|
I was having a conversation with a friend who is in a wheelchair because of his TBI, and another resident said he drinks too much coffee. I had to laugh because I drink coffee all day myself and it’s the good stuff.
There are essential nutrients in coffee. Coffee is more than just black water. Many of the nutrients in the coffee beans do make it into the final drink. According to Riordan Clinic and their article, 13 Health Benefits of Coffee, Based on Science, “a single cup of coffee contains Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 11% Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): 6% of the RDA, Manganese, and Potassium: 3% of the RDA, and Magnesium and Niacin: 2% of the RDA”. Although this may not seem like a big deal, most people are drinking more than one cup of coffee per day. If you drink more coffee, these amounts add up quickly. Bottom line is that because of my TBI, they claim they are protecting me by limiting my coffee consumption to two cups a day, but they are preventing me from getting all the benefits of the coffee for the past nine years. This just makes me do my research.
0 Comments
According to Riordan Clinic’s article, 13 Health Benefits of Coffee Based on Science, “Coffee can improve energy levels, help burn fat, and improve physical performance. There are essential nutrients in coffee and is the biggest source of antioxidants in the western diet”. When I first came out of the hospital and was admitted to this facility, I was told I could only have two cups of coffee, which kind of irritated me. So, this has inspired me to do my own research on coffee and its effects. It kind of blows me away to find out that it actually has benefits to your health. It also depends on how you drink your coffee. For example, I drink my coffee black. I know a lot of people that like sugar and creamer which is not conducive to your health.   When I was 14 years old, I had my first job. The reason why I was working at such a young age was because I was expelled from my Freshman year of high school. I was trying to protect my younger brother from a Junior, and in doing so, I was expelled not only from the school, but from the district.
When I was working at Teriyaki-To-Go , I was not allowed to touch the register, but I was taught in every other aspect of the job. I would cook, clean, and there were no waiters. The customer had to come up to the front desk for their food. What I took away from this job was cooking chicken and stir fried dishes, like chow mein, and this is where my love for teriyaki chicken came from. Having that job opened my eyes to how I eat now, and I try to eat healthy. For example, I eat as many vegetables as I can, I don’t drink soda, and I limit my sugar intake. That is how I try to stay healthy. I’m not saying this is the best way, but this is how I do things.  What I have learned regarding my memory, is to do my best and work on it as much as I can. Both my long and short term memory are impaired, however, I do try to work on them both.
My speech therapist uses two different exercises with me to work on my memory. In the first one, he will read a short passage and then have me try to recall the details. I think I am getting better, but I am in no way completely healed. In the second one, I look at two pictures and I have to remember the first one in order to remember the differences of the second one. In my music sessions, we work on memorizing music. I see the lyrics first and sing along with her,and then try to remember them when I sing them the second time. The second time we run through the song, we take away the lyrics and see how much I remember. She will help me with the lyrics if I forget them and then we will repeat that phrase. When I sing the song without the lyrics it feels natural and goes with the flow. My biggest goal for my memory is to remember the day before. It’s really hard and most of the time I am unable to do so. I write things down in the notes section of my phone so I can go back to it the next day. Another challenging thing is remembering to remember. There are sections in my phone that I write things down, but I need to remember to look at them daily. With hard work, this can be achieved. |
Come back soon for new blogs weekly!I will be writing about my TBI recovery tools, favorite healthy recipes, workout ideas and encouragement, and ways I stay engaged. Archives
June 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed