PopSugar

Coffee vs. Espresso

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:00:00 -0700

I am an unabashed fan of coffee and I split my love evenly between regular ol' joe and espresso drinks. But how do they stack up in terms of caffeine amounts? Or more explicitly, where am I going to get more bang for my buck?

Ounce for ounce, sip for sip, espresso contains more caffeine. Using the ubiquitous Starbucks as our model: one fluid ounce of espresso contains 75 milligrams of caffeine, where a fluid ounce of coffee only contains about 20 mg.

The confusion comes when you begin to compare lattes with coffee. A 16-ounce grande coffee provides 330 mg of ~~rocket fuel~~ caffeine, where a grande latte, containing only two shots (each shot is a fluid ounce) of espresso, provides 150 mg of caffeine. Even though these coffee drinks come in the same sized cup, the caffeine amounts are substantially different. If you order a cup of coffee, instead of a latte, to save time or money, you might end up a little speedier than usual.

Caffeine: Fact or Myth

FitSugar — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Does the beginning of your workout week translate to an extra dose of caffeine? Before you go for that second cup (or third, or fourth . . . ), take this little quiz to test what you know about caffeine.

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Sore Muscles? Caffeine Could Help

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:00:00 -0700

Recent news has left me asking if there's anything caffeine can't do, and I'm feeling less and less like my caffeine habit is a vice. We learned that caffeine improves performance for most forms of exercise, making us faster and increasing endurance and strength, and more than 50 percent of you admit to drinking caffeine before some or all workouts. Newest research has found the effects of caffeine aren't limited to providing a pre-exercise boost that powers us through workouts.

Researchers at the University of Illinois rounded up a group of 25-year old men for an experiment. The men participated in two studies held one week apart, and had to perform intense exercise for 30 minutes during each session. They were given a placebo pill before the first session and a caffeine pill before the second session. The researchers found significant evidence that exercise after caffeine was less painful for the volunteers, no matter if they were regular caffeine drinkers or not.

One of the researchers suggested that the findings could help some people who shy from the gym because of too-painful workouts and said, "If we could give people a little caffeine and reduce the amount of pain they’re experiencing, maybe that would help them stick with that exercise." Do you think caffeine could help motivate people to revisit their gym?

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Caffeine Makes You Speedy, Literally

FitSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:30:00 -0700

I couldn't live without my post-run morning cup of joe, but as it turns out I might want to have some of that joe before hitting the pavement. After being tested for over 30 years by sports physiologist, it is now unequivocally known that caffeine can make you faster. It improves performance in almost every type of exercise from running to rowing, from swimming to cycling. Caffeine helps not only in short speedy sprints, but also helps increase endurance and strength.

Researchers believe caffeine's effect is three-fold. First, it has been shown that caffeine helps the body burn fat as fuel, instead of just glycogen. Muscles have glycogen fuel stores that usually last for about 30 minutes or 300 calories worth of exercise, so in using some fat as fuel the muscles gain increases in endurance. Caffeine also releases calcium stored in the muscles helping athletes go farther and faster. The third reason involves caffeine's effect on the mind and how it perceives exhaustion.

To learn how to find the appropriate caffeine dose, just read more.

Between one to five milligrams of caffeine per kilo of body weight can help to improve your performance by up to five percent. However, nine mg per kilo of caffeine can actually decrease your performance, so don't go overboard. The good news for all us coffee addicts, caffeine can still make you speedy even if you're a regular coffee drinker. I ask you, do you drink caffeine before your workout?

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Get Your Buzz on For National Caffeine Awareness Month

BellaSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 07:00:44 -0800

You might enjoy a cup of morning joe to help wake you up at the beginning of the day, but did you know that caffeine also has some beauty benefits, too? A stimulant, caffeine can help wake up skin by increasing circulation. It tones, smooths, and draws out impurities, too. Now that you know this tidbit of information, it probably makes more sense why this potent ingredient is often found in anticellulite creams, eh? Research also suggests that caffeine, taken both orally and topically, may provide anticarcinogenic properties.

Why all the talk about this pick-me-up (and legal) drug? March is National Caffeine Awareness Month. Woo hoo. So, I'll leave the fancy coffee drink recipes to Yum, but for your beauty fix, I've got the buzz on products inspired by or manufactured with caffeine. Check out my widget below:

Mommy's Lil Helper: Eco Travel Mugs That Won't Spill

LilSugar — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:00:30 -0800

Babysugar isn't alone when she says caffeine is her drug of choice because about 73 percent of lilsugar readers say they rely on the stimulant to keep up with their tots. After using hundreds (or thousands!) of paper cups for my tea fix I realized it was time to settle on a more Eco-conscious reusable travel mug that won't spill or break. I did a little research, and apparently Americans consume more than 16 billion paper cups every year. Yes, it's definitely time for an alternative.

