Since moving to Los Angeles, I have become quite intrigued with drinking coffee. In the past, I wouldn’t get near the stuff because I didn’t like how coffee gave me the jitters. In reflecting on why I have become such a coffee lover, drinking coffee evokes an atmosphere of culture, like the European coffeehouses where artists and intellects join in conversation. Coffee also gives me a mild, yet stimulating euphoric high that provokes clear thoughts and motivates my daily tasks. Coffee fills an emotional void, similar to how emotional eating fills a void.
However, according to Dr. Laurie Steelsmith
coffee is a methylxanthine which is a compound that interferes with enzymes in the breast, resulting in fibrocystic breast condition. Reducing caffeine intake from coffee and chocolate can eliminate lumpy, painful breasts.” Though fibrocystic breasts are seen as benign, if not managed can result in more serious symptoms of the breast tissue. She also quotes that, “coffee depletes your kidney essence, leaving you more Qi-depleted than you were before you drank it.”
For now, I have decided to reduce my coffee intake to no more than 1 x a week. The emotional satisfaction coupled by the caffeine makes me think twice before making a cup of java. Instead, why not substitute that urge with lemon and water which is cleansing to the liver or a tea filled with powerful herbal nutrients. Loving oneself by making healthy choices for our body and mind requires self-discipline. This can be achieved through exercise, body and breast awareness,
affirmations, meditation, and journaling. Start by taking baby steps. The more I stay away from the craving, the more I am able to sit with my feelings and fill myself with a wholeness and joy that coffee is only masking temporarily.
For more information on caffeine and women’s health visit:
Women to Women
In love and light,
Jennifer Andrea of Hoano
Jennifer Andrea - Coach, Speaker, and Healer 