Water, coffee and tea

Earlier today as I finished off my usual morning brew of coffee (Louisiana's own Community Coffee is my favorite), I thought about something that I had heard a time or two in the past. From what I remember, one may drink as much water, coffee and tea as they'd like while dieting as long as nothing is added. So I set out to find some answers. Have a look at what I found.

Is coffee cool?

The Web MD article 'Coffee: The New Health Food?' certainly caught my interest as I searched Google for any health benefits of water, coffee and tea.

If you'd like to, by all means, go ahead and read the article linked above to catch all the specifics. But if you'd like the Reader's Digest version, I'll spare you the boredom of sifting through a bunch of studies and medical mumbo jumbo in the early part of the article. Basically, coffee might not be so bad for you.

Bottom line: People who already drink coffee (like me) don't have to feel guilty since there may be benefits in the long run.

In a Mayo Clinic Q & A article, Donald Hensrud, M.D., answers the question 'What does the research say about coffee and health?'

"The best answer may be: It doesn't seem to hurt, and it may help," Hensrud wrote, which was music to my ears to read.

According to Web MD, black coffee is calorie-free and rich in antioxidants. Studies have shown that consuming moderate amounts of coffee (about 3 to 4 cups a day) may improve mood and concentration, and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer. Yippie!

This is great news for me since I like the taste of black coffee.


Tea time all the time

Don't drink your calories. That's a saying I recall hearing a few times over the years. And it really makes sense to me. If I'm going to take in calories and sugar, I might as well get the satisfaction of chewing. Come on, it's really not that weird when you think about it.

Bearing that in mind, I have always chosen tea over soda, especially at restaurants. As long as I didn't get sweetened tea, I was alright. Plus, the whole sweetener packages thing was never for me. It all clumped to the bottom of the glass anyhow. It requires stirring every time you take a sip, and when you do get a taste of the sweetener, it's not all that great.

The sweeteners don't really improve the taste enough to bother with adding, so I pretty much always drink tea plain.

Due to my taste for tea, I raised a curious eyebrow when I found the Web MD article 'Drinking tea may trim men's waistlines.

"A new study shows that men who drink more than two cups of tea a day have trimmer waistlines than men who drink coffee or nothing at all," Jennifer Warner wrote. "But the same doesn't hold true for women."

Sorry, ladies. Apparently the jury is still out as more research is needed, according to the article.

Easy going green

More often than not, when I go for tea, I make it green tea.

"Green tea is another excellent choice when you’re looking for a little caffeine," according to Web MD. "Not only is it calorie-free, some research suggests green tea extract may stimulate weight loss through the action of phytochemicals."

This works just fine for me. Green tea is easy to make, and it tastes good. Overall, it's a winning combination.

The power of water

Last but not least, water has been an important part of my living well renaissance. In fact, it's probably the most important aspect of the whole deal.

"Replacing carbonated soft drinks with water will cut hundreds of calories per day, and the benefits don’t stop there. Drinking two glasses of water before a meal may encourage the stomach to feel full more quickly, so you don’t eat as much," according to Web MD's Skinny Sipping slideshow.  In addition, new research suggests drinking plenty of water may have a positive effect on your metabolism."

I make sure that I have plenty of drinking water around me, especially at the office and at home, where I'm most prone to seeking out snacks. Keeping hydrated wards off hunger and promotes feeling of well-being for me.

Hands down, my top priority is getting in enough water. If I can complete that objective, the rest can fall into place much easier.