Monday, November 18, 1996
Artificial energy pills and coffee are abandoned for healthier
tea, juice and organic alternativesBy Linda Yoon
Daily Bruin Contributor
Tom Renger, a third-year political science student, bypasses the
bottle of No Doz when he studies and instead tackles the books with
a cup of coffee in his hand.
"I wouldn’t take No Doz (because) drinking coffee seems more
innocent than taking a pill. I wouldn’t take a pill if I don’t have
to," Renger said.
Many students seek pick-me-ups as finals loom on the horizon,
and like Renger, many turn to caffeine as energy sources.
"I’m a coffee man. I like the taste of coffee and feel the
effects more readily (than pills), and I can regulate the dosage,"
said Renger. "The smell and warmth (of coffee) stimulates more
senses than No Doz."
The alertness elicited from coffee comes from caffeine, a
natural substance found in the leaves, seeds and fruits of more
than 60 plants, including coffee and cocoa beans.
According to the International Food Information Council
Foundation (IFCF), caffeine is a mild stimulant that delays the
onset of sleep, quickening reaction time and prolonging alertness
for various demanding tasks, such as all-nighters.
As a prevalent perk in the college scene, coffee has diversified
and expanded into a realm of flavors, such as vanilla and hazelnut.
Although this offers students more options in taste, the fact
remains that coffee is heavily processed with chemicals to induce
flavor.
For the conscientious consumer, an alternative to
chemically-processed coffee has hit the market in the form of an
all-natural organic coffee, offering the the same effects of
regular, caffeinated coffee.
Organic coffee bypasses the use of chemicals for flavors, opting
for all-natural tastes and processes instead, said Mark Donahue,
manager of Juice Star, located on Gayley Avenue.
"Organic coffee is all-natural," Donahue said. "From the time of
the seedling to the time it gets to you, nothing chemical has been
done to (the coffee beans)."
The organic coffee is grown mainly in Central and South America,
Donahue said, and is planted in the rain forest rather than in
clear-cut areas. Although the beans are difficult to pick when
planted around trees, Donahue emphasized that organic coffee is
earth-friendly.
"Our farmers actually go out into the forest and pick it by
hand. This way we actually help the environment," Donahue said.
Donahue claims that the real difference between organic coffee
and regular coffee, aside from the growth factor, lies in the
taste.
"Chemically-treated coffee tends to have more iron acidity,
which leaves an aftertaste in your mouth and gives you coffee
breath," Donahue said. "When you taste organic coffee, the taste is
gone, there’s none of that residue to linger around … so coffee
breath is not as prominent."
In addition to the perks of coffee, certain teas also consist of
caffeine to offer students jolts of alertness; Some teas that act
as stimulants are black tea, oolong tea, and green tea.
Donahue said that, unlike coffee, tea does not dehydrate the
body because it supplies the body with water. Additional benefits
of tea are its lasting flavor and the increase of caffeine strength
over a long period of time.
"The more you let a tea, like green tea, sit, the more it will
double its strength in caffeine," Donahue said. "So if you let it
sit for twice as long, you get twice the caffeine, but up to a
certain point. After that, you practically have to eat the leaves
to get any more (caffeine)."
Coffee and tea are prominent pick-me-ups, consisting of a widely
speculated stimulant. Despite its popularity, caffeine is
approached warily from many people because it is, nonetheless, a
drug, Donahue said.
Despite fears of health risks such as cancer and an increase of
blood pressure, scientific studies conducted by the U.S. Food And
Drug Administration found no evidence that caffeine is detrimental
to the human body nor is it addictive. IFCF claims that caffeine
does not amass in the bloodstream and usually discharges from the
body within several hours following consumption.
Some people are still not convinced, turning to fruit juices and
smoothies, although not as effective as coffee or tea, to boost
their energy.
"Juice drinks … are already juice and the body doesn’t have to
break it down, so it goes directly into the system, and you’re good
to go," Donahue said.
According to VanAnh Nguyen, a second-year international
economics/French student and an employee at Juice Star, juice
drinks in general give people more energy because there’s a low
content of fat and the fruits themselves contain vitamins.
In addition to the natural vitamins provided by fruits,
"freebies" such as bee pollen and ginseng can be added into the
drinks to provide not only flavor but extra boosts of energy.
"There was a study in the magazine, Marie Claire, that stated
people who took ginseng showed a higher level of energy than those
who don’t, so I think it does make a difference," Nguyen said. "I
know that when I drink it, I feel a lot better than if I had a
hamburger."
According to Nguyen, smoothies offer more energy than juices
because smoothies consist of several ingredients, such as fruits,
yogurts, and "freebies."