[ISKCONCHENNAI] Caffeine - The Energy Drainer

[Guest guest]

Conversation with news reporters mar 25 1976 New Delhi

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Reporter (1): Swamiji, why do you prohibit this tea or coffee also?

PrabhupAda: Because it is sinful.

Reporter (1): It is sinful?

PrabhupAda: Yes. Why should you eat meat?

Reporter (6): What about onions...?

PrabhupAda: Yes, onions is also very agitating.

Reporter (1): Sir, why are they sinful? Why are they sinful?

PrabhupAda: What sinful?

Reporter (1): Why is it sinful to take tea or coffee?

PrabhupAda: Because you get intoxication. If you are habituated to take tea,

as soon as in your time you don't take, you'll become mad.

Reporter (1): You mean this dependency is bad...

PrabhupAda: Yes, why should we...?

Reporter (1): ...or this tea itself is bad?

PrabhupAda: If your mind is agitated for something, then you become

dependent on that thing. That is the position. Those who are taking tea,

they have become so much dependent on tea.

Reporter (1): But if I start talking milk I will be equally dependent on

milk, sir.

PrabhupAda: No, no. No, milk will not. Milk, you take little milk once; that

will satisfy.

Reporter (5): What he says that if he starts taking milk regularly, he'll

become dependent. He'll become...

PrabhupAda: So that you are dependent, must eat something. But you must eat

something which is favorable for you. Eatable, everything is eatable. The

stool is also eatable. That does not mean you, human being, you go to eat

stool. That is meant for the pigs, hogs. You are not hogs and pigs. But if

you become, if you try to become pigs and hogs, then you can become. No

discrimination of food means pigs and hogs. And God will give chance to

become a hog next life.

Reporter (1): Sir, most of your disciples have their heads shaven.

PrabhupAda: But if you admit this, that after this life you have to accept

another body.... Do you accept this? Eh?

Reporter (1): I do, sir.

PrabhupAda: Then that body offered to you, is it in your hand? Suppose the

next life you are offered a pig's body. Can you say, "No, no, I don't want

it"? That is the statement of Bhagavad-gItA. TathA dehAntara-prAptir dhIras

tatra na muhyati [bg. 2.13].

Reporter (1): But how to give up, sir?

PrabhupAda: Eh?

Reporter (1): How to give up.

PrabhupAda: What is give up?

Reporter (1): How to give up this tea and coffee to which we are so much

habituated?

PrabhupAda: That they have given up.

Devotee (2): Join the Hare KRSNa movement.

PrabhupAda: Just see the example, how they are.... ask them.

PuSTa KRSNa: If you chant Hare KRSNa, then you lose your hankering for

everything else.

Reporter (1): Really?

PuSTa KRSNa: Yes. The higher taste.

PrabhupAda: That is the taste of Hare KRSNa movement. BhaktiH parezAnubhavo

viraktir anyatra ca [sB 11.2.42]. As soon as you advance in devotion, you

become detestful to the all material enjoyment.

Reporter (2): Swamiji, may I inquire from which class of society people

generally come to you in the States.

 

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Caffeine, Grounds for Concern?

By Dr Chris Fenn

Stress News 2002 Vol.14 No.1

 

Caffeine - The Energy Drainer

Do you enjoy an occasional espresso with the after dinner mints? Or do you

make a more regular contribution to the 2.5 billion cups of coffee drunk

each day? It peps you up, lures you out of bed and helps you face the day

ahead. The rich aroma and flavour are welcoming and familiar. So what's

wrong with your coffee habit? How about low energy, extra stress, mineral

depletion, exhausted adrenal glands, indigestion, anxiety and mood swings.

If this sounds like you, it may be time to re-think your habit and discover

that caffeine, the very substance you believed was keeping you going, is

actually draining your energy! Black coffee has a zero Calorie count, so it

can't provide energy - although you may think you feel energised. Caffeine

is known as a psycho-stimulant because it works directly on the brain. It

improves reaction time and concentration, giving the feeling of alertness

and increased energy. It does this by blocking the action of adenosine,

another psychoactive chemical. It is a chemical which is found throughout

the body and is an important regulator of energy metabolism.

