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Coffee & Caffeine: How to Cut Back

From the Show: Staying Well
Summary: Did you know that coffee is a $30 billion industry and that Americans drink an estimated 400 million cups a day?
Air Date: 3/3/14
Duration: 10
Host: Melanie Cole, MS
Guest Bio: Keri Gans, MS, RD
keri gansKeri Gans is a Registered Dietitian, spokesperson and media personality with a private practice in New York City. She is the author of The Small Change Diet (Gallery, March 2011), a Past-Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and a Past-President of The New York State Dietetic Association. Keri holds a Master's Degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University and Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Ohio University.

Keri spends the majority of her time conducting individual nutrition counseling, public speaking, writing and consulting. She is the official Weight-Loss Coach weekly blogger for Shape.com and also blogs bi-monthly for U.S. News's Eat + Run. She is frequently quoted as the nutrition expert in local and national publications, such as Glamour, Fitness, Shape, Self, Women's Health, and Health. Keri has made several television appearances including, EXTRA, The Dr. Oz Show, ABC News, WPIX11 Morning Show, Primetime, and Good Morning America and is regularly on radio shows such as Sirius/XM Satellite Radio's Dr. Radio and Martha Stewart Living.

For five years, Keri was the host of a weekly nutrition/lifestyle show called Diet Diva on Manhattan Public Access TV. She is also the proud winner of the New York State Dietetic Association's 2010 Media Excellence Award and 2006 Emerging Dietetic Leader Award. Keri lives with her husband Bart and four-legged son, Henry, in NYC and East Hampton and is an avid yoga practitioner.
Coffee & Caffeine: How to Cut Back
You've grown found of having a few cups of coffee in the morning before work, a cup or two at work and before you know it by the end of the day your head is pounding and your hands are shaking.

Is this a sign you need to cut back?

There's no denying the powerful benefits of what coffee can do for your health. However, if you're constantly craving the "fix" and wondering when your next caffeine dose will be, you might have a problem.

The hardest question you have to answer is why you need to drink coffee or energy drinks. Are you turning to your cup of coffee to get you going in the morning and skipping your balanced breakfast? Or did you not get enough sleep and need a quick pick-me-up?

Whatever the answer may be, if you are relying on caffeine to get you through your day, you might want to find other alternatives.

Try substituting your 16 oz. heavy cream, light sugar drink for a meal balanced of carbs, protein and fiber (like oatmeal) to give you a healthier boost.

Registered Dietitian, spokesperson and media personality, Keri Gans, MS, RD, joins Melanie Cole, MS, to discuss why caffeine in moderation is great for your health, some signs that you need to cut back and alternatives you can turn to in order to kick your caffeine habit.