Coffee

As many of you know, the main effect of coffee comes from the caffeine. Caffeine has several effects on the body. One most of us know is that it is a stimulant and therefore stimulates the central nervous system. What that means is that it can make you more alert. Many have used coffee to "jump start" are day - make us more alert. This is not a bad thing, but remember it contains no nutrition to feed the brain and keep alert and functioning at a high level.

There are some other things that caffeine does. It can increase the heart rate, increase the blood pressure, increase our basal metabolic rate and increase the function of the lungs. None of these is particularly detrimental unless, you heart disease or high blood pressure. But even with these conditions, coffee is not unsafe is taken in moderation. This means 1-2 cups (8 oz cups) per day. It is best to spread it out, so have a cup with breakfast and then one some other time during the day.

There is also a diuretic effect to caffeine, so be sure to drink a class of purified water for every cup of coffee that you drink. This will help conteract the diuretic effect.