FOOD TIP: Coffee Break!

Many people cue waiting for their daily takeaway coffee, while others prefer to hold a business meeting in their local café over an expresso. But irrespective of whether you have your coffee to go or to stay, you may be wondering what effect it is having on your body, mood and work.
Research has found that drinking coffee may offer you more benefits than you think. Coffee is a rich source of antioxidants called polyphenols. These polyphenols are the same antioxidants that are found in tea, red wine and chocolate, and help to protect the body against harmful free radicals. Coffee consumption has been associated with reductions in the risk of some diseases and improved glucose tolerance.
Coffee also contains the methylxanthine compound caffeine which is a stimulant. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, speeding up heart and breathing rate, dilating blood vessels and relaxing muscles. You may reach for a coffee when you are feeling a bit tired, and this helps you overcome the feeling of fatigue. This results as caffeine consumption is associated with feelings of increased energy, motivation, alertness and concentration.
Caffeine is a toxin and a dose of 10g can be deadly. But how much caffeine is ok? A moderate intake is considered to be 300mg of caffeine per day and this has been shown to have no harmful effects. In terms of coffee, this equates to approximately 2-3 coffees per day. However, the amount of caffeine you ingest in each coffee depends on the type of coffee beans, the type of coffee, how it is made and its strength.
For those of you who are consuming more than 3 cups of coffee a day, you may not realise that you have become physically dependent on caffeine. If you tried to kick the habit, you may experience headaches, nausea, fatigue, nervousness or have difficulty concentrating. Here’s some tips to cut down you coffee intake.

• Start by cutting back your coffee intake gradually. This will help your body to adapt gradually and not go into withdrawal.
• You could also replace a couple of coffees a day with herbal tea, or decaffeinated coffee. Why not try this is the afternoon or evening as caffeine consumption at this time of day may interfere with your sleep.
• Try drinking water.