Coffee for Kids

In an unbelievable and savvy marketing strategy just released on an unsuspecting public, the coffee growers association of Costa Rica want to make that all important, eye opening, pick-me-up known as coffee, an integral part of the adolescent diet.

According to their research and development department (2 guys named Juan and Alberto, plus their dog “Ortega” – just joking) and after much study and extensive grant giving, coffee contains antioxidants “and other really neat stuff yet to be discovered.” Neat things “which are needed for periods of rapid growth and development, never mind that vitamin and mineral stuff.  Plus the added sugar does give them energy, and fake creamers can be used to patch the walls they bounce off of.”  All this while providing a jolt or boost in daily energy for young adults aged 5 and up. As if kids don’t already have enough Bounce!  They also learned that coffee “can assist with concentration, short term memory and basic math and reading skills”. This research was conducted on a random sampling of males and females previously not consumers of caffeinated beverages by the Costa Rican Chamber of Coffee Roasters.

“Teenagers and tweens have a lifestyle that demands a lot of energy, and they need a healthy and varied diet, including a moderate amount of coffee/caffeine that will allow optimum physical and emotional development,” Dr. Maria Isabel Stone, a director of the Costa Rican Chamber of Coffee Roasters, said in a statement a few days ago, while sipping by her own dark Costa Rican roast, black, naturally.

“They need to consume one or more cups before going to school to experience the full benefits.” This statement is, of course, disputed by the American Paediatric Association spokeswoman, Dr. Cinthia Garber M.D., P.H.D., who has determined that high caffeine drinks of any kind can depress the central nervous system.

Other American based non-profit organizations devoted to children’s health, have stated that coffee is not harmful if consumed in moderate amounts, but then again, there was a time when cigarettes were considered “healthy.” More research is needed according to Dr. Garber and her staff.

These findings are similar to those of researchers who have analyzed consumptive data for java consumers and across the counter energy drinks – drinks we know, that have caused the death of quite a few teenagers in North America.
Professor Fernández, of the University of Costa Ricas’ School of Nutrition, and part of the University’s coffee supported program, said that drinking coffee black or with a whitener as an occasional drink is fine, but that the Chamber of Coffee Roasters might have crossed a line in suggesting it has nutritional benefits especially for teenagers.

“In the Latin culture, coffee is a regular part of our diet because we are a coffee growing country, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that we should recommend it to young people for health reasons,” she said. “The benefits of drinking coffee are relatively low.”
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All in all, perhaps it remains a parent’s responsibility – watching your child’s coffee consumption, just as drugs and cigarettes are often learned by watching and imitation.  A healthy diet remains a critical part in developing and maintaining responsible and consumer conscious adults. This announcement will be watched with interest by all health groups in Central America. “Can I get mine triple-triple, oh, and how about one of those crème donuts… ”..Ahhhhh… breakfast, the most important meal of the day.  Have a cup of Java.