I grew up in the country where people drink coffee instead of water. Yeah, and  not just any kind but rather strongest, darkest coffee there is. This Turkish coffee that people in Serbia drink is not meant to be so strong and smoky flavored. This is what Serbs modified to soothe their temperament I believe. Besides they drink Turkish coffee more than anyone anywhere in Turkey will or ever would.

I remembered times when my high school classmates and I would get together. Instead of going to school we would skip classes and go have this “Turkish” coffee instead. Afterwards we usually would turn little cups upside down on the saucers and waited to read our future from sediments. My favorite part!

It might be for most of us that coffee represent social get together event. Truly it is! We could use coffee as excuse for almost anything. It is also most commonly accepted drug. Yes, yes. Drug! Most of you won’t like me for saying this but it’s true. As a medicine that how it needs to be used. Carefully!

This kind of background leads me to write this.

Joan Didion once sad “I have already lost touch with couple of people I used to be.” I love this quote and I can absolutely apply to coffee story.  I started drinking coffee socially in my sixteen. I wouldn’t drink it daily but sometimes I could squeeze couple of coffees in few hours. Anyway, after my 20ies and after I start meditating and living more as a yogi, coffee started to fade away. Still I would drink it few times throughout the year.  Now I am still having these coffee outbreaks. I could feel the heat and even thought I can get away with it I am trying to limit as much as possible. I see future me without any need for it whatsoever.

I love days with meditation, green juices, yoga and long runs. With three kids most of the days I have only one or two of these. But if I have it, there is no space for coffee. Yesterday my friend Corina reminded me if we want to change anything in our life we better just add one good thing and less useful thing will disappear on its own. I experienced this so many times. This blog is all about me reminding my self over and over of sticking to good stuff. If you would love to get a brake form coffee you might want to switch to green tea, occasional dark chocolate and green juices with ginger and celery instead.

We can find many studies that glorify coffee and many, many that say coffee is big no, no! See video below.

I love Ayurvedic approach to this matter and here it goes!

We all know that coffee is stimulating and drying (dehydrating + a diuretic). In the other words coffee is pungent (stimulating), bitter (lightening/diuretic and  laxative), astringent (drying and dehydrating).

This is what Ayurveda wisdom actually says:

Here easily we can see Vattas really need to limit  drinking coffee as much as possible, Pittas could drink it in moderation and favor decaf, and for Kaphas, coffee is positively recommended  but with moderation as well!  Without milk or sugar, (and for milk and sugar, well….I am not a fan at all). Milk, especially if it is pasteurized and homogenized. But that is another topic.

In today’s society we can see so much imbalances, lot of violence, too much heat. Therefore there is no need adding more oil to the fire and since we all have imbalances we better stay away form coffee as well. Or perhaps use it as a medicine and drink it accordingly. Moderately!

Here are the links you might enjoy or at least take in consideration if you already have coffee on daily basis.

And here is one more.