Coffee Not for Colds or Flu?

Written by Lori Thiessen

I’m sick.

I’m home in bed feeling crappy, but well enough to bang out a post. My husband’s been sick too and the first thing we generally do is make a cup of tea when we start to feel poorly.

I’ve noticed that coffee is never mentioned in the same breath as chicken soup or the traditional, nice hot cup of tea when offering homemade cold remedies. Why is that?

In “A Cup of Coffee A Day Keeps the Doctor Away?” I wrote that coffee was actually good for certain ailments like preventing Type II Diabetes and some cancers.

But I’ve also read that caffeine can lower your immune system’s defenses and may make you more susceptible to flu’s and colds.

Like most medical advice, it’s mixed.

My dad split the difference and had one cup of coffee with his breakfast and one cup of tea with his dinner. He had water or a cup of juice with lunch. He rarely had colds or flu, but I don’t know if that is more to do with his staying moderate and regimented with his eating habits or the hot bevvies.

Personally, I think when you are sick, your system can’t take something as strong as coffee. A weak cup of herbal tea is just about right for a person in the throes of fighting the flu.

Of course, there are any number of plants, herbs, and bark that can be made into a tea. Coffee is made from coffee beans or chicory if you want non-coffee bean coffee.

For now, I’ll stick to tea until I’m better, then I’ll start up with coffee again.

Q: Do you ever drink coffee when you aren’t well?

Until Next Time,

May Your Coffee Always Be Freshly Brewed!