By Frank Forza Curreri

Jumpstarting the morning with a 20-ounce Decaf Americano. 

The mighty coffee bean is packed with antioxidants — several well-known scientific studies suggest that coffee drinkers out-live non-coffee drinkers, and some claim coffee is among the healthiest foods or drink most Americans consume on a daily basis.

Consider this: Coffee is the Number #1 most consumed beverage in the U.S. — by more than 2-to-1 over everything else. 

I choose DECAF, however, because some studies have shown that coffee can actually be unfavorable to endothelial function — which is key to heart health, vasodilation of the arteries and blood vessells and overall circulation (see Dr. Michael Gregor and his NutritionFacts.org videos for more on that). 

Decaf coffee gives you all the wonderful health benefits of the coffee bean, minus the caffeine spike and eventual energy dip. Minus the yo-yo energy roller-coaster, and minus the vaso-dilation constriction of your precious blood vessels. 

“Now Frank,” you say, “but I’m drinking coffee precisly FOR the energy-boosting and wake-me-up effect!” 

Which is fine and a personal choice. 

But if NUTRITOIN OPTIMIZATION is the goal… 

If nutritional excellence in Mind, Body & Spirit is the goal… 

then one might ask him/her self, “Why am I trading caffeine for sleep?” 

Being sleep-deprived often produces serious consequences for our hormones, metabolism, mood, organs, focus, attitude, energy levels, immune system and ability to recover from intense training or work demands. 

Adequate sleep is a HUGE factor in overall Whole Person health, wellness and a balanced life. 

So I personally don’t recommend cheating yourself of precious sleep and then trying to compensate with lots of coffee and caffeine. I don’t feel it’s a fair exchange and regard it as a habit that can cause lots of longer-term problems. 

NOTE: All caffeine sources are not created equal — certain teas, for instance, don’t impact the human body the same way caffeinated coffees do. 

If you do switch to DECAF, whenever possible, I recommend Organic and Swiss Water Process produced — which I’m told is healthier (less pesticided, among other things). 

Happy Friday amigos!