How to maximize the health benefits of coffee should be something every coffee and non-coffee drinker should consider.
The smell of a freshly brewed coffee is amazing. Yet, even better is the taste of a good quality coffee. Plus, what’s also great is this – knowing that you’re injecting your body with anti-aging oxidants as well as a host of other essential nutrients.
However, what most people don’t know is this… depending on how you make your coffee you might be missing out on some huge coffee benefits.
First of all, let us bust the myth that drinking coffee is harmful to your health. Let’s get real for a second: mainstream media loves to scare you. One week you’ll be told that coffee is the elixir of life. And then the next, it’s a one-way ticket to an early grave. It’s time to cut through this corrupt noise.
The growing number of coffee drinkers around the world, has prompted hundreds of studies about the effects of coffee on the body… and whether or not caffeine causes harm. Some say that it’s good to drink coffee when you have a headache. Others say that it’s bad to drink coffee if you have stomach problems. Learn about the facts and the myths of coffee drinking. This will help fellow coffee lovers enjoy their next cup even more.
The Biological Breakdown: What’s Actually Happening in Your Body?
The general effects of coffee fall into the following categories:
- Stimulant effects: Caffeine makes coffee a well-established stimulant… and that’s because it stimulates the nervous system. This includes the nerves controlling intestinal activity, blood pressure, and airway size… which may keep you alert and awake, yet may also impair sleep, cause jitters and anxiety.
- Heartburn: All types of coffee, even decaf, can stimulate secretion of stomach acid… which may lead to heartburn.
- Diuretic features: Caffeine encourages the kidneys to produce urine to rid the body of excess fluid. However, coffee leads to urination so effectively that it may cause mild dehydration. Ongoing dehydration can accelerate aging and cause unwanted bodily changes.
Over the past 50 years, studies have raised concern over the health risks of coffee or caffeine users. And, this includes an association with stomach problems, pancreatic and bladder cancer, fibrocystic breast disease… through to gallbladder disease and other conditions. However, when analyzed further – these studies just fall short of implicating even modest coffee consumption as a significant health risk… among pregnant women and cardiac patients.
Debunking the Alarmist Headlines
A study conducted in 1981 by the Harvard School of Public Health highlighting – coffee intake being associated with an increased pancreatic cancer was discredited. And, it’s often used as a model to show how a flawed study can mislead research results. It analyzed a number of “exposures” among patients with pancreatic cancer, including coffee intake. The number of factors being examined made it a “fishing expedition” according to most research experts.
The danger of examining too many factors at once may produce “association just by chance” results. There is the problem of generating misleading results if a net is cast too wide.
Fast forward to reality: The Harvard School of Public Health looked at – the relationship between coffee consumption and overall mortality in the Nurses Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow Up Study. And, together this totaled about 130,000 study volunteers. At the start of the study, these healthy men and women were in their 40s and 50s. They were followed for between 18 to 24 years, to monitor who died in that period. Plus, it was tracking their diet and lifestyle habits, which included coffee consumption.
The verdict? No relationship between coffee consumption and increased risk of death from any cause, death from cancer, or death from cardiovascular disease were found. For the general population – the evidence suggests that coffee drinking doesn’t have any serious detrimental health effects.
The Hidden Superpowers of Your Daily Grind
Forget kale and blueberries for a second. If you want true longevity fuel, look no further than your ceramic mug. The following are benefits or uses of coffee/caffeine aside from being a stimulant:
- Medical applications: Premature babies or those who have undergone surgery just after birth may be treated with caffeine to stimulate their breathing.
- Nutritional density: Coffee has plenty of nutrients and antioxidants. Many of the nutrients in the coffee beans do make it into the final drink… which actually contains a decent amount of vitamins and minerals.
A cup of coffee contains:
- 6% of the RDA for Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5).
- 11% of the RDA for Riboflavin (Vitamin B2).
- 2% of the RDA for Niacin (B3) and Thiamine (B1).
- 3% of the RDA for Potassium and Manganese.
But this isn’t all. Coffee also contains a massive amount of antioxidants. In fact, coffee is the biggest source of antioxidants in the western diet… outranking both fruits and vegetables combined. Yet, you can’t drink just coffee all day and night!
The news that health risks are minimal and rare was music to the ears of the coffee lovers of this world. Yet, in saying that, those who are considered high-risk patients – you are better off to avoid the stimulant action of caffeine or the heartburn provoked… even by decaffeinated coffee.
How to Maximize the Health Benefits of Coffee: The Anti-Mainstream Rules
Be warned though, not all coffees are the same. In fact, many of the commercial stuff sitting on supermarket shelves is a chemical disaster waiting to happen.
Aim to buy organic coffee beans and grind them up fresh yourself into a powder. Why? Because true organic coffee beans have been grown WITHOUT the use of toxic synthetic pesticides or herbicides. Coffee beans are one of the most heavily pesticide-sprayed crops on the planet.
Generally, organic beans are grown in the shade and can thrive without chemical assistance… protecting both your endocrine system and the rainforest ecosystem.
The Magic of the Maillard Reaction
Researcher Yazheng Liu and professor David Kitts found that darker roasted beans produce a higher level of antioxidants. The scientists discovered that chemicals produced during the coffee browning (or roasting) process, is what delivered the shot of antioxidants. This process is referred to as the Maillard reaction.
“Previous studies suggested that antioxidants in coffee could be traced to caffeine or the chlorogenic acid found in green coffee beans, but our results clearly show that the Maillard reaction is the main source of antioxidants,” says Liu, an MSc student in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems (LFS).
How to Maximize the Health Benefits of Coffee: Practical Rules for Everyday Life
Even the cleanest organic beans can be ruined by poor habits. If you want to master your morning routine without crashing by noon, follow these actionable tips:
- Cap Your Intake: Those who are considered heavy coffee drinkers, in the order of four to ten cups a day – invite problems such as anxiety, irritability, restlessness, mood swings, and sleeplessness. Everything in moderation, and having too much of a good thing can be bad… since it is a potent stimulant. Stick to a maximum of 2 to 3 cups per day.
- Ditch the Liquid Candy: You also want to keep in mind of coffee accompaniments – processed milk, heavy cream, and refined white sugar add empty fat and inflammatory calories to your diet.
- Upgrade Your Sweetener: If you can, aim to minimize the mainstream dairy or creamers and completely wean yourself off refined sugar. If you want a healthy, functional substitute, add a touch of raw honey or organic cinnamon – it’s natural, delicious, and blood-sugar friendly.
So, stop treating your morning routine like a sugary dessert. Enjoy your coffee “the right way” to reap every ounce of the biological benefits!
Ready to take your daily routine to the next level? Now that you know how to maximize the health benefits of coffee… let’s enhance your overall health and wellbeing today. Head over to our Resources page for self-help guides, checklists and tools designed to optimize your health.