Most of us need that morning jolt of coffee and if you are going to go for it, you should know exactly what you are going for. Despite its slightly bad rep, coffee really can be good for you.Coffee has many antioxidants which can reduce the risk of some cancers and diseases; it can also give your metabolism a quick jumpstart, hence losing weight by accident. Other benefits are that it can improve your mood, alertness and even reduce muscle pain!
BUT, the type of coffee and how you make it can nullify those effects. Here are some tips to get the most health benefits out of your coffee experience. Also, just to throw in, I recommend about 8 oz MAX of coffee a day.
1. Go Organic – All those chemical pesticides can nullify the antioxidant benefits and for the most part organic farmers take better care of the soil, leaving you with more nutrients and flavor naturally. Also decaf organic cannot use any chemicals in the decaffeination process; they generally use the Swiss water process, using water to absorb the caffeine and carbon to filter it out. Skip the Starbucks and go for a coffee shop the sells organic coffee!
2. Be careful of additions – Sugar substitutes and non-organic dairy can also nullify the effects; if you drink a high quality cup of coffee you should not need a lot of sugar and milk anyways as the coffee will have a sort of sweetness to it. If your coffee needs flavoring, consider a different coffee.
3. Try espresso – A really good espresso should be bursting in flavor and should be smooth not bitter and if you drink it straight it’s usually only about 2oz so you don’t need any additions.
4. Make it at home the easy way – If all this seems like too much or there are no organic coffee cafes near you, K-Cup machines make it very easy to make it at home and they have organic coffee too.
Enjoy your coffee and you will certainly enjoy it more knowing how much it can benefit you!