Adenosine is also involved in the transmission of electrical impulses along

nerves. Having said all this, you would think that adenosine is a real live

wire and an energising substance; but it is not. If you inject adenosine (or

any other substance that increases adenosine levels) into the body it has a

calming effect. It lowers blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature,

protects against seizures, slows down the motility of the digestive tract

and generally balances the body's reaction to stress. In large amounts it

can make you feel quite lethargic and sleepy. This is because adenosine can

slow down the release of neurotransmitters - chemicals that carry messages

from one nerve cell to another. To do this, the adenosine molecule must

first bind to specific receptor sites on the cell surface. Caffeine has a

molecular structure that is so similar to adenosine, that it can bind to the

same receptor sites and block the action of adenosine. Without the calming

and controlling effect of adenosine, nerve cells continue to fire ... and

fire more rapidly. As long as the caffeine molecules sit on the receptor

sites, we are literally firing on all cylinders.

Caffeine not only blocks the action of adenosine, it also stimulates the

adrenal glands to produce two stress hormones - adrenalin and cortisol. This

gives a small kick to the system and, as part of the enjoyment of an

occasional capuccino, is no bad thing. But regular coffee drinkers are

keeping their bodies on a constant state of emergency by stimulating

themselves with caffeine. Imagine that your adrenal glands are like a bank

account. Genetic factors and your lifestyle determine how long you can

continue to make repeated withdrawals against your energy reserves and still

maintain good health. If you are one of those coffee drinkers who think that

they get no effect from caffeine, you need to think again. If you can go to

sleep right after a double shot of espresso, ask yourself why your adrenal

glands have stopped responding and what that says about your adrenal health.

The adrenal glands are powerhouses of hormone production - releasing more

than 150 hormones including testosterone, oestrogen and cortisol. It is the

long term effects of raised cortisol levels that should make you think I as

long as you are able to think. High levels of cortisol shrinks the part of

the brain responsible for memory, blunts the immune system and interferes

with the body's ability to fight infections. Time to take another day off

with a sore throat, cold or the flu? Cortisol gets into every cell. Without

it you are dead but if kept high for too long, it's equally critical. When

stressed on a daily basis - either from caffeine or normal every day stress,

cortisol levels remain high and you literally stew in your own juices.

Essentially caffeine lowers your ability to handle stress. Events you would

normally handle with calm confidence suddenly become insurmountable, adding

to your stress and causing you to reach for the coffee jar. This is

unfortunate for the 140,000 travellers, who pass through London's Gatwick

airport each day, and have a fear of flying. In 1995, 1.4 million cups of

coffee (equivalent to 5.2 tons of coffee beans) were served in an effort to

calm them down!

Mood and energy swings reflect fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Caffeine

promotes the breakdown of glycogen and the liver pours glucose into the

bloodstream. This triggers the pancreas to secret excess insulin resulting

in a sharp blood sugar drop (hypoglycaemia). There are over 208 acids in

coffee which, along with the stimulation of stomach acid production, can

contribute to indigestion and a variety of health problems caused by over

acidity. Caffeine is a diuretic, making you urinate more frequently. Men

with prostate problems can help themselves by cutting out coffee, which

irritates the urinary tract and bladder. In both male and female bodies,

caffeine forces the excretion of vital minerals essential for health,

especially calcium, potassium and iron.

Caffeine is not technically classed as an addictive drug, but certainly many

individuals depend upon it and suffer significant withdrawal symptoms if

they go without their regular stimulant fix. They complain of a "washed out"

feeling, tiredness, headaches and generally unwell. These are exactly some

of the sensations that anyone recovering from an operation would suffer. We

are told that they are due to the after effects of the anaesthetic, but a

recent study has suggested that it is due to caffeine withdrawal. It is

common practise to tell patients to avoid taking any drink containing

caffeine both immediately before and after surgery. In fact once you get to

this level, caffeine starts to have other less desirable effects on the

body. In a sense you become over-stimulated; you are jittery, anxious, on

edge all the time, nervous and sometimes visibly unsteady. This is known as

the "coffee shakes" and is because caffeine disrupts the fine motor

co-ordination within the nerves. These are also the symptoms that drive

people to their first cup of the day. A recent study showed clearly that

overnight caffeine deprivation is enough to induce significant negative

effects including tiredness, headaches, depressed mood, anger, dejection.

Once you have downed your first dose of caffeine, these feelings are

relieved. This leads people to think that caffeine is making them feel

better, but it is simply covering up the effects of too much and a tolerance

to it. On top of this is adds to the overall stress of the body, so no

wonder caffeine drinkers wake up in the morning feeling lousy. The feelings

of withdrawal are an indication that a powerful, toxic chemical is being

drained from your body.

These withdrawal symptoms are not pleasant and tend to last anything from 12

to 72 hours - as the "guinea pigs", who took part in my research, will

attest. I asked them to give up caffeine for 2 weeks and tell me (via

questionnaire) how they felt before and after the "caffeine challenge".