Good thing the market is with me. This I am not a paper cup... mug ($20) is the hipster answer to a paper-free coffee fix, but there are many options out there. The key is to find a mug that can be microwaved and is dishwasher safe (many of the ones I liked at the health food store weren't) and has a top that won't runneth over on to your outfit, child or car interior.

'i am not a paper cup' coffee cup- Hugh's Pick! - 10 left! - $20.00	OXO Good Grips® Travel Mug - $24.00
Stelton To Go Thermal Mug - $52.00	NEW! Hamilton Beach Coffeemaker - $69.99
Travel Mug by OXO - $22.99

Do You Drink Energy Drinks?

YumSugar — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:30:01 -0800

Tampa Named the Most Caffeinated City in the US

YumSugar — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:00:53 -0800

A recent poll shows Tampa is the most caffeinated city in the United States. In the study, the Florida city is closely followed by Seattle, birthplace of the coffeehouse culture and coffee titan Starbucks, with Chicago placing third. Rounding out the top five are the top two most populated US cities, New York and Los Angeles. The poll looked at all caffeine consumption, including coffee, tea, energy drinks, chocolate, soda, pain relievers, and caffeine pills. The firm that conducted the study, Prince Market Research, also generated a list of the least caffeinated cities in America. The sleepiest city turned out to be the California twin cities area of Riverside/San Bernardino, followed by Atlanta, San Diego, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Dallas. Overall, 49 percent of all people surveyed said they drink caffeinated coffee on a daily basis. A surprising 20 percent admitted to drinking cola every day, tied with tea.

I'm taken aback to hear this, since everybody - from friends to people I pass on the street - seems to be more tired and less wired these days. What do you think of these numbers?

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You Asked: How Much Coffee a Day Is Too Much?

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:30:00 -0800

Dear Fit,
I just got a fancy coffee maker for Christmas, and now I'm finding myself enjoying at least three or four cups a day. My husband says that's too much. Is he right? Is there a danger in having too much caffeine?
-Caffeinated Carol

Ooh, this is a tough question for me because I'm with you - I love coffee, but it's the caffeine we need to worry about. For the average person, up to 300 milligrams of caffeine a day is considered a safe amount to consume. Since caffeine is a stimulant, if you have too much each day, it could affect your sleep patterns, heart rate, blood pressure, headaches, or digestion. Overdoing it with caffeine may also be associated with miscarriages or cause a woman to give birth to a smaller baby.

It may surprise you to find out how much caffeine is in your favorite hot beverages so read more.

Drink	Amount of Caffeine
8 oz. Short cup of Starbucks Coffee	180 mg
12 oz. Tall cup of Starbucks Coffee	260 mg
16 oz. Grande cup of Starbucks Coffee	330 mg
20 oz. Venti cup of Starbucks Coffee	415 mg
1 oz. Starbucks Espresso	75mg
8 oz. Organic Black Tea	65mg
8 oz. Organic Green Tea	50 mg
16 oz. Starbucks Hot Chocolate	25mg

I won't beat around the coffee beans here. There are definite health benefits to drinking a cup of joe, such as antioxidants for overall health and improved memory. Java may also help ease muscle pain, and coupled with working out, drinking coffee may help prevent skin cancer. A recent study also suggests that drinking a few cups a day may help you live longer.

So while coffee is good for you, too much caffeine is not. Even if you enjoy two eight-ounce cups, that's 360 mg of caffeine - 60 mg over the recommended limit. One ounce of coffee contains about 21 mg of caffeine, so stick to no more than a total of 14 ounces of joe a day. If you want to enjoy this hot beverage throughout your day, sip on four- to five-ounce cups, three times a day.

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Do You Drink Caffeine Before You Exercise?

FitSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:30:00 -0800

There's no denying my love for my daily, delicious, hot cup of coffee. While it's my habit to drink coffee in the morning and have green tea later in the day for a pick-me-up, others tend to get their caffeine fix right before a workout since caffeine can improve performance and increase endurance. Do you use caffeine to boost your energy before exercising?

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100% Pure Caffeine Eye Cream, Organic Coffee Bean - $19.00	Smashbox Doubletake Lip Color - $22.00
Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Powder - $32.50	OPI Manicure Pedicure, Espresso Scrub - $15.95
L'Oreal Pro Manicure Nail Polish, Caffeinated 570 - $4.99	Zia Natural Skincare Ultimate Body Firming Treatment, All Skin Types - $19.99
Frederic Fekkai More All-Day Density Styling Whip - $25.00	Coffee Lip Balm with Caffeine by Dermatone - $2.75
Rock & Republic Cosmetics Tinted Primer Spf 20 - $46.00	Philosophy Cafè Au Lait Shower Gel - $16.00
Victoria's Secret Pink® Energizing Body Wash - $12.00	Terax - New Formula - Complete Shave - 5 oz. - $12.00