source: Pixabay
The Challenge
A little over a month ago, I wrote about my Caffeine Addiction /Caffeine Madness and the symptoms I would experience when I would not drink coffee for a day. I challenged myself to cut my caffeine intake from over 4 cups of coffee per day down to 1 cup of coffee a day and this is the first follow up.
In the first post, I did state that there are life extending benefits to drinking coffee, when drinking about 1 cup of coffee per day, not 4 and definitely not more than that. As this study on Coffee and Mortality shows, drinking one cup of coffee a day is associated with a reduced risk of mortality from all causes, especially for women, so ladies drink up.
1 cup of coffee a day is even more beneficial for women
Source: flickr.com
Winding Down with Benefits
The problem was that I would drink 4 or more cups of coffee, and then if I would ever skip that daily dose, I would have symptoms as severe or worse than an alcohol hangover. I would have nausea, a migraine headache, cold sweats and other hang over like symptoms. So I decide to curb my intake in order to prevent these horrible reactions to not drinking coffee, while enjoying several benefits.
The Goal = 1 Cup of Coffee a Day ( 8 oz.)
Source: flickr
I have now worked myself down from 4 or more cups of coffee to about 2 cups of coffee per day. I have noticed both physical as well as financial benefits in cutting down my daily dosage of caffeine. One of the things that I learned while writing my last post about caffeine and coffee was that it was not healthy to drink coffee on an empty stomach. So if you are doing that you should stop, or eat something with your cup of coffee. Drinking coffee on an empty stomach can cause bloating, improper digestion and possibly even lead to cancer. I have since stopped drinking coffee on an empty stomach and can definitely say that I have noticed my digestion has improved. I never really had any stomach problems, but lets just say my restroom experiences are now "less explosive" or as a friend likes to say, "smooth moves." I did suffer a low grade headache or a dull thud for the first week that I cut down from 4+ to 2 cups a day, but I have since missed a day of coffee with slight but bearable "hang over" like symptoms which would not be the case before where I would be practically bedridden from the nausea caused by a severe migraine.
Source: Wikimedia
Now to look at the financial benefits of cutting down my caffeine intake, which mostly consists of visiting the many Starbucks around me within walking distance of which there are now 3. Drinking 4+ cups of coffee a day would require several visits, and it is usually my treat when accompanied. So now cutting my caffeine intake in half, I buy 1 Starbuck's Grande Coffee, which is the equivalent of 2 cups, and therefore I only visit the Starbucks store about once a day rather than 2 or more.
cutting down - 4 cups (2 Grandes) to 2 cups
| Sept 19 -25 | $74.95 |
|---|---|
| Sept 26 - Oct 2 | $48.50 |
| Oct 3 - Oct 9 | $39.95 |
| Oct 10 - Oct 16 | $50.65 |
| Oct 17 - Oct 23 | $49.95 |
Saving Money While Getting Healthier
As you can see, by the second week of cutting my intake of coffee you can actually see a 33% drop in my spending at Starbucks. I am actually getting healthier while getting fatter in the wallet. At this point I am drinking about 2 cups of coffee consistently or 1 Starbucks "Grande" size, which I drink slowly throughout my whole day (even cold). I am now getting ready to drop down to 1 cup of coffee a day, and hopefully with that will lead to more health benefits as well as more spending money for the holidays. I will post again once I am down to 1 cup of coffee per day, which won't be long from now and hopefully with a few more dollars in savings as well.
Thanks for taking the time to read this!
Full $teem Ahead!
My Top Blogs
- Printable STEEMIT MAZE for Kids
Signature Logo Created by @czar
if you need one, he is steem dollars reasonable!
sources:
google.com
healthambition.com
authoritynutrition.com
www.cambridge.org
dictionary.com
medicinenet.com
wikipedia.org