Eating Well - Beaming with Health

134 The Commonsense Guide to Eating Well'
water than they are drinking. Cruel but fair. Drink a
glass of water to every one cup of coffee.
Pregnant women oAen tend to turn off coffee. Which
is well and good as the unborn baby has a terrible
time of metabolising caffeine. It takes the foetus up
to 140 hours to process what it takes the adult one
hour to do. It is wise to omit coffee when you are
trying to fall pregnant as some studies show that caffeine
reduces fertility (in women) by half. Caffeine is
not only able to cross the placenta but also passes
into breast milk. Cut down the coffee if you have a
fractious breast-fed bubby.
There is a proven link between caffeine and breast
lumps (non-cancerous) and frbroids. It also adds to
premenstrual breast tenderness.
Athletes have been using caffeine to enhance performance
for many years. Robert de Castella used to
drink a cup of coffee before every marathon. Caffeine
has been found to increase (for a short time) muscle
stamina and strength. Due to its effect of increasing
blood fats it makes available a source of fuel for
muscles and saves precious stored glycogen in endurance
events such as a marathon.
The following are some conditions that may well respond
positively to a caffeine-free lifestyle: panic attacks, high blood
pressure, painful periods, fibrocystic breast and uterine
disease, PMS, restless leg syndrome, heart disease, high
cholesterol, diarrhoea, depression, insomnia, hyperactivity,
stomach ulcers, gastritis and gastro-oesophageal reflux.
Most people are able to handle one or two cups of coffee
a day. However, if you have one of the conditions above or