This is the reason why you should not drink coffee on a cold day
As the temperature drops, a steaming cup of coffee may seem like a refreshing start. But it turns out the beverage could be working against you, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Why? Normally, our bodies are warmer than the environment around us and radiate heat. However, when it is cold, our bodies respond by shivering, generating more heat in our core.
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Drinking a cup of coffee on a cold day can make you pee more because caffeine is a diuretic. And that’s “another way to lose heat because the fluid is much warmer than the surrounding environment,” says Alan Hedge, director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Lab at Cornell University.
Is there any other drink that doesn't warm the body? Yes, it's alcohol. Another diuretic, it causes the blood vessels to dilate. That's why some people who drink alcohol in cold weather can get hypothermia.
So what can you drink to warm up? The answer comes from Mongolia. Since the time of Genghis Khan, people here have been warming themselves by drinking a beverage containing butter from Tibetan longhair cows. Mongolians drink fresh, warm mare's milk, which gives them the ability to have a sustainable, warm, high-calorie diet that retains heat, keeping the body warm.
So go ahead and order that hot chocolate or latte – just make sure it’s decaffeinated. Not a milk fan? Try a decaffeinated drink that’s around 37oC (normal body temperature) to 46.1oC.
Research shows that drinks in this temperature range will make the body feel about 2.6 degrees warmer.oC, the Wall Street Journal reports. A fragrant cup of chamomile tea is the secret.
