Free Advice: Drink More Coffee!
by Mickey J. Corrigan
This is free
advice so be forewarned. But from the research I've been looking at, it's okay—in
fact, it's healthy—for us writers to be sucking down the java while we push
ahead on our writing projects. According to the medical experts, our coffee
indulgences may be helping us to live longer…so we can torture ourselves for
additional years as we churn out our novels, short stories, blog posts and
essays.
I guess this
is good news.
As an
admitted coffee addict, I've been pleased with the latest data on the benefits
of my favorite beverage. I'm only talking about the beverage, not caffeine, the
chemical in coffee that acts as a nervous system stimulant to rev up body and
mind. Because caffeine is only one of the many chemicals that make up coffee,
there are a thousand-plus others. And it's the combination of these chemicals,
many of which have yet to be identified, that may be fostering good health and
longevity.
Coffee
contains riboflavin, an important B-vitamin, and magnesium, an essential
mineral. It also has plant polyphenols and other such chemicals offering
possible health benefits. Drinking coffee can subdue appetite, meaning you may
eat less and keep your weight in a desirable range. (This applies to black
coffee, not fancy sweetened coffee drinks.) And it can give you added energy to
endure longer exercise periods.
What's not to
like?
As recently
as the 1990s, however, doctors were advising us to avoid coffee as a potential
carcinogen. I ignored their advice, and am glad of that as more reliable
studies have shown that coffee is not
a carcinogen. In fact, coffee intake actually reduces the risk for certain
cancers.
And there's
more that coffee can do for us.
If you want
to go to the source (The Source) for your nutrition information, you can read
what Harvard University's esteemed
Department of Nutrition has to say. I do, and I did, and they're on board with the
recent peer-reviewed and scientifically vetted studies that show regular coffee
intake may do the following:
·
Minimize
inflammation, a contributing factor in cancer and other diseases
·
Reduce
your risk of colon, endometrial, and liver cancer
·
Improve
insulin resistance
·
Reduce
your risk of developing type-2 diabetes
·
Reduce
your risk for heart attack and stroke
·
Reduce
your risk for developing Parkinson's disease
·
Reduce
your risk for developing gallstones
·
Reduce
your risk for depression
·
Reduce
your risk of suicide (!)
·
Possibly
prevent late-life dementia and Alzheimer's disease
·
Extend
your life span
This is an
impressive list of benefits. And most seem to accompany a moderate daily
intake, which translates to 3 to 5 cups of coffee. Who can't drink that in a
day?
Doctors do warn
people with high blood pressure and pregnant women to avoid drinking coffee.
But there's always decaf, and most of the benefits in the list above exist for
decaf drinkers as well. So if you suffer from caffeine-induced insomnia or you
have the jitters after too much Columbian Joe, you can substitute decaf and
still accrue health benefits.
Knowing this
has helped me write more. Or write for longer. Or maybe just feel better about
how much coffee it takes to get through the day's slog.
Originally from Boston, Mickey J. Corrigan writes tropical noir with a dark humor. Novels include Project XX about a school shooting (Salt Publishing, UK, 2017) and What I Did for Love, a spoof of Lolita (Bloodhound Books, UK, 2019).
Social media links:
http://mickeyjcorrigan.tumblr.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/Mickey_J_Corrigan
Me Go Mango Anthology: Two Women Find Their Bad Selves
ME GO MANGO
Erin Monahan reformed her bad girl ways, only to discover the good girl act can’t save her marriage. Hiding out in a love hotel with a bottle of Two Buck Chuck, she calls for reinforcements. Her college friends organize a weekend reunion in small town Vermont.
Ellen has money from suspicious sources. Maggie seems perfect, but she's got a big dark secret. And Sandy's a mess—plus she's hiding something. When Ellen proposes the four of them go in on a business venture, a retreat for middle-aged bad girls, Erin thinks she’s crazy.
Then Erin meets Roberto, a hot Cuban chef. Soon she decides she doesn’t want the mango to end.
DREAM JOB
After Adrianna sleeps with her hunky boss, she has to face him every day at the office. She has to test the company’s software with him in the office hot tub. She has to ignore the fact that she’s fallen madly in love with him—but is her infatuation only a dream?
To make Adrianna's life in tropical Florida even more confusing, Davis, a geeky guy from her past, is stalking her—but only in the murky dream world they appear to share.
Something strange is happening to Adrianna. And it’s making her wonder about her dreams. Could it be that dreams are the entry way to another world? A real world? A hyperreal world?
The book sounds good. Thanks for the coffee info.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteInteresting information, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI was happy to learn about all the benefits of my favorite drink. Glad you found it of interest too.
DeleteGood luck with the book. And I liked reading your post regarding coffee.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. Cheers!
DeleteI would like to read it. I love coffee btw ❤
ReplyDeleteLet me know how you like the book...
DeleteI'm not a coffee drinker, but with all those benefits, maybe I should start. LOL!
ReplyDeleteCoffee is always the answer
ReplyDelete