Saturday evening I did a book signing at my favorite bookstore in the world, Island Books. Owner Roger Page makes every customer feel like the store is their home where you can sit and read, schmooze with friends, and eventually find that wonderful gem of a book (or in my case, two or three books) that just fits your mood and needs at the time.
One of the many questions asked during the evening was about caffeine and why it’s in the diet. “Do I need to start to drink coffee to follow the diet?” It’s a great question, and here’s the answer…
If you are not a coffee drinker or do not use caffeinated products in your diet, you certainly do not need to add them to follow the plan or be in a good mood. But for those of you who are caffeine users, there is no need to eliminate it altogether. I am giving you permission to include the equivalent of two caffeinated beverages before noon each day.
In the world of sports nutrition we know that caffeine can enhance performance. It is both a stimulant, picking up your mood and your pace, but it also gives a psychological edge. When taken before exercise, caffeine lessens your sense of how hard you are working. The Rate of Perceived Exertion is a scientifically created scale used to determine how hard we think we are working. On a scale of one to ten, one is barely working; ten is, “I’m going to drop dead if I keep doing this.” Caffeine moves your perception down the scale, so that even though you’re working out at an intensity level of six without caffeine, with caffeine you might call the same intensity a level four. You can workout harder and longer and improve your performance. For someone trying to lose weight, that translates into more calories burned in the same amount of time.
Caffeine in the morning is certainly a pick-me-up. It’s not only the caffeine itself, but often also the ritual that goes along with it. And for many, the taste and smell create a good mood all by itself. There are no risks of disease associated with small amounts of caffeine, so there is no reason to say not to have it. Larger amounts of caffeine, however, can have a rebound effect, making you feel lousy rather than good. If you get your caffeine from soft drinks, make sure they are sugar-free. There are 10 teaspoonfuls of sugar in a can of regular soda. Soda is also acidic. If you are drinking more than 2 cans a day, you may be putting your bone health at risk, especially if you are not consuming the three dairy servings that I recommend each day.
I ask you to consume your caffeine before noon. If, during the afternoon you feel like you need more cups of coffee or diet cola to stay awake and alert, then you need to examine what’s happening in the rest of your life. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you following The Good Mood Diet? Are you getting any exercise? Are you avoiding issues that you should be confronting?
Coffee and colas are acidic, harsh sources of caffeine. Green tea appears to be a gentler source of caffeine that is also rich in antioxidants that are good for your health. Subjects in studies of the weight-loss benefits of green tea often consume the equivalent of 5 cups of tea a day. They do not report the negative side effects often associated with high intakes of coffee.
I do allow for green tea in the afternoon, although you wouldn’t want to drink it close to bedtime. So if you would like something warm and comforting in the afternoon, green teas are a good choice, as are uncaffeinated beverages. Then look forward to your hot cocoa in the evening to help you melt away the cares of the day and sleep well.
Yours in a Good Mood,
Susan