Coffee is beverage which constantly gets in the news. There always seems to be a discussion about the health benefits or disease risks related to coffee. Also discussed are the financial benefits versus the risks of spending amounts of money on designer coffee beverages. There is no doubt that it does appear that those in favor of purchasing coffee are winning out over those not in favor. One simply has to look at the number of cafes that are constantly opening. There is no doubt that steamed vegetable franchises don't seem to be anywhere on the market so it does appear the public seems to like coffee more. Does anybody really know the truth about the health effects of coffee?
It has been suggested that moderate coffee consumption may help you live longer. This refers to 2-3 cups per day. A study in the medical journal Circulation (2017) found that coffee consumption was associated with about a 10% reduction in the risk of death. Other studies have found that coffee drinkers may have a reduced risk from Heart disease, Diabetes, Liver Disease (and cancer), Uterine Cancer and Gout. Bladder, Pancreatic and Esophageal cancer as well as Heart dieseas have been suggested as being more likely in coffee drinkers.
Over the years there have been very many instances of flip-flop recommendations for foods. There are times when eggs and nuts are bad and times when they are good. There are supporters of meat and haters of meat. The list of fights and reversals goes on constantly. All this really proves is that no one really knows what's good and bad for every person within reason. Of course we know that doing too much or too little of one thing or another is unwise. In fact, before we had all this new technology and AI the sage knowledge Humans went by was be reasonable, do things in moderation, do not over do things and do not under do things, don't eat too much and don't eat too little, do not excercise too much and do not exercise too little and so on. It turns out that every single time some so called advanced research is done there are parameters and conditions that they are unaware of and can't get a handle on which pretty much guarantees that the conclusions will always be wrong when it comes to making across the board statistical conclusions related to health and food consumption. Humanity is just too complicated for 100% certainty on everything!
But on the question of designer coffee can there really be any question about the effect on financial health? I've seen arguments on both sides of this issue as well. The analytical types tell us that at the prices being charged for designer, fancy latte's, a 25 year old person drinking just one of those per day will lose at least $250,000.00 but more probably $750,000.00 (depending on interest rates) over 30 or so years. Let's just say $500,000.00. Now the coffee afficionado argues that this is admitted but that the person is entitled to have some fun, every day, and that the price is worth the mental health of a life time.
Here again, I take no sides, but have to make some logical health recommendations. No one can say if the health comments in Paragraph 1 above are right or wrong but I'd sure recommend avoiding pancreatic cancer if possible! The studies do not show the net differences do they? Is coffee's so called protection for liver cancer net greater than its risk for pancreatic cancer and so forth? No one seems to know that. But what we all do know is that we will get older, weaker and less healthy over time. We do know that it then becomes harder to work and that we are less likely to be hired. What we also do know is that the economy can change over time in unexpected ways. So, using this basic knowledge alone I am hard pressed to give up a half of a million dollars for anything if I don't have to. I would conclude that I can get less expensive coffee or drink less. I would not conclude that I can do whatever I want with reckless abandon and then try and justify it. That's a kid in the candy shop!
So, who are these people who tell us that they feel that they deserve an expensive treat every day of the week? Why do they deserve that or is that just the expression of the weak and undisciplined? Let's not forget that we're very lucky to live in this nation where we have freedom every day of the week. Now there's a luxury worth fighting for. Not even that comes without a price. With regard to coffee we have plenty of reasonably priced products that are not designer. I also note that we have U.S. Military serviceman eating out of cans in the desert in the Middle East defending our freedom. Don't they too deserve designer coffee everyday? We have senior generation(s) who also fought in wars for us and never had designer anything but were very happy just to be here. They knew the value of working hard, saving their money and not fooling themselves with false thoughts that they deserved a daily treat. These generations made us what we are today and we must not squander what they built. Those generations were willing to sacrifice everything for the kids to have something more.
After all is it good for your health to be old and sick and have no money? Would the average person really happily accept this on the premis that having a daily all through life treat was an entitlement and was well worth it especially when there were cheaper alternatives? I tend not to think that they will. I tend to think that the person with that mind set will then expect society to jump in once again. They say to thine own self be true. If you feel that you deserve a designer coffee every day then that's your right but don't then expect that there won't be a consequence at some point because forfeiting a half million dollars is no joke for your health. Sacrificing that amount of money will have a very unhealthy effect on your mental health, your diet, your medical care and your living conditions. And what about your kids if they need help? Will you really take pleasure in telling them that they're on their own since you chose designer coffee over them? Maybe take a health lesson or two from the generation(s) who came here with nothing but who knew the real values in life; work hard, study hard, treat yourself once in a while, do not expect nothin from no one, do not think your entitled to things because you're not, always look at the long term and consider those who come after you just a little. The idea is that those of you who choose designer coffee every day have that right but don't justify it, just always To thine own self be true.