Limit Caffeine, Alcohol and Carbonated Drinks
by Phillip Day
Caffeine
… is the most widely used drug in the world. It perks us up by stimulating
the body into producing adrenalin to generate temporary stress. The fight-or-flight
response is supposed to be just that - temporary (the length of time it
takes to wrestle Matron to the ground). However, many become addicted
to how caffeine changes their psychological state from perceived pain
('Oh dear - morning') to a state of action ('Right, let's get on with
it'), and thereby get drawn into a day-long usage of it. I think the beverage
industry knows this.
Excess stress depletes Vitamin C, provides the conditions for plaque to generate in the arteries (atherosclerosis/scurvy), reduces iron absorption and degrades mental performance. Caffeine has been linked to increased risk of stroke and rheumatoid arthritis. Caffeine also reduces insulin sensitivity so we don't process sugars as efficiently, which can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes. A cup of coffee in the morning is not what I'm talking about. Five cups a day is.
Chronic coffee drinkers are surfing the bean - hate to say it, but it's a drug addiction. Try giving it up and you'll witness all the evidence of addiction withdrawal. Some of the unpleasantness is down to the caffeine, the rest attributable to mental patterning/comfort zones we have installed (see Deal With Addictions). Try switching to tart vegetable juices when you get up - much better for you and the nutrients help overcome caffeine cravings (see Juice Veggies). Disrupt your mental patterning by changing your morning routine to avoid the breakfast table (see Free up Your Digestive Cycles). Exercise aerobically with a brisk walk or jog after you get up (remember to stretch); your body is craving oxygen, not a cappuccino with cinnamon and a chocolate torpedo. If you are a coffee, alcohol and carbonated beverage quaffer, you've probably got reflux (heartburn) and some digestive issues by now, even more so if you're a smoker. Change your wicked ways!
But… But…
If you really must drink coffee, Dr Joseph Mercola offers the following
useful pointers:
· Use organic coffee - Coffee is a heavily
sprayed crop, so drinking organic coffee might reduce or eliminate the
exposure to toxic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. The only drawback
is that the countries where coffee is produced probably have less control
and monitoring for compliance to organic practices. You will also be helping
to protect the health of the people working in the coffee fields, as you
will be helping to reduce their toxic exposure as well
· "Swiss Water Process" decaf - If you
are going to drink decaffeinated coffee, be sure that it is one that uses
a non-chemical-based method of decaffeination. The "Swiss Water
Process" is a patented method and the best choice. Most of the
major brands are chemically decaffeinated, even if it says "Naturally
Decaffeinated" on the container. If you are unsure of the methods,
contact the manufacturer
· Avoid sugar and/or milk - These are actually much worse
for you than the coffee itself. Don't compound the detrimental health
effects by adding milk or sugar to your coffee
· Unbleached filters - If you use a "drip"
coffee-maker, be sure to use non-bleached filters. The bright white
ones, which most people use, are chlorine-bleached and some of this chlorine
will be extracted from the filter during the brewing process.
(Editors note regarding regular (caffeinated) coffee: Espresso machines produce coffee with less caffeine and tannins because of the short brewing time. The longer the brewing time the more these chemicals are extracted from the beans. Also, longer (darker) roasted beans have less caffeine than a lighter roast, so going for the cappuccino or espresso is a lower caffeine option compared with a filter/percolator/cafetiere brewing method.)
Alcohol
Once again it's a matter of scale. Alcohol is a cell-poison. A glass of
red wine a day has shown antioxidant benefits, but not because of the
alcohol! The danger with any mood-changers lies in the perceived change
in state from 'pain' to 'pleasure', which tempts us into renewing the
high. Bound up with addiction is the denial issue, the protective mechanism
the brain uses against the anticipated pain of withdrawal. If that's you
in any area of addiction, rule number one: Don't justify what's hurting
you. Rule number two: Get help (see Deal With Addictions).
Carbonated Drinks
Sally Squires reports: "Americans drink more soda pop [fizzy drinks]
than ever before. These popular beverages account for more than a quarter
of all drinks consumed in the United States. More than 15 billion gallons
were sold in 2000. That works out to at least one 12-ounce can per day
for every man, woman and child.
Kids are heavy consumers of soft drinks, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and they are guzzling soda pop at unprecedented rates. Carbonated soda pop provides more added sugar in a typical 2-year-old toddler's diet than cookies, candies and ice cream combined. Fifty-six percent of 8-year-olds down soft drinks daily, and a third of teenage boys drink at least three cans of soda pop per day.
Not only are soft drinks widely available everywhere, from fast food restaurants to video stores, they're now sold in 60 percent of all public and private middle schools and high schools nationwide, according to the National Soft Drink Association. A few schools are even giving away soft drinks to students who buy school lunches.
As soda pop becomes the beverage of choice among the nation's young - and as soda marketers focus on brand-building among younger and younger consumers - public health officials, school boards, parents, consumer groups and even the soft drink industry are faced with nagging questions:
How healthful are these beverages, which provide a lot of calories, sugars and caffeine but no significant nutritional value? And what happens if you drink a lot of them at a very young age?''
Well, it's not good. Carbonated drinks are acidic and cause oesophageal reflux. The carbonation process, as its name implies, uses carbon dioxide in a medium of phosphoric acid. Though carbonation is alluring by dint of its 'thirst-quenching' properties, real thirst-quenching is accomplished using water not acid. Many of the diet versions of these drinks are also 'sweetened' with aspartame, a neurological toxin, while those that aren't can contain anywhere from six to ten teaspoons of sugar. And if that isn't enough, phosphorous depletes calcium, which leads to bone loss, the condition known as osteoporosis.
Summary
In a perfect world, we would do without the lot and just drink water.
Am I kidding? No. However, advertising and the taste monster have conspired
to seduce an entire planet, so I suspect the reality for most of us will
be a casual usage somewhere in between.
My advice? Try doing without them or set strict limits and ruthlessly enforce. These three can be an addictive, lethal deluge of acid (not to mention all the chemicals and preservatives involved). When ill-advisedly combined with a stressful, busy lifestyle and maintained over the long-haul? See Choose the Right Doctor.
Further Resources (see CTM
Bookstore)
Extracted from Simple Changes by Phillip Day
