s a good explanation for why Westerners crave caffeine: with diets full of hydrogenated oils, meat, and dairy foods, organ systems get bogged down, making the job of moving toxins through and out of us a gargantuan task. The body, in its eternal quest for balance, then sends signals for the antidote, usually through cravings for the opposite of the heavy, dulling foods. Instead of making better food choices or exercising regularly, most of us choose to get things moving with a soft drink or coffee. Not only does the bitter purgative cut through the sludge and stimulate digestion; it also provokes the bowels into action (anyone who’s ever had too much coffee can attest to its laxative powers). Ideally, our diets would be free of the heavy, toxin-laden foods that create a need for additional stimulation, but the reality for most Americans is to hurry to the meal, eat too much too fast, down some coffee, and rush on to the next thing. We are so depleted of natural energy that we depend on caffeine to keep us going. Unfortunately, that isn’t all coffee does. With regular overconsumption, it also leaches calcium from bones, overtaxes the kidneys and adrenal glands, and wreaks havoc on hormones. The International Journal of Cancer reported that rats subjected to high levels of caffeine exhibited a propensity toward mammary gland carcinogenesis, leading researchers to postulate that women with diets already high in fat may be more prone to breast cancer if consuming large quantities of caffeine. There’s also evidence that coffee raises cholesterol levels, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society in 1985. And because it destroys the intestinal villi necessary for the uptake of nutrients, chronically heavy coffee drinkers are almost always mineral-deficient. Coffee is especially dangerous to those of us who tend to be a little tense already, such as the vata-type constitution described in ayurveda, the ancient healing system from India. We vatas are high-velocity thinkers and talkers, and change moods as fast as the wind blows. Caffeine is almost always aggravating to us, unlike kaphas, whose slow, steady approach to life can sometimes use a little jumpstart. It isn’t necessary to know your constitution to find out if caffeine is hard on your body, and if you don’t try life sans coffee, you may never know who you really are without it. If you must drink coffee — and only you know when enough is enough — then please spend the extra pennies to buy organically grown beans. It’s no secret that coffee is one of the most heavily sprayed crops imported into the United States, where it is then treated with further chemicals to decaffeinate it or make an instant version of the traditional brew. In fact, according to Linda Rector-Page in her book Healthy Healing, many of the dangers long thought to be caused by caffeine are now believed by researchers to be the result of the many chemical processes the coffee undergoes when roasted and decaffeinated. To avoid this, always choose Swiss water-processed decaffeinated coffee and insist upon it wherever you buy your beans. In the lands where coffee is grown, it is the very poor who tend the fields and harvest the crops, not only exposing themselves and their children to deadly pesticides and herbicides, but also ensuring their inferior status as profits go to bloated corporate entities. And the ecological devastation doesn’t end with the leaching of chemicals into the ground. Rich land that might be sustainably farmed by field rotation and cover crops is devoted solely to coffee production, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and land misuse. Organically grown coffee provides a wonderful alternative to commercial brands, and varieties that are shade-grown help to support the life of numerous other creatures dependent on native trees. The Song Bird Coffee company writes of the many benefits of shade-grown coffee to birds, an intrinsic part of Earth’s biodiversity: "Layered forests with diverse plant species offer shelter and food for warblers, orioles, tanagers, and a variety of other migratory birds. Coffee farms using this natural setting have gained the attention of conservationists, birdwatchers and ecologists." In addition to the ecological benefits, companies that farm organically grown coffees typically share profits with the workers in an equitable fashion, helping native peoples carve out for themselves a share of the proceeds from their hard work. Suppose you’ve made peace with your habit, and have it mostly under control. Good for you. There’s just one more question to ask yourself: Does my caffeine consumption hinder my heart in any way? Am I able to still the chattering in my mind when I undertake my daily centering practice? If you can’t, of course, caffeine is not necessarily the culprit. But my personal experience tells me that it plays a part. I am not so much addicted to caffeine as I am sometimes unwilling to let go of the many mental stimuli that kept me from knowing my true self. Most of the time, I’ll do practically anything to keep from getting quiet, although once there, I always remember that it’s a restful place I need to visit often. If you aren’t sure whether you can get to that place, try an experiment: leave caffeine behind for two weeks, or at least cut back significantly. Like most people, I first experienced lethargy and sleepiness, a dull headache, and mild constipation. Adding more water and vegetables stopped the constipation, the headache went away after a day or so, and I found that I was finally able to tell when I was really tired. Not wired-tired, but real, honest fatigue. Never much of a tea drinker, I found something I really liked: Genmaicha, a green tea with a few grains of roasted brown rice in each bag. Delicious! I didn’t give up caffeine entirely — there’s some in green tea — but the edge was definitely gone. I was nicer to be around, and I liked myself more — so much more that I stuck with it. Just the other day I tried a double latté, something I once drank almost every day. It didn’t taste good, cost too much, and because I drank it on an empty stomach (the absolute worst way to consume coffee), I felt the effects immediately: increased heart rate, unusual sweating, excessive urination, loss of appetite. This used to be fun? I guess I’ve just reached a point where I don’t need the extra pump. I like being grounded. I like being in my body. I like being likeable. There is one undisputed use for coffee that I can wholeheartedly recommend: it makes a great enema! The same properties that make it a purgative to your digestive system make it an excellent medium for coaxing fecal matter from the walls of the large intestine. In fact, you might want to visualize that when you’re craving a mocha grandé with extra foam! Want to drink coffee? Go ahead. Enjoy it when you do. But please don’t tailgate me on the highway, Starbucks in hand. I’m in the slow lane on purpose, sipping my tea and listening to the rhythms of my happy heart. Author’s note: If you love coffee and swear by its ability to make you witty and wide-eyed, then <www.coffeescience.com> is for you. According to the "experts" on this annoying industry-sponsored site, there is no definitive link between coffee consumption and any imbalance, not even osteoporosis, fibrocystic breast disease or cardiovascular disease, all of which are exacerbated by excessive caffeine consumption, as backed up by numerous studies. They even claim that coffee may have a protective effect on digestive health! According to the "coffee science" people, as many as four cups a day has absolutely no negative effect on anybody! Lori Lively is Education and Special Events Director at Marlene’s Market and Deli stores in Federal Way and Tacoma. She is available for speaking engagements and publications at <mojolively1@home.com> or (253) 564-1668. |
I know what you’re thinking. As a dedicated New Times reader, having already embarked on your spiritual path, you find an article denouncing coffee a bit overdone and clichéd. You might believe, as I do, that a spiritual life and the occasional cuppa joe aren’t mutually exclusive. You may even hear yourself saying what I did for years: It’s my last vice, and I’m not giving it up.