Free Glide

Caffeine is the modern drug of choice in the work world, easily accessible, socially acceptable, readily affordable, and of course perfectly legal. As for the health effects, I’ve read evidence both for good and ill, so right now I don’t fall strongly on either side. One thing is clear though caffeine is addictive. And this addictive nature is what leans me towards the negative side.

As a teenager I often drank sodas; cola was my favorite. I never drank coffee as a teenager, and I rarely drank it in college. But when I got into programming PC games, I’d sometimes drink coffee every day for months at a time. But I’d always eventually break the habit and have no caffeine for months at a time too. It was sort of cyclical.

Then I read the book Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz, which is the story of Starbucks (Schultz is the CEO). Schultz made gourmet coffee sound so good, that I embarked on a Starbucks kick for a while and tried all different kinds of gourmet coffees, espressos, soy lattes, etc. I know not all coffee drinkers like Starbucks (my mom surely doesn’t), but I still think their coffee is among the best. Another favorite of mine was Lion Coffee from Hawaii. I bought a nice espresso maker and used it to make my own soy cappucinos (I avoid all dairy products).

I really grew to like the taste of different gourmet coffees, which were much better than the swill I used to drink in college. But it was so easy to fall into a pattern of addiction, drinking coffee out of habit instead of only when I actually wanted some. Today I still drink coffee on occasion, but that’s the exception. Most of the time I don’t consume any caffeine for weeks or months at a time. I found it fairly easy to break the habit. Here are a couple ways to do it:

Method 1: Coffee to Herbal Tea

First, switch from coffee to tea. You still get the caffeine from tea, but not as much. Enjoy some good quality tea not Lipton! I particular like Earl Grey and Green Tea. I found this easy to do right away. But if you find it too hard to switch so abruptly, then make the transition over a period of weeks equal to the number of cups of coffee you drink each day. For example, if you drink 4 cups of coffee a day, then switch to 3c coffee / 1c tea for the first week, then go 2c/2c for the second week, then 1c/3c, and finally 0c/4c for the fourth week.

Next, make the transition from regular tea to caffeine-free (not decaffeinated) herbal tea. Herbal tea isn’t really tea, but it’s close. Celestial Seasonings offers a wide variety of flavors. I recommend getting a variety pack to see which kinds you like. You can do the switch abruptly, or use the gradual method above. Now you’re caffeine free.

Method 2: Coffee to Grain Coffee

Switch from coffee to grain coffee. Grain coffee is to coffee as herbal tea is to tea, and grain coffee is naturally caffeine-free. Grain coffee isn’t real coffee, but it’s a ground mixture of things like grains, nuts, dried fruit, and natural flavors that you can put into a regular drip coffee maker and make something that looks and tastes similar to coffee. Some grain coffees I tried were very bitter and well… disgusting. After trying a few different types, I found one I really liked: Teeccino. I buy it at Whole Foods. This has the best taste of all the ones I’ve tried, and it comes in a variety of flavors: vanilla nut, java, hazelnut, chocolate mint, almond amaretto, etc. Sometimes I mix different flavors together to make interesting concoctions. While I still usually prefer the rich taste of a good cup of Sumatra coffee, this stuff isn’t too bad. It tastes similar to coffee, but it has a unique flavor of its own, and it’s not acidic like coffee is. I typically mix a little Rice Dream (rice milk) into each cup to make it creamier.

A great way to transition to grain coffee is to mix it with regular coffee as you scoop the dry grounds into your coffee filter. So if you use 4 scoops of ground coffee normally, then try 3 scoops of coffee with 1 scoop of grain coffee for the first week, and continue to transition gradually as in the first method above.

Part of the addiction of coffee drinking is having a warm beverage, so the two methods above focus on that. I really like having something warm to drink, especially during the winter. I even have a small mug warmer on my desk. I usually alternate for weeks at a time between Teecino and herbal tea. Today I’ve already had two cups of Vanilla Nut Teeccino.

I suppose you could try a similar process if you’re addicted to soda by transitioning to something else like water or juice, but I’ve never found it hard to give up soda.

I don’t recommend decaffeinated coffee or tea because known carcinogens are used in the decaffeination process, and decaffeinated drinks are still highly acidic. From what I’ve read on this, I’d say you’re better off with caffeine.

