Soothing kick

Early in his tenure overseeing agronomics at South Dakota golf courses, GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness director of agronomy Brent Venenga started his days with a Diet Mountain Dew or a Diet Coke.

This routine changed when he tried minimizing his sugar intake. The alternative? Coffee.

“Everybody always drank coffee who I worked with, and I just never did,” Venenga adds. “So, just one time I’m like, ‘Gosh, everybody’s drinking coffee, … so I just started drinking some coffee.”

Now, he enjoys a hot cup of coffee with sugar-free vanilla creamer in the morning — and only in the morning. “I definitely would not drink coffee throughout the day as I’m working,” he says.

There’s a science for preparing one’s morning cup of joe, ensuring they have enough energy for the day and avoiding health risks.

Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic Center for Human Nutrition, says caffeine, which is found in coffee beans, is a natural stimulant, providing energy and creating alertness.

Black coffee, without added sugars, syrups and milk, is the healthiest option, she adds. “You’re getting the benefits of it without adding any other additives that would add up and cause too much fat and too much sugar in the diet.”

Coffee can be beneficial to the liver, cholesterol levels and blood pressure, but those benefits are dependent on how much coffee a person drinks daily, Zumpano says.

She recommends drinking no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, equivalent to four cups of coffee.

“Certain people can handle more coffee than others, and 400 is a high dosage,” Zumpano adds. “Some people can handle more than that, some people can’t even handle 50 milligrams, so it’s just an understanding of how you tolerate caffeine.”

A person’s caffeine tolerance is also reliant on how their body reacts to it. Arah Suppiah, a medical doctor specializing in sports and emergency medicine, says factors like age, familiarity with caffeine and genetics determine someone’s tolerance.

“I’ve stood in the US Open [Tennis Championships] before a night match and [Roger] Federer just popped up, drank a shot of espresso, went out to play late at night,” he says. “He can handle that, but someone who’s never done that, they will be shaking.”

He recommends people view their morning brews like exercise, being careful not to overdo it. “If you went and did five hours on the treadmill, now you’re going to feel terrible, you’re going to be so worn out. Well, coffee has the same effect.”

Some negative symptoms of caffeine include irregular heartbeat, headaches and dehydration, Zumpano adds.

“Caffeine is a natural diuretic, which means that it expels liquid from your body through urine. So, if you’re drinking a lot of caffeine and not drinking enough water, you’re going to be more likely to be dehydrated.”

To avoid dehydration, Zumpano suggests drinking eight to 12 ounces of water with coffee, but says if people plan to be outside, it is best to just drink water.

Suppiah advises people to take their java cold when it’s hot outside. “The issue is if you’re drinking something hot and you’re already hot, you’re not cooling yourself down, so that’s not a caffeine issue.”

He disagrees that coffee can cause dehydration, saying java is a weak diuretic, consisting of water and coffee beans. “In terms of hydrating, you’re actually consuming more water than you’re actually going to pee out.”

At GreatLIFE, Venenga often hears younger superintendents and other employees “dragging,” feeling tired and sluggish, needing an energy drink.

“I usually say, ‘Well, what time did you go to bed last night?’” he says. “But I mean, some think the energy drink picks them up.”

Venenga stayed away from energy drinks because of their high amounts of caffeine. Two years ago, after watching athletic trainers and golfers at GreatLIFE drink them, he decided to crack open a can of Ryse, found at its Fox Run course in Yankton, South Dakota.

Now, he occasionally alternates between drinking Ryse or Ghost energy drinks, substituting his cups of mud for one during peak season in the summer.

Since energy drinks can range from 100 to 400 milligrams of caffeine and contain added sugars, Zumpano doesn’t advise people to drink them.

“They have other additives that aren’t very well regulated,” she says. “They are very high in caffeine and, in some cases, they may have high amounts of added sugar, dye or preservatives.”

A good time for a cup of coffee would be after waking up, and to stop drinking it around noon. Each person’s sleep cycles and caffeine tolerances can also affect this timeframe, too.

“Everyone’s tolerance to caffeine is a little bit different, so most of the time, caffeine can stay into your system for up to six to 12 hours after you consume it.”

Although coffee can provide superintendents with a soothing kick of energy, monitoring their intake and nutrition can ensure this kick doesn’t hurt.

Over the years, Venenga has learned the best ways to prepare for a long day is getting enough sleep and having a balanced diet. “What you actually eat in the morning gives you better energy than the actual caffeine.”