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10.03

Your health:
Picking the right mid-day pick-me-up
 

Joanna Krasinski, MSN Occupational Health Service Manager

Do you sometimes feel sluggish in the afternoons, and crave a Coke or coffee to get you going again? If so, you’re not alone. That’s because our bodies work on circadian rhythms, a sort of internal clock that’s governed by biology, not the structure of the workday. For some of us, the solution to this sluggishness is a drinkable afternoon pick-me-up.

The Longwood Medical Area has lots of beverages to choose from. To size them up, I checked out the sugar and caffeine fixes served up by Starbucks, Au Bon Pain, and Dunkin’ Donuts. I also did some tea and soda research for those who never touch a cup of Joe. Caffeine, a stimulant, and sugar, a quick energy source, get many of us through the day. But those calories add up, and when the buzz wears off you may find yourself as sluggish as before—if not worse.

The good news is that you can have your pick-me-up and drink it too, while minimizing the extra calories. First, pick something without cream or whipped cream. (A Dunkin’ Donuts Coolatta with cream, for example, has 180 more fat calories than one made with two-percent milk. For a daily drinker, that difference adds up to 12 pounds of body weight per year.) Sugar also adds more calories to drinks than many people realize—recent research at Children’s showed a clear link between daily soda consumption and obesity in children. Although diet sodas eliminate the sugar problem, they include aspartame, which some research has linked to cancer.

Two simple ways to minimize the fat and sugar are to choose smaller beverages and to reduce the amount of caffeine in coffee by ordering half-decaf. A small amount of caffeine will give you a bit of a boost, but is less likely to give you side effects such as insomnia, anxiety and irregular heartbeat.

The best afternoon pick-me-up, however, is to take a 10-minute break for a quick walk around the block or to climb a couple flights of stairs. If you get moving for just a few minutes, you’ll find the natural burst of energy will benefit you more than any beverage.

How much caffeine does it have?
Drip Coffee*	8 oz	115-117 mgs.
Tea**	8 oz	Up to 0 mgs.
Espresso	1 shot	60 mgs.
Soda
Jolt	12 oz	71 mgs
Mountain Dew	12 oz	55 mgs
Pepsi	12 oz	37 mgs
* The longer you brew the coffee, the more caffeine. That’s why drip coffee tends to have more caffeine that espresso or instant coffee.
** The longer you steep the tea, the more caffeine.

Related resources Caffeine content of coffee beverages Nutritional information for…    …Au Bon Pain    …Dunkin Donuts    …Starbucks Related Article:    Mid-day fitness