It seems that coffee is a part of the college survival guide but in Miami, it’s part of the culture. FIU has about 6 places that offer its students coffee: the MANGO Starbucks, GL Starbucks, Vicky’s Bakery, Barnes & Nobles coffee shop, Bustelos, and La Ventanita at the Bookstore (will be opening soon).
However, is there such a thing as too much coffee? The studies that have been conducted are controversial. One might say that coffee is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, while other say it can lead to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
One thing that is obvious is, going light on sugar and creamer when drinking coffee. Sugar is a negative food ingredient that should be avoided when possible. A black coffee contains practically no calories but most people don’t take their coffee black. Especially, with the infinite variety of drinks that Starbucks has to offer.
The federal dietary guidelines suggest that drinking three to five-ounce cups of coffee per day won’t negatively affect one’s health. Dr. Steven Nissen, Chief Academic Officer of the Heart and Vascular Institute at the Cleveland Clinic told USA Today how drinking coffee all day long can lead to insomnia, which then really is an issue.
Dr. Nissen views coffee as neither negative or positive when it comes to someone’s health. His advice to his patients is to drink coffee if they like it unless they have heart rhythm problems.
Moderation is key, after all. Caffeine in overdose is never good. Even though, living without cafecito every day might seem like a daunting task, it’s important to consider if it’s really needed or just wanted. Taking care of one’s body is important and getting enough sleep can also help when it comes to lowering the caffeine intake.
This doesn’t mean goodbye to the cafecito routine but switching to tea or drinking more water once in a while might be good.