I Used to Love My Morning Coffee

Three years ago, I'd wake up excited for that first sip. Steam rising, that bitter warmth—it was mine. Then I read about diterpenes. LDL cholesterol. Triglycerides. Suddenly my French press became a weapon against my arteries. I switched to filtered. Measured exactly two cups. Timed my consumption. I started checking my pulse after each cup, googling "coffee heart palpitations" at 2am. My morning ritual became a risk assessment. Black only—no cream, no sugar, nothing that might tip some invisible scale. Last week I caught myself calculating the cholesterol impact of my third cup while it sat cooling on my desk. I didn't even want it anymore. The irony? My bloodwork is fine. Always has been. But somewhere between optimization and obsession, I lost the thing that used to make mornings feel possible. #HealthAnxiety #FoodFear #ControlExhaustion #Health #Diet