Have you ever had a chance to recognize that Korean consume coffee more frequently than rice, the traditional staple food of Korea? According to Korea Health Statistics 2016, Korean drink coffee 11.3 times a week, which is more frequent than the consumption of kimchi (9.7 times a week), multigrain rice (8.1 times a week), and white rice (6.4 times a week).
  Is drinking coffee bad? Well, caffeine, the active substance of coffee, is a naturally occurring stimulant to central nervous system and rich in coffee beans. Tea leaves, cocoa beans, and kola nuts also contain caffeine. Caffeine consumed moderately can help improve memory, concentration and cognitive performance. Problems occur when it is over-ingested. Too much caffeine causes undesirable side-effects, including jittery feeling, anxiety, and even loss of concentration.
  How much caffeine is ‘moderate’ or ‘too much’? The acceptable daily intake of caffeine is less than 400mg of caffeine per day for adults. Caffeine content of commercial coffee drinks vary but are typically 100 to 200mg per one serving cup of coffee. Over 600mg of caffeine per day is regarded as an unsafe dose. Try not to drink more than 2-4 servings per day. Some energy drinks found in the markets also contain significant amount of caffeine, even up to approximately 200mg. When you choose and select caffeine beverages, it is good to have a habit to see if there is any information on caffeine content in the package and to read the label.
  Does caffeine have no health benefits at all in any cases? Well, it has been suggested that adequate amount of caffeine have potential health benefits, including reduced risk of type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases. But it is still important to remember that such health benefits are not conclusive and the overdose of caffeine may have adverse effects.
  Is coffee now the staple food of Korea? Well, a staple food is defined as a food that is regularly consumed in a community or society and from which people obtain a significant proportion of their calorie and nutrient requirements. It is obvious that drinking coffee by itself is not sufficient to supply energy and nutrient needs for us at all. Therefore, coffee is not qualified for the staple food of Korea, even though it is the most frequently consumed food in Korea.