Perhaps I *won't* give up coffee...

This morning I Googled "benefits of coffee" and found this. Apparently, coffee is not all bad as the rumors about it want to indicate. (Don't forget...I read this on the Internet, so it must be true)

This things that are interesting to me are the positive effects on stamina and alertness (thank you, Mr. Caffeine) but also they say it lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes in both men and women, drastically reduces the risk of Parkinson's disease, and at one point in this article, the author even states that a study of Brazillian children found that kids who drink coffee with milk in the morning are less likely to suffer from depression. I'm not about to get my 3-year-old twins all jacked up on "the bean," but it's interesting to read.

Another interesting thing is that coffee is loaded with antioxidants called quinines, which increases the body's response to insulin. I also found it funny that people who smoke and drink alcohol heavily are less susceptible to heart disease and liver damage when they drink large amounts of coffee compared to those who don't. There you have it folks...you can beat up your body with booze and smokes as long as you drink tons of coffee to get you going in the morning!

This article is also about drinking quantities of coffee that are a bit high. The maximum effect is on people who drink in excess of 6 cups of coffee a day, or two large mugs. Hey...that's how much *I* used to drink. I think I'll go brew a little more coffee. After all, I wouldn't want to get type 2 diabetes or Parkinson's, and the Internet told me that drinking lots of coffee will save me from those, right?

I'll give up coffee...

...when the kids can get themselves up in the morning and I can sleep in.

I had made the decision recently to give up caffeine and start taking panax ginseng supplements. Ginseng is a wonderful herb with many positive effects, including helping the body recover from stress, improving mental ability, is a powerful antioxidant, etc. Here is some info, if you are interested.

Where this is difficult is that I am a coffee snob. I had to give up my cup of coffee in the morning, and that has been rough with a new baby and a son who thinks that, as soon as it's not pitch black outside any longer, it is morning and morning time is for playing...not sleeping. Today is one of those days. He woke his sister up this morning, too, and she normally sleeps in until at least 8:00. I know that coffee is hard on the system, is a diuretic, and is not a substitute for proper sleep and rest for the body. That's all good and dandy, but what about parents of small children who, on a scale of one to ten go to eleven?!

I brewed a cup of coffee for myself and am about to go drink it.

I keep asking my wife at what point will the kids be self-sufficient enough to get themselves out of bed, grab a bowl of cereal and let Mom and Dad sleep in for a while. She assures me that it will not be for several years yet.

I'll be drinking coffee for the next several years, and will give it up later, when I can get up in the morning without my head feeling like it's in a fishbowl.