Coffee lovers, rejoice! The cup of coffee you sip in the morning has surprising health benefits. Starting the morning with freshly brewed cup of coffee not only helps you feel more alert but enjoying a few cups of coffee daily may lower your risk of certain health issues, such as gallstones, liver disease, depression, and type 2 diabetes.
On the downside, you can offset those benefits if you add too much sugar and cream to a cup of coffee or drink sugar-saturated specialty drinks. It’s not hard to turn a healthy cup of coffee into a calorie-laden indulgence.
Still, there are ways to make your coffee healthier without sacrificing taste. Let’s explore nine ways to elevate your coffee game and reap the health benefits while still enjoying a great-tasting cup of coffee.
Don’t Drink Unfiltered Coffee (or Do So in Moderation)
Filtering coffee changes certain aspects of coffee in a way that can impact your health. Unfiltered coffee, such as French press coffee or Turkish coffee, contains higher levels of a compound called cafestol, a type of diterpene found in coffee beans. You may have noticed that unfiltered coffee has an oily texture. That’s due to diterpene.
Research shows drinking copious amounts of unfiltered coffee, due to its diterpenes, can increase LDL cholesterol levels, which is the “bad” type of cholesterol that contributes to atherosclerosis, a contributor to stroke and heart attacks.
Therefore, you should drink Turkish coffee, espresso, and other types of unfiltered coffee in moderation, or avoid them. If you have cardiovascular disease, it’s best to drink only filtered coffee and talk to your doctor about how much they recommend. Also, be aware that it may not offer the same health benefits as filtered brew. The American Heart Association recommends people limit their intake of unfiltered coffee to no more than 6 ounces per day.
When you drink filtered coffee, you’re sipping coffee brewed using a paper or metal filter. The filter removes most of the LDL-raising cafestol and other compounds linked with cardiovascular disease while still retaining the beneficial antioxidants that make coffee a healthy beverage to sip.
Use Organic Beans
If you love coffee and want to maximize its health benefits, be choosy with your beans. To minimize exposure to pesticides, organic beans are the way to go. Not only are they better for your health, but they’re more environmentally friendly.
When coffee growers grow beans for organic coffee, they don’t use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, leading to beans with lower levels of harmful chemicals that can affect your health. Plus, organic farming uses sustainable practices that are less harmful to the environment. By choosing organic coffee beans, you can sip a more sustainable cup of coffee in the morning.
Drink Black Coffee
The healthiest way to drink coffee is black. When you add sugar and cream, the calories add up and the extra sugar creates blood sugar spikes and drops that aren’t beneficial for your mental or physical health. Try sipping black coffee instead and skip the enhancements. It’s almost calorie free and contains no sugar.
Studies show that black coffee may help improve brain function, boost metabolism, and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. Plus, it’s the best way to enjoy the true flavor of the coffee bean without added distractions.
If you find eliminating sugar and milk or cream too daunting at first, gradually reduce the amount and allow your taste buds to adapt. You’ll be surprised at how delicious black coffee will taste after a few weeks. Who knows, you might just become a black coffee convert.
Add a Pinch of Cinnamon
How about a little spice in your coffee? Adding cinnamon to a cup of java is a delicious and healthy way to enhance your morning coffee break. Cinnamon is a spice used for centuries for its medicinal properties. It’s a powerhouse of antioxidants with anti-inflammatory activity.
Adding a pinch of cinnamon to your coffee may also help regulate your blood sugar and prevent blood glucose spikes. This is especially beneficial for those who may have diabetes or are at risk of developing it. Research, including a 2008 study, shows that chromium and polyphenols in cinnamon improve insulin sensitivity for better blood sugar control.
Plus, the warmth that cinnamon adds to coffee reduces the need to add sugar or artificial sweeteners. Next time you make your coffee, consider adding a sprinkle of cinnamon for a healthy and tasty flavor boost – and know you’re doing something good for your health.
Don’t Overdo It
Coffee boosts energy, improves focus, and helps jumpstart your focus and energy to better tackle the busy morning ahead. However, drinking too much coffee can trigger anxiety, restlessness, and increased heart rate.
The key to enjoying coffee’s health benefits is to consume it in moderation. As mentioned, experts recommend that adults drink no more than 400mg of caffeine daily, which is about four cups of brewed coffee over the course of a day. So, enjoy coffee, but do it responsibly. Savor every sip, but don’t overdo it.
Use Filtered Water
One of the key factors in brewing a healthy and delicious cup of coffee is the water you use. Baristas recommend using filtered water for creating a tastier cup of coffee. Filtering the water you use to make coffee removes impurities and chemicals that can alter the taste of your coffee. The reward is a smoother, more flavorful cup.
Tap water contains fluoride, chlorine, and other minerals that increase acidity and alter the taste of coffee. Plus, getting too much fluoride and chlorine can be harmful to your health. Next time you brew your morning cup, give filtered water a try and taste the difference for yourself.
Try Cold Brew
If you’re a coffee lover, you’re always looking for new ways to enjoy your favorite beverage. Why not give cold brew a try? Unlike traditional hot coffee, which is brewed with hot water, cold brew steeps in cold water. It’s easy to make at home too, using instructions online. It’s less acidic than hot brewed coffee. Therefore, it’s a better option if you have a sensitive stomach or who are prone to heartburn.
The slow and gentle brewing process extracts the flavor and caffeine from the beans without releasing bitter compounds into the water. This leaves you with a smooth, less acidic or bitter cup of coffee. Because you drink it cold, it’s perfect for a scorching summer day or any other time you want a break from drinking hot beverages.
Conclusion
By following these simple tips, you can make your coffee super healthy and reap all its health benefits. From using organic beans to adding cinnamon and choosing plant-based milks, these small changes can make a big difference in the quality of your coffee and your overall health.
References:
- “Coffee.” 2019. The Nutrition Source. January 8, 2019. hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/coffee/.
- Gunnars, Kris. 2018. “8 Ways to Make Your Coffee Super Healthy.” Healthline. Healthline Media. April 24, 2018. healthline.com/nutrition/8-ways-to-make-your-coffee-super-healthy#:~:text=8%20Ways%20to%20Make%20Your%20Coffee%20Super%20Healthy,8.%20Brew%20Your%20Coffee%20Using%20a%20Paper%20Filter.
- “Cinnamon extract improves insulin sensitivity in the brain and lowers ….” 18 Mar. 2014, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24643026/.
- “The cholesterol-raising factor from coffee beans, cafestol, as an ….” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17456796/.
- Anderson, Richard A. 2008. “Chromium and Polyphenols from Cinnamon Improve Insulin Sensitivity.” Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 67 (1): 48-53. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0029665108006010.
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