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Straight Talk ***************************************************** April 15, 2008 ***************************************************** Guess What? Turns Out Coffee I’ve been drinking coffee for a lot of years. And for a while, I was drinking a lot of coffee every day. A lot more than was good for me, in fact. Permit me to share that story with you, before I get to the good news about moderate coffee use now. In my long-ago past, I was one of the pioneers of talk radio. Today, it’s all the rage. But back in the 1970s, it was actually considered unusual to have people call a radio station and get in an argument, live on the air, with someone. Well, actually, not totally “live.” Like every other broadcaster, we had a seven-second delay built into the system. So if someone’s language dipped below the standards that we (and the FCC) deemed acceptable, it could be bleeped out before it reached your delicate ears. (I bet Jane Fonda wishes they still used the system on morning TV.) Anyway, by the early ’80s, the station I worked for in Atlanta, Georgia decided I deserved to be “promoted” to morning drive. This was considered the top slot on radio, so I guess it was an honor. But I always considered myself a night owl. Now, “The Chip Wood Show” (clever title, huh?) went on the air at 5:30 in the morning. Let me emphasize that: 5:30 in the morning. If I could have taken my morning shower in coffee, instead of just holding a cup, I would have. Java got me going in the morning and kept me going until the little red “on air” light went out several hours later. I had been doing morning drive for several months when it came time for my annual physical. The station sent me to a doctor who sat in front of me, clipboard in hand, and began asking me a series of questions. I could tell his mind was a million miles away as he ran through the routine. He asked about a long litany of symptoms, problems, and diseases. Hearing my answers, he kept checking no, no, no. Until he got to The Question. “About how much coffee do you drink each day?” he asked. “Oh, I don’t know,” I replied. “Maybe 20 or 25 cups?” With that, the pencil stopped. His eyes focused on me instead of the rings of Saturn. And he said, “What did you just say?” I explained what I did for a living and how dependent I’d become on coffee to get me through the morning. I had purchased a little Thermos that held four or five cups and I usually filled it four or five times before the show ended. So, yes, I guess I was drinking around 20-25 cups of Joe every morning. Would you be surprised to learn that I received a stinging rebuke from my examiner? He told me – no, he virtually begged me – to cut down on my coffee consumption. Truth be told, I knew he was right. And I agreed to cut way, way back. (It helped that the radio station was sold a few months later, and the new owners decided to replace the talk radio format with music piped in from a satellite. I no longer had to get up several hours before the cock crowed.) Instead of 25 cups a day, for the past 27 years, I’ve been averaging much closer to 2.5, sometimes less. But man oh man, do I still love that first cup in the morning. For a while, I bought green beans directly from a plantation in Puerto Rico and roasted them myself. But either I wasn’t a very good roaster or the big guys simply do a better job. Because my coffee wasn’t as good as when I made it from already-roasted beans. But none of this grinding the beans ahead of time or setting the timer on a coffee maker filled with water the night before. No sir. I grind the beans for every pot right before I make it. And I use filtered, ice-cold water from the refrigerator. I don’t know why, but for some reason, the colder the water you start with, the better the coffee you get. See – I told you I was a bit of a coffee fanatic, didn’t I? So if you like your coffee even half as much as I do, you too will be delighted to learn that several recent studies have confirmed that coffee is actually good for you. Hard to believe? Well, listen to this: Researchers have found that people who drink coffee are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease. We are also 80% less likely to develop cirrhosis of the liver than non-coffee drinkers. (Is it possible that folks who don’t drink coffee drink a lot more booze? Somehow, I doubt it.) We coffee drinkers also have an almost 50% lower risk for gallstones than non-drinkers. We’re also 25% less likely to develop colon cancer. And one study at Harvard found that drinking coffee every day also lowers your risk of type-2 diabetes – 54% for men and 30% for women. Other studies have linked coffee with a possible lower risk of liver, colon, breast, and rectal cancers. One even suggests that coffee might help prevent cavities. Plus, coffee seems to help relieve symptoms of asthma and headaches – which helps explain why so many over-the-counter pain remedies, such as Anacin and Extra-Strength Excedrin, contain caffeine. What is it in coffee that delivers all these wonderful benefits? Turns out we only know part of the answer. Coffee is rich in disease-fighting antioxidants called polyphenols. (I was surprised to learn it has more of these helpful little items than green tea.) Coffee also contains other good things, such as tocopherols, chlorogenic