My Daily Avocado: Java, Java, Java

This morning I went to my sister’s house, where Eden played with her cousin and we sat down with coffee to plan the food for Christmas week. Our entire family is coming to town this year. To date, there are 26 of us: my mom and dad, five of us brothers and sisters, along with five spouses and 14 little ones. A small nation altogether!

My sister did most of the organizing, which was good because I had a bit too much coffee and started to get rather shaky. I either needed to go outside on a run or eat a really big meal to dilute some of the caffeine! Neither solution was practical of course, and I continued to get more shaky and light-headed.

Do you ever drink too much coffee or some other caffeinated beverage? It can give you quite a lift, and then quite a crash. Or perhaps you are immune to drinking too much caffeine because you drink so much that your body hardly notices another cup.

First of all, coffee, in moderation, is good for you! (We’ll discuss pop—AKA soda—some other time.) Coffee has all those antioxidants that help your blood cells, and it can help you concentrate, give you an energy boost, and even lift your spirits for a while. Too much coffee, on the other hand, can make you shaky, like me today, give mood swings and depression, dehydrate your body, give headaches, insomnia, and numb concentration. Too much coffee can also lead to weight gain, since most people like to add a little cream or sugar or both.

My sister and I got through the planning with record speed, which was a definite plus. But I will probably pay for all that caffeine I consumed when later I have the caffeine crash. My best option I think is exercise. When you drink too much, exercising can help diminish some of the negative side effects of shakiness, insomnia, and depression. Now, where did I put that exercise video?