151 i love coffee and ive written about it a lot over the past few years from why its actually good for both mental and physical health to reasons to drink java before a workout so i wasnt surprised when for the first time in history the dietary guidelines advisory committee gave coffee a thumbs up but many of the headlines pertaining to the report didnt tell the whole story leaving a lot of people wondering how much is really ok to determine your daily dose here are five factors to consider everyones different the dietary guidelines advisory committee looked at whether coffee poses any health risks a topic they have previously been silent on they concluded that strong evidence shows moderate coffee consumption 3 to 5 eightounce cups per day or up to 400 milligramday caffeine isnt tied to any longterm dangers for healthy people now the word healthy is key read on for more and this is a general statement not a directive in other words the committee isnt saying that everyone should drink 3 to 5 cups a day related 20 best foods to eat for breakfast even if it may offer some benefits its important to listen to your body some people can drink a strong cup of coffee and feel fantastic others may drink half a cup and feel jittery and be left with an upset stomach theres a lot of individual variation when it comes to how coffee makes you feel so dont take this as a green light to down a pot a day consider what feels best for you and if the answer is none theres no reason to start drinking java your current health matters the committee considered healthy individuals if you already have heart disease or other chronic conditions you may still need to curb your coffee consumption for example i sometimes recommend coffee to my healthy athlete clients but others who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease gerd or other digestive disorders feel much better when they eliminate it as do those who have anxiety disorders and while coffee hasnt been shown to cause high blood pressure across the board it may aggravate the condition bottom line if you have any acute or ongoing medical conditions or your blood work values have been out of the normal range talk to your doctor or personal dietitiannutritionist about whats best for you be mindful of your sleep one thing we know for certain is that caffeine interferes with sleep for most people and catching enough zzzs is critical for mental and physical well being as well as for weight control a good rule of thumb is to nix all caffeine at least six hours before bed so if youre tempted to pour another cup when youre in an afternoon slump find other ways to perk up like going for a quick walk listening to a fiveminute guided meditation or drinking a cold glass of water your genetics play a role due