When you give up caffeine, you’re likely to experience withdrawal symptoms. If I’m doing 4c coffee a day and then go cold turkey, I get headaches and backaches, and generally my emotions are out of whack for several days. But I still personally prefer to transition quickly rather than gradually. I’d rather just get the withdrawal over with.

Why Give Up Coffee at All?

I can’t ignore the energy boost and mental acceleration that comes from caffeine. But I do notice negative side effects when I drink coffee. Caffeine seems to make part of my brain overactive and another part underactive. I become really good at doing things, but very bad at prioritizing what needs to be done. If I drink a lot of coffee, I’ll often spend hours doing a bunch of low priority tasks, and I find that other unproductive habits are more likely to be done excessively. I become like a rat in a treadmill, doing more and more but not accomplishing what really matters. I find it very hard to focus on the big picture from a holistic whole-brain standpoint if I’ve consumed caffeine.

I also feel that caffeine blocks too much of my intuition and creativity. I miss subtle sensory input, and my thinking becomes too linear. Sometimes linear thinking is OK though. If I have a lot of menial tasks to complete, and I already have a clear to-do list to follow, drinking a cup of coffee can get me through them quickly. But if I have to sit down and do high-level work like developing my next quarterly plan, caffeine will make a mess of my thought process and dramatically reduce my ability to concentrate. My mind races too much on caffeine; it’s hard to stay focused on just one thing.

Additionally, caffeine definitely disrupts my sleep habits. Even if I have a cup of coffee in the morning and none for the rest of the day, I don’t sleep as well. I wake up in the middle of the night, or it’s hard for me to get out of bed in the morning. When I consume no caffeine, I sleep more restfully and wake up easily. I also don’t experience so much midday sleepiness.

And lastly caffeine makes me feel hotter than usual, including while I sleep. I need to turn the air conditioner up to feel comfortable, so that’s another hidden cost.

There’s also a nice page on Teeccino’s site about the top reasons to be caffeine-free.

I’m not saying you need to give up coffee entirely, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to remain addicted to it throughout the year, especially if you experience a drop in intution, creativity, and holistic thinking as I do. If you find it becoming an addiction, try one of the methods above to transition to a coffee substitute like herbal tea or grain coffee. Then you still get to enjoy a warm beverage without the negative side effects. I think it’s easer when you have a substitute for coffee instead of having to do completely without, but this won’t be necessary for everyone.

Copyright © Steve Pavlina

Steve Pavlina
Personal Development for Smart People
http://www.stevepavlina.com
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog (blog)
http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles (articles)

Steve is intensely growth-oriented. He trained in martial arts, ran the L.A. Marathon, and graduated from college in three semesters with two degrees. He can juggle, count cards at blackjack, and make damn good guacamole. Steve is also a polyphasic sleeper, sleeping just 2-3 hours per day and only 20 minutes at a time. So chances are good that he’s awake right now.

According to a Harvard University – Massachusetts General Hospital study of children in Philadelphia and Baltimore schools, students who usually ate school breakfast had better math grades, higher standardized test scores, decreased absences and tardiness, reduced hyperactivity and improved social relations in comparison to children who seldom ate school breakfast.

The word “breakfast” literally means to break fast. As we know, fasting is the act of not eating over a period of time. We
may not think of it this way, but we virtually fast while we sleep even if we dream about food. The act of eating breakfast is literally breaking the fast!

The National Weight Control Registry is a database of more than 3,000 people who have lost at least 60 pounds and kept it off for at least 6 years. Seventy eight percent of these people in the registry found that eating breakfast daily was an
excellent weight control strategy along with eating a low-fat diet and exercising for an hour or more every day.

Cereal is the number one food bought in supermarkets today. The first breakfast cereal was created in 1863 in New York by a vegetarian.

So What Is a Healthy Breakfast Anyway?

Is it pancakes slathered in maple syrup or green eggs and ham? Well, first and foremost, a healthy breakfast should be a
balance of carbohydrates, protein and fats. Fiber is also very important. The protein can come from meat, eggs, beans or soy
products. Fiber can be found in whole grain cereals, grains or in fruits. Sure, every once in a while you can treat yourself
to biscuits, pancakes or pastries for special occasions but on a daily basis, they should be avoided along with sugary
cereals and white breads. These foods will bring insanity to your blood sugar level, jolting you out of the Zone. Those
sorts of foods are digested quickly and will leave you hungry and tired in a just a couple of hours.

Research done by the Cardiff University School of Psychology, LED BY Professor Andrew Smith has shown that eating breakfast helps children function better in school than those who skip the first meal of the day. Dr. Smith says that it is
clear that starting the day with cereal enhances mental, cognitive and physical ability. The children are less emotionally distressed, less tired and less anxious. The study examined 213 children from 4 – 11 years old.

The results revealed children who start the day with cereal are:

Ryan Joseph is a writer/researcher. More Zone Diet information as well as Zone Diet products from Dr. Barry Sears can be found at http://www.nutritionzone.biz/products.html

I really can’t believe it. I now drink coffee. I never pictured myself as a part of the coffee generation. I still love my soda, but now in the morning I find myself having a cup of coffee before I leave for work and one to two cups while at work. This has just taken place in the past year or so. As I look back, I think it may have had something to do with having a toddler in the house and also just beginning to build a website.

Building a website from scratch is quite an undertaking and there are many hours accumulated hovering over the computer. In order to find a few more hours in the day I started getting up at about 5:00 am before work and also on the weekends. This not being my normal routine, I guess I found myself in need of some additional wake up help to be able to get up that early in the morning. Along came coffee!

Long ago, I never really cared for the mocha flavor of coffee at all, even in sweets or baked goods. I think it all started when my husband and I were on a particularly cold motorcycle ride with quite a few more miles to go before home. We had stopped at a gas station for fuel and I thought I might be able to get a cup of hot chocolate. The only thing available was flavored cappuccino. I gave it a try because I was really cold and was surprised by how good it really was. (Now I know all of you coffee experts out there are probably chuckling at the quality of gas station cappuccino, but I guess we all start somewhere.)

Anyway…at some point I started buying the cappuccino mix at the grocery store and then graduated to General Foods International Coffees. My husband drinks regular coffee at home, but I never touched it, at least not then.

Then at work we moved our offices and now, with a coffeemaker nearby, I have started drinking coffee at work. Just recently did I learn how to make a decent pot of coffee. Talk about feeling out of touch! I am not sure if I make the coffee too strong or too weak, but no one has complained yet. I have even learned that it is pretty easy to make coffee in a large party percolator pot, a task that was completely foreign to me before.

I still add a flavored creamer to the coffee, but I am really starting to like the mocha flavor on its own. My favorite flavor creamer is hazelnut. I have also tried a type of hazelnut flavored coffee concentrate syrup that can be used in baking and with ice cream and I am really starting to develop a taste for it as well.

My husband says it is only a matter of time before I start drinking coffee straight up black, with nothing added. I am not so sure, but not so long ago I wouldn’t have thought of myself as a coffee drinker. Go figure. Time will tell.

Laura Warnke is owner of an online gourmet retail store, The Topping Shoppe, LLC. Here you will find a great selection of dessert sauces and ice cream sundae toppings to purchase. If you want to know more about how to use different types of dessert sauces in your recipes please visit my website at http://All-About-Dessert-Sauces.com

Serious wine collectors prefer diamond wine racks for storing their treasured bottles of wine. Whether a wine lover’s tastes run to a rich, savory burgundy or a light, citrus toned Pinot Grigio, they all know the trick to any wine cellar is having ample space. Diamond wine racks provide ample storing capacity and proper horizontal storage conditions. Purchasing this style of rack is affordable and smart. You can easily turn your basement into a wine cellar in little time. Or display them right in plain view for guests to appreciate and marvel at.

Many bottles of wine must age from a few weeks to a number of years. Aging wine requires a cool area, moisture to keep corks from drying out, and no light. If these conditions are not met, the wine can develop sour, vinegary flavors. Not fun! If you line a basement wall with two or three unique wine racks, the possibilities for wine storage become unlimited. As air temperatures below ground remain constant and humidity is often in the air, a basement creates a perfect area for wine storage.

Unique wine racks are handcrafted from exquisite pieces of wood — and some of the most unique ones are made out of metal shapes, such as stylish spirals. These are made out of wrought iron or steel usually, which can be shaped into beautiful artistic designs.

When it comes to the wooden racks, redwood, pine, maple, and oak are utilized when creating wine racks of high quality. The outer frame of the wine rack forms a tall rectangle. This rectangle holds a criss-cross pattern of braces that form a diamond pattern on the inside of the rack’s frame. Each diamond section is capable of holding up to sixteen 750ml bottles of wine, twelve bottles of champagne, or nine magnums (1 liters). With twenty-four sections typically included in one large rack, diamond wine racks can hold more than 200 bottles of wine per unit.

Diamond wine racks range in height, but are usually sixty to seventy-two inches high. The average wine rack stands floor to ceiling. The racks tend to average thirteen inches deep, easily fitting an average bottle of wine. Diamond wine racks can range in width to suit your needs. You may expect any rack you choose to hold far more wine than you will need to store for your personal use.

For the serious collector, diamond wine racks can hold enough wine bottles to last a number of years. Your new abilities as a wine connoisseur are likely to cause some jealous comments from close friends. It is human nature to feel a slight touch of pride in becoming the envy of others! Use diamond wine racks or other unique designs and show off your collection today.

View unique wine racks, such as diamond wine racks, at http://www.wine-racks-selection-guide.com

When you are craving a delicious, smooth, rich cup of “Joe”, you may want to research and take note of all of the different types of coffee machines on the market. Coffee machines can be found in homes, dorms, offices. You’ll even be able to find a coffee maker that is designed to fit into spaces inside an RV and a “big rig”! If you are going camping, there’s coffee making machines you can use, too! There are many different models of coffee machines on the market today. Each has its own special features and most are available in a wide variety of colors, finishes, size and price.

There are many types of coffee machines, including: automatic, French press, stove top, espresso, vacuum and the pod. These machines will either be hot or cold brew coffee makers. There’s actually even machines that are combination; they posses both grinder and coffee making capabilities! Whether you need a coffee maker that produces one cup, or 20 cups and more, there are many machines to pick from.

Many companies manufacture machines used for making coffee, including: Bodum, Bosch, Bunn, Capresso, KitchenAid, Mr.Coffee, Jura, Saeco, Rancilio and Santos. These makers are offered in many colors, including: black, red, white and just about every other color you could want. They can be found to be made of a durable plastic or stainless steel and they usually contain a shatterproof glass carafe.

The features offered include: electric timers, filters, frothing systems, thermal glass carafe, water reservoir, lighted on/off switch, digital/programmable, warming plate (some are metal and some are porcelain) and thermostat. Coffee machines can also vary in price, depending on your preference and functionality it will need to perform.

One thing is for sure, when you are craving a great cup of coffee, espresso or cappuccino, you will want to put some thought into the type of machine you will need. Once you decide your price range, make a list of the features you are looking for. There are so many different coffee machines out there, you should have no trouble finding one that will be perfect for your home or office!

C V is a writer, providing info on commercial coffee makers, home
espresso machines, coffee grinders, coffee gift baskets, gourmet
coffee, coffee mugs and more. Also find the best places to buy coffee online.

Listen closely to the tinkling of a rag time piano or maybe, it was the sound of shrimp sizzling in a pan of hot oil. Turn a
corner and hear the beat of feet tapping out a melody upon a
sidewalk or maybe, it was just a chief’s knife rapping upon a
wooden block. Here a voice bellowing out a throaty song like
“Satchmo” or maybe, it was just a man behind a counter yelling,
“number four, a shrimp poboy.” The city is a lot quieter now. But
the music, it will never stop playing.

“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we will open our menus to the
sounds of chunks of red fish being stirred into a spicy roux that
is the color of Mississippi River mud.”

Fish Stew
(Serves 4 bowls)

3-pieces of red fish,(skin removed) cut into one inch pieces
1-Tlb. flour
1-Tlb. vegetable oil or olive oil
1-tsp. salt
1-tsp. black pepper
2-Tlb. parsley
3-cloves garlic, minced
1-medium onion, chopped
1/2-cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/2-cup red bell pepper
1-tsp cayenne pepper
2-cups chicken broth
1-cup water
1-can stewed tomatoes, chopped

Directions: Make a roux with the one tablespoon oil and the one
tablespoon of flour. Cook on medium heat stirring constantly.
When the roux is the color of mud. Remove it from the heat and
add the chopped onions and the garlic. Stir in the peppers and the parsley. Add the chicken broth and the water. Add the fish
and the stewed tomatoes. Season the ingredients with the
salt, the pepper and the cayenne pepper. Cook and cover until
the fish is done and the vegetables are tender. Serve over white
rice.

