Coffee has been quite a controversial topic in the health and nutrition world for quite some time now. Some people say that it’s not healthy because of the caffeine. Some people say that it’s unhealthy BECAUSE of the caffeine, while others say that decaffeinated coffee is where it’s at! Who really knows the truth? I’ve waited quite some time to write this article because I wanted to gather as much value and research as I could before sharing it all with you in one very valuable article.

Coffee is brewed from beans that grow in tropical climates in very rich and fertile soil. When you think of coffee the first thing that come’s to mind is most likely caffeine, but coffee has a nutritional profile composed of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, chromium and omega 6 fatty acids.  Coffee is not the only food with caffeine, there are over 60 plants with naturally occurring caffeine.

Coffee: Weighing The Pros and Cons

Pros: Nutrient Rich. Balances Blood Sugar Levels. Prevents Brain Deterioration & Disease. Stimulates the (CNS) central nervous system. Improves metabolism. It’s a diuretic meaning it helps you urinate.

Cons: Too much caffeine from coffee can stress the heart and CNS and give you jitters.  Can inhibit the absorption of Iron. Too much will cause you to become dehydrated.

Coffee is not just caffeine in a cup, it’s got a wide range of nutrients  and beneficial value as you can see above but at the same time caffeine can inhibit the absorption of specific nutrients, specifically iron which isn’t in coffee anyway. Caffeine typically get’s a bad wrap in the public eye because it makes a small percentage of people who consume it jittery. It is a nervous system stimulant. It stimulates the central nervous system, spinal cord and brain. When consumed too much it can cause you to have trouble falling asleep and have a mind that is too active but at the same time this is beneficial in small amounts to keep your nervous system and brain active. When consumed earlier in the day in smaller amounts (and in the right way, as discussed later in this article) you will learn how to get the most nutrition, health value and energy from coffee without the downsides.

Weighing the pros and cons though clearly shows that you get more benefit from drinking a small amount of coffee than none at all. This goes without mentioning and going into detail about the reduced risk of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, parkinson’s, alzheimer’s, liver cancer, skin cancer, stroke and dementia as well.

Now more research is showing that coffee and caffeine are beneficial for preventing neurodegenerative diseases and helping to balance blood sugar (glucose) levels as well. The list goes on and on and i’m sure 10 years from now we’ll have a list of other health benefits of the coffee bean.

In fact, one of the coolest studies that i’ve read on coffee is from the New England Journal Of Medicine published in 2012. They found that coffee drinkers had a much lower risk of dying over the 13 year study period than those who did not as you can see in the chart below.

3 Things Every Coffee Drinker Must Know

(Follow These Protocols)

1. Coffee is FULL of Pesticides: Coffee is one of the most pesticide sprayed crops to produce a yield if not organic. There are plenty of organic coffee companies out there, do your research and find an organic brand that you like! Drinking pesticide rich regular coffee with lots of caffeine will be toxic to your liver and weaken your central nervous system instead of benefit it. One brand worth checking out is Marley Organic Coffee.

2. Caffeine Can Be Good And Bad: So add a healthy fat to your cup of Joe. By adding a spoonful of coconut oil or organic grass fed butter you help that caffeine release slower into your body. Caffeine when slow released in the body will be more beneficial to your brain, heart and nervous system because it get’s slow doses and benefits instead of overstimulating your nervous system and heart. The healthy fat (coconut oil or grass fed butter work best) also help assimilate nutrients within the coffee as well adding the to the overall nutritional value consumed.

3. Coffee is a Diuretic: You’ll want to drink water with coffee to stay hydrated and benefit from the detoxification value of coffee and caffeine. Drink pure spring or purified water before or after coffee. Coffee is a diuretic meaning it causes you to urinate. Drinking water before and after will ensure that you stay hydrated and flush any impurities out of your body. Diuretic foods and drinks are beneficial because they help keep your bladder healthy and active.

Adding to this, I highly recommend avoiding Decaffeinated coffee. Decaffeinated coffee is proceed in a way in which the coffee beans are rinsed in chemicals to remove the caffeine. In the process you are exposing this nutritious coffee bean in it’s whole food form to chemicals and harming the nutritional profile. Decaffeinated coffee is a sterile and less valuable source of coffee in my opinion from what i’ve read. Decaffeinated coffee is still not void of caffeine because the caffeine cannot be 100% removed during this process. It just creates a less nutritious sterile bean for consumption that you don’t benefit from as much.

I also recommend not adding any sugar, sugar substitutes (unless it’s stevia) creams or additives. These are typically chemically processed and full of preservatives, pesticides and compounds that disrupt the bodies healthiest function. These are not whole food based typically so they don’t add anything to your health value, they just add to the taste which you can sweeten with stevia and do better that way!

Lastly, don’t drink too much. Most organic whole foods from the earth are beneficial in moderation and have value but even if you eat too much fruit there can be downsides. Enjoy your cup of joe and make sure to drink plenty of water, use a healthy fat and buy organic for the most value to your health and well-being!

Thanks for reading,

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P.S. Coffee can be consumed in several different ways as well. The coffee bean is roasted and this is why it turns brown and when the coffee bean is green it (before being roasted) it contains higher levels of chlorogenic acid which is a phytochemical shown to reduce oxidative damage, improved metabolism, anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic as well as an array of other benefits. Some sources say that green bean has less caffeine than roasted coffee beans while other sources claim that unroasted green coffee beans contain the same amount of caffeine if not more, so it’s up in the air! I do like green coffee bean extract and get a pure organic green coffee bean extract supplement without any additives or fillers from omica organics. You can click here to read about this product and it’s reviews.

Sources: AuthorityNutrition.com, Mercola.com, Pixabay