I dont think you should start drinking coffee. You are lucky to not be addicted to caffeine now, so no reason to start drinking coffee. I personally don`t think that coffee is so healthy that many people claim. The studies that show health benefits can be compared to studies that show health benefits with alcohol. The cons with alcohol and caffeine are, after my opinion, much greater than the pros.

Don't start. Overall, it appears to cause more harmful than benefit.

http://thatpaleoguy.blogspot.com/2011/05/caffeine-and-glucose-metabolism.html

"Mark Sisson, and arguably the paleo world's hottest couple, Dallas & Melissa from Whole9, have both written good pieces on coffee intake from a paleo perspective.

Mark's take - Caffeine Talk

Dallas & Melissa - The Coffee Manifesto

Smart advice from the latter... Our general recommendations on coffee are as follows:

• If you’re not currently a caffeine user, don’t start.

• Limit your consumption to 1-2 cups of coffee a day, always before noon to prevent sleep disruption.

• Your coffee pot is not a cup. Nice try.

• If you’re using coffee as a crutch to get through your day – or just to get out of bed – reconsider whether that is a healthy relationship.

• We don’t think the above is a healthy relationship, thanks for asking.

• A couple times a year, give your body a Caffeine Holiday for at least 30 days."

Then Jamie goes on to say, "What really caught my eye were the parts about caffeine increasing the potential for insulin resistance in non-diabetic adults, and the exaggeration of blood glucose levels when carbohydrate is consumed in conjunction with caffeine. "

I'm not a big fan of anything that causes withdrawal symptoms when you try to remove it from your diet. If you function fine without it there's no reason to start now.

I'm 26 and one of the lucky ones that's never really needed the stuff. You might want it when you're older but for the time being I'd leave the stuff alone.

well, i wish i could go back in time to when i was 14 or so and not START drinking coffee. i believe those studies that show the health benefits are mostly referring to what i would consider a low level of coffee intake- like 8 ounces a day. i drink 16-32 (two pints) on an average day as do most people i know. my husband and i make a 12 cup pot each day and it is gone. i have to say, i love the stuff, but it causes dehydration, triggers migraines, and is hell to get off of. ive quit coffee a few times in my life, but it was hard and the siren call of coffee is a strong one and im always back on it. and it has only ever helped me lose weight when i was starving myself and could use it as an appetite suppressant. green tea is a lovely thing to consume in small doses, IMHO but i think the supposed health benefits of coffee are way overblown and the studied obviously conducted with funding from maxwell house by a bunch of tweeked-out, coffee swilling researchers. ;)

I'd agree 100% if you haven't started drinking coffee yet, don't start now. There's really no real reason you should start something so addictive!!

If you are 18 years old you have a fighting chance to have a healthy exsistance, and you should have plenty of energy if you are getting plenty of sleep (I'm guessing thats your real issue).

Eating healthy (no processed foods or junk) and getting plenty of rest you should feel that energy buzz that comes from good clean living.

A cautionary tale: I spent 35 years of my life not drinking coffee even though I loved it and started drinking it when when I turned paleo, I heard that it was high in magnesium and because I was cutting out so many other things, I thought, "To hell with it, I am at last gonna allow myself to drink coffee!"

I went from nothing to drinking 4 cups of strong filtered coffee a day and found that I was having nighttime traumas I had never experienced before. It took me a while to get back to zero coffee again. I was also drinking lots of cream with it, which, because it was UHT, I figured was not the best thing to take either.

Then I found out that I had a stomach ulcer, caused by coffee (and stress). Strangely enough, the coffee was making me more stressed and jittery and the magnesium I wanted in the first place (from the coffee) was very, very low in my body, which made me more stressed.

I came off coffee, but still REALLY crave it sometimes, esp. when my husband drinks it and the smell fills the whole house. I now use magnesium oil and drink nettle tea which is also very high in magnesium.

No reason to start. Outside the answers above I'd add:

-Cost...if you drink high end coffee it can add up, even if you make it at home -The environment...unless you live in Jamaica those beans are FAR from local -Time...I put a ton of time and energy into getting good beans, hitting the right shops, making sure I have pastured half&half every weekend...it adds up

I'm helplessly addicted. I have an iron will but cannot kick it. I imagine thats what a well controlled heroin addiction is like.

No, do not start drinking it.

Probably, net effect, is not beneficial. This comes from someone who drinks a lot of coffee.

I drink a couple of pots of coffee a day...sometimes more. I do not at this time have any deleterious health effects from it. I can take it or leave it. If I skip a day or two, I have no withdrawal symptoms. But...this seems to be a bit out of the ordinary.

Actual benefits of coffee? I hear pros and cons. The only one that I can speak with personal experience and state as fact is that if you have a hyperactive child, 3 cups of coffee per day will help them focus and slow them down, as well as, and safer than the harsh drugs prescribed for this disorder.

Should you start it? If you like it and want to drink it...enjoy. If you don't...then don't drink it.

I don't see that there could possibly be enough health benefits from it to start drinking it if you don't already.

Stay.Away.From.The.Bean. Drink some nice green tea, eat healthy, exercise your mind and body, and sleep at least 7-hours. These will be much more beneficial to you than any cup of brew.

For a significant number of us on these forums, morning coffee is big part of our routine. However, the coffee is really just a vehicle for cream. Personally, I drink almost a quart of decaf on a daily basis, mixed with about a half a pint of heavy whipping cream. I do not add sweetener or anything else. It's a great way to get healthy fats and avoid sugar.

Caffeine is a drug of addiction. Anyone who says otherwise is just trying to justify their own addiction. For the record, I drink decaff.

Yes you should. Not just coffee. Drink Organo gold. Its good for you http://mycapturepage.com/cp23.php?id=470