Giada De Laurentiis' Strategy For Moderating Her Caffeine Intake

For some, "afternoon coffee" is synonymous with staying productive — not to mention awake — throughout the entirety of the 9-to-5 slog. The term is recognized well enough to have an entry in the Urban Dictionary, which means the crowdsourced dictionary's online store will sell you an "afternoon coffee" coffee mug.

As it turns out, stating the obvious on your coffee mug might be the least of your problems — that is, if you are inclined to listen to Giada Di Laurentiis' advice. Showbiz CheatSheet cracked open De Laurentiis' new cookbook, "Eat Better, Feel Better: My Recipes for Wellness and Healing, Inside and Out," to gather the celebrity chef's wisdom on consuming alcohol, caffeine, and fatty foods. In general, De Laurentiis preaches moderation rather than outright prohibition when it comes to these guilty pleasures. For caffeine, specifically, the host of "Giada in Italy" says moderation is mainly a matter of keeping an eye on the clock.

Giada De Laurentiis did not take sides on the seemingly endless debate about whether drinking coffee was beneficial or harmful to your health. According to Showbiz CheatSheet, she simply acknowledged in her new book, "Eat Better, Feel Better" that you could find a scientific study to support either position. "The one thing we know for sure, though, is that it will keep you from getting the sleep you need, particularly if you drink it close to bedtime, as its effects can last for hours," De Laurentiis wrote. 

She added that she makes sure she does not take in too much caffeine during the day, including any cups of black or green tea. To ensure that her consumption does not result in a restless night, De Laurentiis cuts herself off from coffee, tea, or anything else caffeinated at noon.

A columnist for the business magazine Inc. reinforced De Laurentiis' point, saying that, while we may drink afternoon coffee to boost our productivity, it might have the opposite effect by disrupting our sleep and leaving us sluggish the next day. Inc. recommended getting that afternoon coffee no later than 2 p.m., while De Laurentiis would rather you remove "afternoon coffee" from your vocabulary.