Old Lemon was never better than when he was drizzled over some
pork chops and browned on both sides in some melted butter then
served with a side of homemade apple sauce lightly sprinkled
with some cinnamon.

Lemon Butter Pork Chops

4-lean cut pork chops
1-tsp commerical meat tenderizer
1/2-lemon, juiced
1/2-tsp salt
1/2-tsp pepper
1/2-stick of butter, melted

Directions: Mix the meat tenderizer, the salt and the pepper.
Season both sides of the pork chops with it. Cut the lemon and
squeeze the juice of it on both sides of the pork chops. Let
them set in the refridgerator for fifteen minutes. In a cast iron
skillet, melt the butter and fry the pork chops until they are
done.

Apple Sauce

6-golden apples, peeled and chopped
1/4-cup sugar
1/4-cup water
1/8-tsp cinammon

Directions: In sauce pan, add the apples, the sugar and the water. Cook until the apples are done. Remove them from the
heat and mash them. Let the mashed apples cool and serve them
at room temperature. Sprinkly lightly with the cinnamon.

“This stuff’s so strong, it will open up your nose” she exclaimed. Opening a bottle of liquid crab boil, she measured
five tablespoons of it into a large pot of boiling water. Sure
enough, it did.

Spicy Boiled Shrimp

6-lbs medium shrimp,unpeeled
1-cup sea salt
5-gallons water
2-lemons
1-large onion,quartered
5-tlbs. liquid crab boil
1-bag dried crab seasoning
4-large bay leaves
4-ears fresh corn, cut into half
6-small red potatoes, whole
1/2-bunch parsley, unchopped

In a large pot: add the water and the sea salt. Turn the heat
to high and as soon as the water is hot enough add the rest of
the ingredients but the corn and the shrimp. When the red potatoes are tender, add the corn and then the unpeeled shrimp.
Boil for fifteen minutes. Turn off the heat and let the ingredients sit in the seasoned water for ten more minutes.

The high steppin meal has now ended with a Louisiana style pecan
pie.It has plump pecans nestled inside of a thick and sweet
filling.

Louisiana Style Pecan Pie

1-Tlb butter
1-cup brown sugar
2-Tlb flour
1-cup light corn syrup
3-eggs, beaten
1/4-tsp. salt
1-tsp. vanilla
1-cup pecan halves
1-9″ unbaked pie shell

Directions: Cream the butter and add the sugar and the flour.
Add the corn syrup and the beaten eggs. Beat until fluffy.
Add the salt,vanilla and the pecan halves. Pour into the pie
shell and bake at 325 degrees for forty minutes.

Cooking since the age of fifteen, the author has always enjoyed
learning and cooking the food of Louisiana.

There is nothing better tasting than or more comforting that sitting in your own dining room or patio and preparing yourself a nice tomato salad, or maybe a fresh bruschetta, with vine, beautiful, plump, red tomatoes, right from your own back yard.

This summer instead of having to go to the supermarket every couple of days to make your favorite tomato based dishes, take some time to learn how to plant, grown and harvest this wonderful tasting vegetable, which is also good to have on a daily basis if you are on a weight loss regimen, combined with the powerful diet supplement Acceletrim.

So first things first, select an area in your garden where the temperatures is around 50 to 55 degrees. Select the type of tomatoes that you want to grown and do some definite research on what is the temperature, and soil that that certain kind of tomato can grow, since the area where you live might to be suitable for that type of tomato. Once you’ve got the right kind, make sure that you plant them about 3 feet apart. Remember that as the tomatoes start to grow, the plants will need some support so set up stalks to support when you see the tomatoes starting to grow. Only harvest when fully ripe, and remember to keep them outside of your fridge, you don’t want all that hard work to go down the drain, tomatoes start losing their flavor once under 55 degrees. So eat them, enjoy and stay healthy.

