It's all about the Beans

So here I am, I’ve set myself the task of writing my morning blog on how good nutrition can help you and improve your health, while I’m pondering what to write about wondering what benefits I can come up with today, I end up looking blankly at the screen and suddenly there it is the answer is right in front of me. My morning coffee. I take mine black with half a teaspoon of honey. The honey just lifts it a little and I get to enjoy this wonderful drink without any guilt whatsoever.

Coffee has had a bit of a bad reputation over the last few years, undeservedly so as well, the problem has been the double frappacino with extra marshmallows and chocolate sauce. “oh and could you put soy milk in that as well because that will make it healthy for me.”

Simple coffee made simply is best and it DOES have lots of benefits! I use really good coffee made in a French press (cafetiere). What are these benefits then? Before I start my normal disclaimer applies; everything I say is backed by good science from respected institutions, if you want to know the sources then reach out to me and I can point you towards them.

Raise your metabolism and increase oxidation of fatty acids, whilst increasing exercise performance by around 10%, beware though the side effect of this is that blood pressure can also increase.

Improve your mood and brain function by opening up the neural pathways. Coffee blocks adenosine which inhibits the brains neurotransmitters. It also increases the production of dopamine and norepinephrine (easy for you to say) these little wonders are neurotransmitters that improve brain function.

Coffee has been shown to lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. If you drink four or more cups per day your risk of type 2 diabetes will lower substantially (somewhere between 23 and 67% dependant upon ethnicity and other factors but a 23% reduction isn’t something to sniff at).

Drinking coffee now is likely to protect your brain as you age. Indicative studies have shown that coffee drinkers have a 60% lower risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

In western culture we use the heart as the metaphor to show strength courage etc. Richard the Lionheart etc. In Eastern cultures they refer to the Liver in the same way. Guess who has it right, whilst the heart keeps the blood moving it is the liver that is the real workhorse of the body. Regular coffee intake (4 or more cups a day) reduces the risk of liver cancer by around 40% and reduces the risk of cirrhosis by as much as 80%.

Coffee is loaded with nutrients and antioxidants have a look at the stats below if you drink four cups a day:

Pantothenic acid (B5)24%

Riboflavin (B2) 44%

Niacin (B3)8%

Potassium and Manganese 12 %

If you eat some good fruit (remember whole fruit not juice!!) and some colourful vegies you will invariably reach your RDA.

Finally in a very large study with a very large sample held over nearly 25 years it was found that coffee lowers the risk of death by ALL causes!! Now you really can drink your coffee without any guilt whatsoever. Just no lattes, triple vento’s, frappacino’s or cream!