Food & Recipes
The Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee...and Recipes
Go ahead, grab a cup of coffee. In fact, grab two or more. There are numerous studies suggesting that coffee is indeed good for your health. In fact, it has been proven that 4 cups of coffee a day can significantly lower the risk of early death by 64%. The reduction is especially significant once people reach the age of 45. This suggests that drinking coffee is even more beneficial for older people. So, what are the health benefits of coffee?
Coffee Improves Energy and Alertness
This is the number one benefit of drinking coffee. In fact, most people drink coffee to help keep them alert and awake. Coffee improves energy levels because it contains caffeine, a commonly consumed psychoactive substance. It is absorbed in the bloodstream and travels to the brain. Caffeine blocks adenosine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter which then leads to a stimulant effect.
Coffee Burns Fats
If you check most fat burning tablets or supplements, you would see caffeine listed as an ingredient. Caffeine is a natural fat-burning substance. It can boost a person’s metabolic rate by 3-11%. However, the effect may not be as significant for long term coffee drinkers.
Coffee Contains Nutrients
Perhaps, you don’t know this, but coffee contains nutrients. Admittedly, the many nutrients that a coffee bean has do not make it to your drink, but coffee does contain essential nutrients like Vitamin B12, Vitamin b5, Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium and Niacin.
Coffee Lowers the Risk of Diabetes
More than 300 million people around the world suffer from Type II diabetes. The disease takes lives on a daily basis. Diabetes is characterized by elevated blood sugar and the body’s inability to secrete insulin. Coffee significantly lowers the risk of developing diabetes by up to 67% in some people.
Coffee Lowers the Risk of Dementia
Alzheimer’s disease is a vicious neurodegenerative disease. It is the leading cause of dementia. It is common in people over 65 years of age. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for Alzheimer, but there are things that you can do to prevent developing Alzheimer, and one of these preventive measures is drinking coffee.
Coffee Lowers the Risk of Parkinson’s
Parkinson’s disease is a common neurodegenerative disease. It occurs when there is significant reduction in the number of dopamine-generating neurons in the brain. There is no cure, but it could be prevented. One of these preventive measures is drinking coffee. Coffee can reduce the risk by up to 60%.
Coffee Fights Depression
Depression can be debilitating. It can cause serious mental issues. It can rob a person of a good quality of life. It is fairly common. In fact about 4% of the country’s population suffers from clinical depression. A study, however, published by Harvard shows that women who drink about 4 or more cups of coffee a day reduces their risk of developing depression by 20%.
So, go ahead - enjoy your coffee. There is nothing wrong with drinking a cup or two daily. You can even try cooking with it. There are many scrumptious coffee recipes online. Here are a few of them below:
Coffee Truffles by Recipes Made Easy
These are coffee flavoured truffles with a hint of Kahlua, hand rolled in chocolate.
Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies via Lemon Tree Dwelling
These Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies are the perfect marriage of two amazing flavors.
Cappucino Vegan Cups via Lazy Cat Kitchen
These little ‘cappuccino’ vegan cups may be small yet pack a punch of flavour for sure.