I know what you’re thinking, coffee is either strictly for the dreaded week 9 schedule or a way to stay awake after you procrastinated that 10 page paper due at midnight (or sometimes even both), but I am here to tell you coffee does more than just help the average college student pass classes. The right kind of coffee with the reasonable amount of added milk, soy or creamer can actually help you health wise both physically and mentally.
1. Smooth Digestion & Fat Burner
Raise your hand if you want to avoid the freshman 15…20…25… I think you get the gist. Now raise your hand if you’re past freshman year but still undergo the added 15+ due to the lack of control in resisting comfort food (like most sane people). Now raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by Regina George…Just kidding.
But really, coffee can be another step to a healthier college lifestyle. According to the Huffington Post UK, caffeine can curb your appetite, has thermogenic characteristics and is a diuretic. The reason coffee can curb your appetite is due to its suppressing qualities. Coffee fills you up for a period of time, suppressing your want for that extra piece of chocolate overload cake your roommate’s grandma made over break for your apartment. The benefit of it being thermogenic is that this causes calories consumed to burn instead of being stored as fat. Lastly, a diuretic decreases the negative edemas in your body. In other words, coffee stimulates the “gotta go” process that will most likely be taken place in the bathrooms behind The Brew. Putting two and two together, getting rid of excess fluids and waste results in less body weight.
2. Happier Lifestyle
Whether it’s the Sunday Scaries, anxiousness about a big test to come or just a need of a little enlightening boost, coffee can be that hero/heroine. Coffee has been proven to stimulate our central nervous system which increases the “happy” neurotransmitters in our brain according to the World Journal of Biological Psychology. These are referred to as serotonin, noradrenaline and the most commonly known “happy” transmitter, dopamine. Due to these increases, a more positive life can come out of being an avid coffee-goer.
3. Energized & Alert
“I’m writing a letter, I can’t write a letter, why can’t I write a letter, I’m wearing a green dress, I wish I was wearing my blue dress, my blue dress is at the cleaners, the Germans wore gray, you wore blue, Casablanca, Casablanca’s such a good movie, Casablanca, white house, Bush, why don’t I drive a hybrid car, I should really drive a hybrid car, I should really take my bicycle to work, bicycle, unicycle, unitard, hockey puck, rattlesnake, monkey, monkey, underpants.”
Where are my Gilmore Girls fans? I know you’re out there. Well, for all the people who just started the series (because if you have not, then you are out of your mind) and haven’t gotten that far, this is a fast talking scene done by the character Lorelai. Although that is how Lorelai channels her extra coffee-fueled energy, as college students we can channel that into getting our mountains of homework done by the time the bus to Ribco comes around the corner.
Coffee is proven in the article by the writers for LiveStrong to be a surge of energy due to it’s stimulant of caffeine. This surge of energy from caffeine can be channeled to alerted qualities and used as a GREAT tool for us in school.
So, take that trip to our beloved Brew By The Slough or that smooth drive down the beautiful John Deer road to Starbucks and order a grande cup of coffee. Just be prepared for the awesome life you are about to experience! Remember though, one coffee a day can help, but going over that limit can cause an exceeded amount of the stimulants and transmitters causing the opposite of a positive and healthy impact. MODERATION MY FRIENDS, it is key.