In light of the five cups of deliciously rich coffee I indulged in this morning, I decided to write about an article written in The Atlantic about the controversial cup. The title itself, "The Case for Drinking as Much Coffee as You Like," left me feeling eager to read on, to excitedly justify my addiction, and to say "ha" to all those Yogi Antioxidant Green Tea drinkers.

The effects of coffee on the body has been questioned endlessly. Sometimes they tell you its a catastrophic drug scolding the inside of your soul and other times they say "drink drink drink!"
I'll admit it... I'm confused too

Reading the article, which promotes the antioxidant and diabetes 2 risk reducing substance, reminds me of a central issue of consumptive behaviors. We do not have a strong connection to moderation. Promoting coffee as a substance that can be had in obscene amounts is just as detrimental to our relationship to food as deprivation.

It is not healthy to eat too much of anything, and the body needs balance to be at its prime state of function. Moderation is essential, but difficult to achieve when we are being bombarded with perpetually contradicting studies and confusing information about what is good and what is bad.

Some days I have one cup and other days I have six cups. I drink coffee because I adore the flavor, love the feeling of waking up with the same desire guiding me out of bed, shiver with excitement at the grinding of the beans, and because it brings me  an inexplicable amount of joy. Somedays I over indulge, but my body lets me know and I pay more attention next time.

My Food Mantras:
Moderation.
Balance.
Flavor.
Pleasure.
Sensation.
Simplicity.
Listen.