Comments such as "I have more energyMy headaches have goneI sleep so

much better now" and "I seem to feeling less stressed" were common. Even

those who cut down their caffeine intake benefited in terms of feeling

better.

Switching to decaf is a popular option. However, decaf still contains around

10mg of caffeine in a large mug - still enough to stimulate healthy adrenal

glands a jolt. Decaf also contains all the coffee acids that may cause

stomach problems. In fact, since the decaffeination process is also harsh,

it destroys many of the flavour components so decaf is made from the

strongly flavoured robusta bean. Regular coffee, made from arabica beans,

tends to be less caustic. The acids in coffee - regular and decaf - can

challenge the body's alkaline balance. Calcium is used to buffer these

excess acids. In the process, calcium reserves are depleted and coffee

drinkers are at risk from osteoporosis. In some cases, decaf coffee can be

worse for you compared with a regular brew. There are two methods used to

decaffeinate the coffee beans; one is much healthier than the other!

The process is carried out when the coffee beans are green - before roasting

or fermentation, by "washing" with water or a solvent. The solvent is either

methyl chloride (the basis of paint stripper), or ethyl chloride (better

known as a dry cleaning fluid!). These solvents can leave low levels of

residues, which (if you are sensitive to them), are probably more harmful

than the caffeine they are removing. The other method involves steam and

carbon dioxide to remove the caffeine. It is a more expensive method, but

does not leave any potentially harmful residues. To find out which

decaffeination method has been used, you need to read the label. If it does

not mention that water has been used or is vague about the method of

decaffeination, you are probably drinking a brew of residual paint stripper!

The pure caffeine that is extracted is not wasted. It is ladled back into

soft drinks and also many over the counter cold remedies and headaches

pills. So if you suffer from a withdrawal headache as you cut down on your

caffeine intake, remember not to reach for an alternative source in the form

of a headache pill!

Sometimes you have to feel worse before you feel better - and this is true

when you give up caffeine. Withdrawal mood swings, low energy and headaches

go hand in hand with fatigue as your body begins to recover from its

caffeine driven stress and find it's natural pace.

Once you are through the withdrawal phase, expect to feel better than you

have felt for years. You may notice you have better skin, less mood swings,

more energy and more friends as a result of giving up caffeine.

Typical Caffeine content of various foods and beverages

Average amount

per 150ml cup

Or as stated (mg) Range(mg)

Ground coffee 115 60 - 180

Instant coffee 65 30 - 120

Tea 40 20 - 60

Cocoa 4 2 - 20

Drinking chocolate 4 2 - 15

Decaf coffee 4 2 - 4

Decaf tea 3 2 - 4

Cola, 330ml can 40 30 -40

Lucozade, 330ml can 40 30 - 40

Dark chocolate, 100g bar 80 70 -90

Milk chocolate, 100g bar 20 4 - 60

Painkillers, 2 tablets 60 30 -130

No Doz, 1 tablet 100mg N/A

 

What to drink instead? Caffeine free (or very low levels) drinks

Herbal teas - camomile, peppermint, lemon verbena, fennel, rosehip.

Fruit teas - blackcurrant bracer, orange dazzler, apple magic etc.

Milk and cocoa, drinking chocolate, Horlicks and malted bedtime drinks

Fruit juices - dilute fresh orange juice with fizzy mineral water for a long

refreshing drink when it is hot. Dilute apple concentrate with hot water and

add a few cloves for a warming drink when it is cold.

Decaffeinated tea and coffee

Low caffeine coffee - if you enjoy the taste of coffee, but don't want the

caffeine, try Koffie Kan. The different blends contain about half the

caffeine content compared with regular brands. Koffie Kan beans are organic

and grown at high altitude, which makes them naturally low in caffeine. To

order direct, phone 020 8441 8352

Dr Chris Fenn Accredited Nutritionist, professional speaker and author of

"The Energy Advantage - fuelling your body and mind for success". The book

gives advice about other foods which affect your mood, stress and energy

levels. If you would like a copy, send your name, address and a cheque made

payable to "Chris Fenn & Associates" for £8 (includes p&p), to 19 Craigton

Court, Aberdeen, AB15 7PF. Also available is a two cassette tape album "How

to Beat Stress and Eat for Success" written and recorded by Dr Chris Fenn,

price £12.99. Buy the book and tapes for £15 (free p&p).

'Having a sense of humour in a situation that isn't necessarily funny can

lighten the tension of what's going on. By trying not to take every little

thing seriously, you will greatly reduce stress.

 

 

 

ISKCONCHENNAI

 

 

 

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