Wrap your lips around this one.

The Best Meatball Recipe

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Ingredients

• 1 pound combined beef, veal, pork (must be fresh)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup grated Romano Locatelli Cheese
• 1 cup bread crumb
• 1 clove garlic – minced
• 1 tablespoon salt

Preparation

(All mixing is done be hand)

In a large bowl mix beef/veal/pork with eggs. Then add bread crumb, cheese, and salt. Finally add minced garlic in stages. Add a little then mix. Add some more, then mix. This way all the garlic does not end up in one meatball. Now, it’s time to roll up the balls. Average size is roughly 2 inches in diameter. I usually get around 18 to 20 meatballs per pound.

IMPORTANT! Do not cook meatballs in your pasta sauce! Meatballs cooked in sauce loose their flavor. The real key to a tasty meatball is cooking the them in an oven. So, heat oven to 375. Place meatballs on a rack – then on a cookie tray.

Bake for 12 minutes on one side then 10 minutes for the other.

I freeze the meatballs in bags and take out what I need per dinner. I just drop the meatballs into the sauce as if heats up.

Buon Appetito!

About The Author

Paul Altobelli is an internet marketing specialist experienced in strategic planning, lead generation, website development, search engine optimization, internet sales and marketing program development. He also loves to cook. For more of Paul’s italian recipes visit http://www.paulaltobelli.com or email Paul directly at pda@paulaltobelli.com.

One look at a line at the local Starbucks in the morning and you don’t need to be convinced of the huge amount of coffee consumption in the U.S. The National Coffee Association found in 2000 that 54% of the U.S. adult population drinks coffee daily. Guess there’s nothing like the first double espresso in the morning to clear the cobwebs from our heads so we can face the day.

But what are the effects relating to fitness? If that grande-no-foam-double-whipped-extra-shot-no-fat latte gives us the get-up-and-go to start our day at work, will it do the same if we’re headed to the gym?

Physiological Effects

The main ingredient in coffee that gives us that jolt is caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant. Caffeine is found naturally in coffee beans, tea leaves, and chocolate, and is a popular added ingredient in carbonated beverages and some over-the-counter medications such as cold remedies, diuretics, aspirin, and weight control aids. It is estimated that in the U.S., 75% of caffeine intake comes from coffee.

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system by blocking adenosine, a neurotransmitter that normally causes a calming effect in the body. The resulting neural stimulation due to this blockage causes the adrenal glands to release adrenaline, the “fight or flight” hormone. Your heart rate increases, your pupils dilate, your muscles tighten up, and glucose is released into your blood stream for extra energy. Voila… you now have the caffeine buzz.

But wait…we’re not done yet. Caffeine also increases dopamine. Dopamine activates the pleasure in parts of the brain. It has been suspected that this also contributes to caffeine addiction.

Physiologically, caffeine makes us you feel alert, pumps adrenaline to give you energy and changes dopamine production to make you feel good. Another espresso, anyone?

Ergogenic Effects of Caffeine to Performance

In addition to various psychological and physiological benefits, numerous studies have documented caffeine’s ergogenic effect on athletic performance, particularly in regard to endurance. Studies show that caffeine ingestion prior to exercising extended endurance in moderately strenuous aerobic activity. Other studies researching caffeine consumption on elite distance runners and distance swimmers show increased performance times following caffeine consumption.

Despite effects on endurance, caffeine produced no effect on maximal muscular force in a study measuring voluntary and electrically stimulated muscle actions. However, the same study did show findings that suggest caffeine has an ergogenic effect on muscle during repetitive, low frequency stimulation.

Caffeine’s positive performance-enhancing effects have been well documented. So much so that the International Olympic Committee placed a ban leading to disqualification for an athlete with urinary limits exceeding 12 mg/mL. Roughly 600 to 800mg of caffeine, or 4 to 7 cups of coffee, consumed over a 30-minute period would be enough to exceed this level and cause disqualification. The National Collegiate Athletic Association has a similar limit, set at 15 mg/mL.

Coffee: A Pre-Workout Drink?

Before you make Starbucks part of your pre-workout warm-up in order to harness the effects of caffeine, be aware that simply downing a grande may not give you similar benefits found in these studies. A recent Canadian study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology compared the effect of coffee and caffeine on run time to exhaustion. A group of nine men took part in five trials. Sixty minutes before each run, the men took one of the following:

• A placebo

• Caffeine capsules

• De-caffeinated coffee with caffeine added

• Regular coffee

Performance times were up to 10 times longer in subjects using the caffeine capsules, with no differences in times among the other trials. Since the level of caffeine absorption was similar during the caffeine trials, researchers concluded something in the coffee itself that interferes with caffeine’s performance-enhancing effects. This makes sense considering that there are literally hundreds of compounds dissolved when coffee beans are roasted, ground and extracted. Results of this research suggest that if benefits of caffeine on endurance times are desired, caffeine capsules work better than coffee.

Caffeine and Creatine Supplementation

Although caffeine has been shown to increase endurance time, further research shows it may actually blunt the effect of creatine, a popular and well-researched compound known for its consistent ergogenic effects. In a study evaluating the effect of pre-exercise caffeine ingestion on both creatine stores and high-intensity exercise performance, caffeine totally counteracted any effects of creatine supplementation. It was suggested that individuals who creatine load should refrain from caffeine-containing foods and beverages if positive effects are desired.

The Downside of Caffeine

Despite coffee/caffeine’s positive effects on psychological states and performance, there are numerous documented risks that must considered when consuming caffeine, whether for performance-enhancing effects or simply as a part of daily dietary consumption.

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and can produce restlessness, headaches, and irritability. Caffeine also elevates your heart rate and blood pressure. Over the long-term as your body gets used to caffeine, it requires higher amounts to get the same effects. Certainly, having your body in a state of hormonal emergency all day long isn’t very healthy.

Caffeine is also a diuretic and causes a loss of fluid, which then leads to a dehydrating effect. This is obviously not conducive to fitness activities such as resistance training, as fluid is needed for the transfer of nutrients to facilitate muscular growth. It is also important when considering the further loss of fluid while exercising in hot environments.

Perhaps the most important long-term problem is the effect of caffeine on sleep. The half-life of caffeine in the body is about 6 hours. If you drink a big cup of coffee with 200 mg of caffeine at 4PM, at 10PM you still have about 100mg in your body. By 4AM, you still have 50mg floating in your system. Even though you may be able to sleep, you may not be able to obtain the restful benefits of deep sleep. What’s worse, the cycle continues as you may use more and more caffeine in hopes of counteracting this deficit.

Caffeinated Conclusions…

Though caffeine has some benefits in relation to exercise performance, risks have been documented. Most problems seem evident with very high consumption. The American Heart Association says that moderate coffee drinking (one or two cups per day) does not seem to be harmful for most people. As with everything else, moderation is the key to healthy caffeine consumption. Further research is needed to clearly determine whether the performance-enhancing benefits of caffeine outweigh the potential risks.

About The Author

Jon Gestl, CSCS, is a Chicago personal trainer and fitness instructor who specializes in helping people get in shape in the privacy and convenience of their home or office. He is a United States National Aerobic Champion silver and bronze medalist and world-ranked sportaerobic competitor and editor of the fitness ezine “Inspired Informed and Inshape.” He can be contacted through his website at http://www.jongestl.com.

jongestl@jongestl.com

Dips make wonderful appetizers. They are also wonderful snacks instead of cookies or chips. My kids have always loved these dips and I smile knowing they are getting just a little bit of vegetables into their bodies. We also bring these dips to potlucks and they are finished every single time.

Broccoli Dip

Ingredients:
10 oz package of frozen broccoli in cheese sauce (cook according to package directions)
4 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced onion
teaspoon salt
dash of curry powder

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Chill overnight.

Spinach Dip

Ingredients:
10 oz. package of frozen spinach thawed and drained.

1 cup sour cream (I use low fat)
1 cup mayonnaise (I use low fat)
1 package dry vegetable soup mix

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and chill overnight. If you like water chestnuts, try adding chopped water chestnuts to the recipe.

Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:
1 can of unmarinated artichoke hearts, chopped and drained
1 cup mayonnaise (I use light)
1 can (4 oz) of diced green chiles
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Mix all ingredients and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve warm.

All of these dips can be served with crackers or bread.