Kids and Coffee: A Grande Problem

By Kelly Turner on August 24th, 2009

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Kids are all about what’s cool.  Usually it’s shoes and backpacks but, lately, brand marketing has infiltrated the hallways and it’s a status symbol to walk into class in the morning with a cup of Starbucks.  It’s adult, it’s mature. The Hollywood starlets are constantly snapped by paps leaving the latest, trendy coffee shops.   But is this really just a harmless new accessory or is it causing damage to our kids?

We all grew up hearing “coffee stunts your growth.”  While we all know this isn’t exactly true, there is a some validity to the statement.  Caffeine blocks some of the calcium absorption into the bones, compromising bone density- but the immediate effects are a more pressing issue.  Kids are more susceptible to the effects of caffeine based on their size and lowered tolerance levels.  Kids who receive a jolt in the morning might have headaches when it wears off which then leaves them irritable and unable to pay attention.  This either causes them to race for more coffee at lunch or hit the vending machine for a can of the bubbly stuff.

Research does show that coffee has a significant protective effect against Type II Diabetes- so with our kids expanding at an alarming rate- should push coffee to try and protect their health?

With the way our kids drink it, it would probably make it worse. The thing is, what we adults consider coffee and kids consider coffee are two entirely different cups of Joe. While we drink double americanos with fat free milk to avoid falling asleep during our commute and ripping off The Pen-Tapping Co Worker’s head, kids opt for coffee that is more ice cream than caffeine. Drinks laden with caramel, whipped cream, full fat milk, cream, sugar and ice cream are replacing balanced breakfasts, leaving kids nauseous by mid morning, and consuming nothing but empty calories (sometimes 600-700 calories per drink.)

Among children aged 13 to 17, the percentage of meals or snacks that included coffee rose 20 percent from 2004 to 2006 (to 6 percent), according to the NDP Group, a retail-consulting firm in Port Washington, New York. And the percentage of people 18 to 24 who drink coffee jumped from 16 percent in 2003 to 37 percent in 2007, reports Joseph F. DeRupo, director of communications for the New York-based National Coffee Association.

If you hit the drive through to get your morning cup of joe with your kids in the car swap out. Sugar free flavored steamed milk is a perfect substitute that tastes great, but gives the vitamins and has no caffeine.  Kids have their whole lives to pick up the vices we adults develop along the way- don’t rush them into anything.

(IMAGE COURTESY OF ALMOSTFIT.COM)