After dropping the kids off at school, I wanted to jog with some of the other moms, two of whom were sipping double-decker coffees from the local house of java when I arrived at the track. As we were about to begin, one woman suggested walking a few laps so that they could finish drinking. "That way," she said, "we'll get the energy we need to keep moving."

Funny how things change. Just a few years ago, these same women, dressed in workout clothes, would have been carrying black mesh bags with liters of bottled water inside. Hydration was the day's operative word. Today, however, the ubiquitous beverage of choice is coffee -- at up to three bucks a pop -- because it's caffeine that fuels our on-the-run-get-it-done society. These days, computer hackers and others looking for a sustained caffeine burst chase their coffee with grapefruit juice as a way of extending the rush from four hours or less to about six.

Call it the Starbucking of America.

Believe me, I love the smell of the coffee. And I even respect the coffeehouse culture that's been evolving. But I don't drink the stuff, or any other caffeinated beverage. In my experience, there are better, healthier and cheaper ways to get the energy and alertness required to make it through a busy day.

For one thing, I don't appreciate the fact that as caffeine works in the body, it raises your heart rate and blood pressure and can cause heart palpitations.