No More Java: How will we survive?
by Ashley M.
Just recently the school board has put a new ban in place: a coffee ban.
Before Christmas break signs were put up in the cafeteria stating “Effective January 9, 2012, students will no longer be able to purchase coffee at the cafeteria. Coffee will only be available for staff only.”
Students at Fredericton High School are not happy that they can not buy coffee from the school. “There is more caffeine in tea and if they had good coffee we wouldn’t put so much sugar in it,” says Melaine Brown a grade twelve student of Fredericton High School.
Anthony Leblanc feels differently, “It’s not a ban, students just can’t buy coffee at the caf,” he says.
Erin Winott, Dakkota Aubie and Cassandra Parsons: all students of FHS, do not drink coffee for a multitude of a reasons “it tastes bad, I don’t want yellow teeth, it’s bad for you.” the list goes on and on.
As most students are they drink coffee in the morning, any any other time of day. “Bearing the freezing conditions of a New Brunswick winter and having to trudged through the snow and be wet and cold half the day as well as being late from the amount of kids that have to go get coffee somewhere else as well,” says Melaine about having to find other means of coffee distribution.
Anthony on the other hand, “I never bought at the school. I always buy at Tims.”
“The Caf is losing a lot of money,” says Melaine. It seems that the cafeteria is losing money to places that sell coffee. And because places students go to get coffee they can get other things as well. Breakfast foods, and junk food, and where some students have their own car and have to get gas, even those gas stations sell coffee to the students. To get the coffee before school students will need to get up earlier or be late for school where it is not accessible at FHS. When asked if the ban will last in the High Schools, “It shouldn’t. I’m unsure if it will stick but students will be a lot more tired,” said Melaine. Anthony believe it will last in the high schools; “Because if the district wants it they’ll get it.”
“I just thought it was FHS, didn’t know anything till my daily coffee magically wasn’t there,” says Melaine about the coffee ban. “ District 18 wide at least,” Anthony says. This ban is actually provincial wide.
While coffee is being banned, for being “bad” for you, there are actually good things that come with coffee. “Coffee has no carbohydrates, protein or fat, but it does contain many antioxidants-as many as in green tea-which may protect from certain diseases. It has only two to three calories per cup- without milk or sugar-and contains fibre, magnesium and certain B vitamins.” According to the Canadian Living website (http://www.canadianliving.com/health/nutrition/the_health_benefits_of_coffee.php).
“For coffee to provide health benefits, do not exceed four cups per day,” says Canadian Living.
“Coffee helps with increasing levels of energy and alertness,” says Anthony.
Melaine says it helps with her cramps “If you don’t have [menstruation cramp] pills; coffee you can get at any break.”
“Last year, researchers found that coffee drinkers were 50% less likely to get liver cancer than nondrinkers. A few studies have found ties to lower rates of colon, breast, and rectal cancers. Several studies have shown that caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee have different health effects,” states The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide
A cup of coffee can temporarily kick up your blood pressure. But regular intake of caffeine may not increase the risk of high blood pressure over time. Its is possible that people develop some sort of tolerance to the intensity after a while. And going right along with the cancer stats it is about the same with diabetes. People who drink coffee are less likey to develop diabetes.
The chart below provides some examples and if it works with Caffeinated or Decaffeinated coffee.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0406c.shtml)
With all of these benefits why are the school boards banning coffee?
To go with benefits we all know there are negatives, and that’s what the school boards tend to look at. The negative side of things.
Ashley M. is a daily coffee drinker.
Welcome to the Jungle 