Today's issue is brought to you by Proving Her Wrong

Hey, friend! Welcome to the new look for the Cleanish newsletter! We've updated the logo (you might recognize it!), and added a few new sections to make each issue more useful for you in your health and wellness lifestyle. This week, we're talking coffee: why it's gotten an unfair reputation in the news lately, whether espresso is really the caffeine powerhouse everyone thinks it is, and one weirdly effective trick for using it to your advantage. Grab your favorite mug, and let's get into it!

— Lacey Baier, Dustin Baier

Dustin and I have a new morning ritual.

Wherever we're traveling, we find a coffee shop, open up our laptops, and get to work. It's become one of my favorite parts of this season of life. So much so that, at a few of our regular spots, the baristas already recognize us. We walk in, and before we've said a word, they ask, "The usual?"

Two hot americanos. Steamed oat milk. Every single time.

It's a small thing, but it's ours.

But then, the coffee headlines started flying around again this week.

And I felt that little flicker of dread: Is my favorite part of the morning secretly working against me?

Ugh…

Let me be your voice of reason for a minute.

Here's what I keep coming back to: someone made this fear. Someone needed me to feel it, standing in a coffee shop I love, doing something I've done a thousand times. So I'd click, and scroll, and start to doubt one of the few small joys in my day. It isn't an accident. It's a business. The headline that says your coffee is quietly hurting you gets the click. The one that says "actually, your morning cup is fine" doesn't.

So, I did what I always do. I went and read the actual research instead of the headlines about it. In this case, a brand-new scientific statement from the American Heart Association. It wasn’t even new research, just a new conclusion based on existing research. And the numbers are a lot calmer than the panic. According to the statement, up to about 400 mg a day of caffeine (roughly three to five cups) isn't just safe, it's actually tied to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. That's the part the scary headlines skip. (I put all the real numbers below, so you can see for yourself.)

After reading the research and thinking on it for a few days, what I actually do hasn't changed. Two americanos most days, oat milk, and I skip the syrupy stuff almost always, not because it's forbidden, but because I've learned it makes me feel worse, not better. The oat milk stays. And no, oat milk isn't "black." I'm not chasing a perfect version of this. I'm chasing the one I'll actually keep doing: the cleanish way.

And that's the whole point, isn't it? Not to strip every last bit of joy out of your life in the name of “health,” but to know enough to make a choice you feel good about, and then actually enjoy the choice.

Coffee isn't the enemy. It never really was.

The fear is.

Want to read the actual statement instead of the headlines about it? Here's the research

Real talk on food, health, and feeling good in your body, no perfection required. Cut through the noise and support Cleanish.

There's a cyclosporiasis outbreak across more than 30 states, and the FDA has told Americans to avoid certain iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms.  The story initially broke that it was contained to Taco Bell, then Walmart.  Then, it got more interesting.

We’ve learned this week that Taylor Farms supplies a huge share of the bagged greens in this country. Their own product finder turns up Walmart, Target, Kroger, Sprouts, and Whole Foods.

Here's what got me. When you pay more at the store with the quality standards and the responsible sourcing page, you're not really buying better lettuce. You're buying the belief that someone already checked, the feeling that you’re being “healthier.”

Then, something like this happens, and you find out the supplier is upstream of all of them.

The crazy thing here is there's still a part of my brain that thinks lettuce from a store with wooden crates and chalkboard signs has better lettuce. That part of my brain has been fooled by branding and marketing, and will likely keep falling for it.

Same company. Same supplier. Different lighting.

Want to see which stores and chains serve Taylor Farms produce? USA Today mapped it out.

66%

of American adults now drink coffee every day, which is the highest rate in over 20 years.

3 cups

the average a coffee drinker has in a day.

46%

had a specialty coffee, like a latte, cappuccino, or cold brew, in the past day, up from 39% in 2020.

We're right there with the 3-cups-a-day crowd. Two hot, one iced, please.

Source: National Coffee Association, 2025

Craving Starbucks but worried about the calories? Watch on YouTube →

☕ Up to 5 cups of coffee a day may lower heart disease risk, doctors say

Turns out your daily cup may be doing your heart a favor. Up to about five cups a day was linked to lower heart disease risk, among other benefits.

💭 The Bottom Line → Coffee's had a rough reputation for a long time, but it may actually be helping you if you’re not loading it with syrups and processed creamers.

🎭 Going to museums, movies, and theater may help your body stay younger

Older adults who regularly made time for cultural outings had bodies that functioned about three years younger, so consider this your permission to keep saying yes to the fun stuff.

🧠 Popular sugar substitutes linked to faster brain aging

Several common artificial sweeteners were tied to faster memory and thinking decline over time, a good reminder that "sugar-free" doesn't automatically mean "better for you."

😴 Losing just 80 minutes of sleep a night could make you gain weight

The interesting part: even a modest sleep cut made people move less and sit more, not eat more, which is one more reason rest isn't the thing to trade away when life gets busy.

💪 Scientists discover why exercise reverses muscle aging

Researchers pinpointed a molecular "switch" that helps explain why staying active keeps aging muscles strong and able to repair themselves.

Proving Her Wrong is Lacey Baier's personal essay newsletter on identity, hiding, and finally showing up as yourself.

For most adults, up to about 400 mg of caffeine a day (roughly three to five cups of coffee) is considered “safe.” And it's not just safe: it's linked to lower rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation.

The catch that trips people up: "three to five cups" means actual 8 oz cups, not the 20 oz tumbler on your desk. One big to-go coffee can quietly be two or three "cups" worth.

One honest note: almost all of this is correlational, meaning it shows trends, not proof. People who drink their coffee black may simply be doing a lot of other healthy things, too. Worth remembering it’s not gospel.

Sources: American Heart Association scientific statement (Circulation, 2026); AHA plain-language summary; Mayo Clinic caffeine chart

The wellness industry profits when you feel broken so it keeps inventing new things to fear. A reminder that the basics still work, and you were never the problem. Read it →

Drink a cup of coffee, then immediately take a 20-minute nap. A driving simulator study found that people who did this performed better than those who just had coffee or just napped. Caffeine takes about 20-30 minutes to kick in, so you wake up right as it hits.

Store-bought creamer is mostly oil, refined sugar, and a mystery ingredient list. These five use just a few whole ingredients. Get the recipe →

P.S. Know someone who'd like this, too? Share your link and unlock our Cheap & Healthy Grocery List after just 1 referral: {{rp_refer_url}}