Caffeine: Giving Addictions a Bad Name:
Addictions! Sometimes they’re good, but most of the time, they are synonymous with bad! In the world of food, addictions are everywhere! And as I’ve come to notice, a vast number of the foods that might be considered addictive contain caffeine! Ahhh, caffeine! For me, caffeine is synonymous with coffee, and coffee is by far my biggest weakness! No day of mine is complete without a coffee. Of course, coffee – in and of its own accord – isn’t that bad. In fact, it has been linked with good heart health and an array of powerful antioxidants. But what is bad is the endless number of concoctions that big companies have popularized and called coffee. The grande caramel frappucinos with extra whipped cream. The iced vanilla lattés, the pumpkin spiced macchiatos...the list goes on! Me, I like a shot of espresso with some skim milk, commonly called a latté! Not so bad I guess. Milk isn’t the worst food in the world, but it probably isn’t the best either. Nonetheless, I am addicted to it. I am addicted to lattés, not for the milk, but for the hit of caffeine that accompanies the magical warmth that each latté fills me with. Lucky for me, my caffeine hit is accompanied only by a fairly modest serving of calories. But there are many far worse things containing caffeine that people become addicted to. Starbucks’ array of beverages is one example. Their array of more generously, syrup-laden, coffee-containing, milky beverages not only are addictive because of the caffeine, but are especially bad for you as a result of the accompanying processed sugars and artificial flavors. Soda is another caffeinated beverage accompanied by empty calories that many people rely on on a daily basis simply for fluid intake! Caffeine makes bad foods addictive, and no doubt is a clever marketing strategy of the companies involved to ensure people come back for another hit, again and again!
No doubt, there is more to addiction than caffeine, and definitely there are many non-caffeinated foods and beverages, which are equally addictive. But for simplicity’s sake, caffeine was one source of addiction I have noticed to be plaguing the American diet. Soda is mainstream, water is not – go figure! And coffee isn’t just coffee anymore! My oh my, where are we going!?
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