Pretty much everyone loves coffee (which is exactly why you shouldn't mention it in your Hinge profile – it's not a personality trait, mate). However, many of you have likely fallen prey to click-bait headlines that make claims like "coffee causes dehydration" and "caffeine stunts your growth".
We bust five of the most common myths around coffee consumption so you can enjoy your joe stress free!
1. Coffee causes dehydration
Correction – coffee is a diuretic, which means that if you err on the smaller-bladder side you may need to go to the bathroom more often after drinking coffee. However, the water accompanying the coffee does make up for the slightly dehydrating effects of caffeine.
In other words, whether you drink coffee, tea, juice, or a glass of water, you will urinate. So, no, drinking coffee specifically will not lead to dehydration, but you may need to wee a little sooner than usual. Myth busted.
2. Coffee is unhealthy
Studies by the American Heart Association concluded that caffeine may actually have health benefits: caffeine consumption was associated with increased metabolism (the ability to burn more calories in a rested state), as well as improved alertness and mood. Sounds good so far, right?
The issue is for those with high blood pressure: there is a chance that you could experience a temporarily higher heart rate after drinking coffee. However, no significant relationship has been found between coffee consumption, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular diseases, so (unless otherwise instructed by your healthcare professional ), you can sip on your morning elixir sans a stress.
3. Coffee stunts growth
Nobody knows how this myth got started (it could have been the Rooibos tea companies for all we know!), but it does its rounds from time to time. There is no scientific evidence for this claim so, shawties, you can drink away without worry about smiting your height. (PS – you're not short, you're just not tall.)
4. Caffeine is highly addictive
For those of us who wish to evaporate at the thought of a coffee-free existence (at the office, no less *gasps*), it's easy to believe the black gold might be as addictive as white brick.
Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, which means there's potential for a slight dependence (we change how we feel, we like how we feel, we want to keep doing it), but it doesn’t mean coffee noobs will start using one, then two jars of coffee a day. Plus, the withdrawal effects are not nearly the same as those associated with hard drugs. They're extremely mild. For these reasons, psychiatrists do not consider caffeine addictive. Still, it's always necessary to consume stimulants responsibly (one to two cups of coffee per day).
5. A lunchtime coffee will keep you up at night
Yes, caffeine is a stimulant that works to keep you awake with an almost immediate effect, but the body also expels caffeine quite quickly.
Generally, a healthy liver processes around 75% of caffeine within four to ten hours of intake. So, ideally, your after-lunch cup of coffee shouldn’t see you doing ceiling patrol come bedtime.
We stock some of the finest beans and grounds from some of the country's most-lauded artisanal bean roasters and brewers, including:
- Bootlegger Beans
- Bootlegger Coffee Capsules
- vida é caffe Beans
- vida é caffe Coffee Capsules
- Jacobs Krönung
- Nescafé
Let us know if you try any of the recipes by sharing yours on socials, tagging us @deeliverza, and using #DeeRecipe – if it looks DEELICIOUS, we’ll give you a treat!
Looking for more drink/mealspiration? Check out our other recipes here.
h/t: webmd.com