When I was in undergrad, I swore that I would never drink coffee–even when I got to medical school. Why? Well, for starters, I never really enjoyed how coffee tasted. It was just way too bitter, and the only coffee drinks I could tolerate were ones that were more sugar than coffee. And secondly, I just figured I’d run on my natural energy.
I changed. And medical school is to blame. When I first entered medical school, I wasn’t prepared for classes at 8 am. I had gotten through most of undergrad by scheduling later classes and skipping a lot of classes to study more efficiently in my apartment. Medical school had mandatory 8 AM workshops. It took some time, but eventually the fatigue settled in. I started drinking energy drinks (the sugar free kind) in the morning to jolt myself awake. Then winter would kick in and I really just wanted something to keep me alert and warm. Thus started my adventure into the world of coffee.
I have to say that I really appreciate the fact that artificial sweeteners exist. I still maintain that coffee tastes woefully bitter, but artificial sweeteners definitely make it bearable. At this point, as an MS2, I drink it for the caffeine–not to satisfy my palate. My drink of choice is an Americano, which is essentially diluted espresso. Since this habit can be a bit unsustainable, I’ve also bought caffeine pills which pack a whopping 200 mg of caffeine in one pill. Don’t worry, I’m certainly mindful of the recommended daily allowance for caffeine!