acid, and even trace amounts of magnesium and other minerals. Coffee even contains numerous compounds that science hasn’t identified yet. The Do’s and Don’ts of Coffee DrinkingHow much coffee is too much? All the experts agree that if you get “coffee jitters,” you’re probably drinking too much. On the other hand, an increased heart rate or even temporary high blood pressure is probably nothing to worry about. That said, many studies suggest that drinking as many as six cups of coffee a day could be good for you. Here are some suggestions from the experts: * Grind your own beans. The fresher the coffee, the better. There’s no way to make it fresher than to grind your own beans each time you make a pot. For maximum freshness, some experts suggest keeping the beans in an airtight bag in your freezer. I’ve experimented doing this and haven’t noticed that it makes my coffee taste any better. (That’s probably because, around our house, the beans don’t have time to get stale.) * Drink it black. One expert said that adding cream and sugar could negate some of the health benefits of coffee. In any case, they all agree that too much sugar is bad for you. The chemical-laden artificial sweeteners and non-dairy creamers are also a no-no. * Decaf doesn’t do it. I know a lot of folks who think they’re doing their bodies a favor by drinking decaffeinated coffee instead of the real stuff. But it turns out that the chemical process that removes caffeine also removes many of the health benefits of coffee. For best results, drink a full-strength brew. If it tastes too strong, make it weaker. Or dilute it with spring water. * Don’t drink coffee late in the day. One exception to the recommendation above concerns coffee consumption later in the day. If you must have a cup after dinner, or even after 3:00 or 4:00 pm, make it decaf. Keep in mind that coffee is a stimulant. That’s why we gulp it down in the morning, right? So no surprise that it can keep you awake at night. * Kicking the coffee habit. Because coffee is a powerful stimulant, pregnant women and anyone with high blood pressure are often advised to abstain. If you do swear off coffee for any reason, be prepared for some unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Headaches, irritability, and even nausea are not uncommon. But these will pass. So there you have it. For those of us who swear by our morning cup of java, it’s mostly good news. If some Nagging Nelly has been after you to kick the habit, by all means share this column with her. I won’t promise she’ll join you in a cup, or even leave you alone while you enjoy yours. But at least you’ll know not to feel guilty about it. And before I leave the subject of coffee’s benefits, let me recommend a delightful book to you called How Starbucks Saved My Life. The subtitle is, A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else. The author is Michael Gates Gill, son of the famous New Yorker author Brendan Gill. By a happy coincidence, the elder Gill was a guest on “The Chip Wood Show” more than 30 years ago. I still have an autographed copy of his memoirs on a bookshelf in my home. I was enchanted by his son’s story of how he fell from a life of privilege to being a barista at Starbucks – and of the intense satisfaction his new life is giving him. I think you’ll enjoy it, too. This Week in HistoryArghhh! It just happened again. No, I’m not referring to the billions of dollars hard-working taxpayers had to send to Uncle Sam by this April 15th. I’ve become almost numb to the pain of that annual reckoning. But what still gets my goat is when someone – especially a near and dear family member – celebrates receiving a tax refund. They act as though it’s manna from heaven. They rejoice in their totally unexpected bounty from a beneficent government. When I try to explain that the IRS really isn’t doing them a favor – that, in fact, the opposite is true; that by overpaying their taxes during the past year, they have in effect been giving a profligate and wasteful government an interest-free loan – they look at me as through I’ve suddenly sprouted two heads. They are utterly perplexed by the suggestion that they not only should not celebrate their tax refund; they should do everything they can to keep as much of their money for as long as they can – meanwhile working to put Big Government on a starvation diet. The most common reaction I get to this diatribe is, “Huh?” And then a speedy change of subject. So okay. No lengthy lectures from me this year about how a progressive income tax was an essential part of the Communist Manifesto. No rant about the conspiratorial origins of the Federal Reserve. No diatribe on the diabolical cunning of a withholding tax, so the shark-like bite of Uncle Sam is rendered less painful than a mosquito bite. No, all I’ll do is repeat my opening sentiment: Arghh! And then proffer this anonymous reminder of why we can be glad that tomorrow, April 15 will once again be behind us. Tax his land, tax his bed, Tax his cow, tax his goat, Tax his tobacco, tax his drink. Tax his car, tax his gas, When he screams and hollers, Put these words upon his tomb, Until next time, keep some powder dry. Chip Wood *************************************************
Straight Talk is a weekly commentary written by Chip Wood.
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