TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2023 - AN OLD FAVORITE - COFFEE

 TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2023 - AN OLD FAVORITE - COFFEE

I thought I had read that the researchers are disagreeing on coffee (again).  And, I didn’t find that research.

(A lot of today’s blog is just copied from WebMD, and other sources):

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“For most people, moderate coffee consumption can be incorporated into a healthy diet,” Hu said that moderate coffee intake—about 2–5 cups a day—is linked to a lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver and endometrial cancers, Parkinson's disease, and depression.

The healthiest way to take your coffee is hot-brewed and black. One cup has virtually no calories or carbs, no fat, and is low in sodium. Black coffee also has micronutrients, including potassium, magnesium, and niacin

You may be in it for the caffeine, but coffee is full of antioxidants. One cup has 200-550 milligrams of antioxidants, including chlorogenic acid, a compound that helps your body process fat and sugar. Antioxidants lower inflammation, reduce your risk of chronic disease and stabilize free radicals. Robusta and Arabica beans have similar amounts of antioxidants after being roasted. Light roast has more than dark.

If you’re looking for antioxidants, stick with hot-brewed coffee. 

Coffee starts out healthy, but sugar and flavored sweeteners add fat, calories, and a higher risk of heart disease. 

Milky coffee drinks contain either sweetened condensed milk, heavy whipping cream, or whole milk, often with whipped cream on top. That’s a lot of fat and calories in every sip.

If you go big on fat and calories, opt for the small cup instead of the large one. 

Look for organic coffee. Coffee beans are one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world. Many pesticides are removed through the washing or roasting process, but not all. Look for an organic certification seal on the packaging of coffee you buy in a store, and for the word “organic” on menu choices in your coffee shop.

Turmeric can be added to coffee.  Turmeric has curcuminoids or anti-inflammatory compounds that may have a positive effect on diabetes and cancer. Add it to hot black coffee, but steer clear of sugar, syrups, or heavy creamers that add fat and calories.

Avoid egg coffee (I didn’t know of egg coffee).  Raw eggs can have salmonella - plus egg coffee can add a lot of sugar and fat.

Another unknown to me - Mushroom coffee.  Healthy. Mushroom coffee isn’t made of mushrooms -- it’s coffee plus mushroom extract, typically from lion’s mane, chaga, cordyceps, or reishi mushrooms. It has less caffeine and doubles down on inflammation-reducing antioxidants, so it’s good for you as long as you don’t load it down with sugar and cream. There’s not enough research to back up all the health claims yet, such as an immune system boost.

And, even one more - Nootropic coffee.  Healthy, unless you’re sensitive to stimulants. Also called smart drugs, nootropics are compounds that increase your memory, creativity, motivation, and attention. Caffeine is one, so coffee is naturally nootropic. Any nootropic coffee you order may have stimulants -- natural or manufactured -- beyond caffeine. (I haven't seen this before)

How about adding your daily vitamin to coffee?  Not a good idea: Adding vitamins to coffee sounds like a good idea, but coffee’s diuretic properties make you pee at a faster rate than normal. You’ll lose any water-soluble nutrients you take in before you can absorb them. Coffee also blunts the absorption of minerals like zinc, calcium, and iron. Plan to take your vitamins an hour before or after you drink coffee.

That morning cup of coffee may be linked to a lower risk of dying, researchers from a study published Monday in The Annals of Internal Medicine concluded. Those who drank 1.5 to 3.5 cups of coffee per day, even with a teaspoon of sugar, were up to 30 percent less likely to die during the study period than those who didn’t drink coffee. Those who drank unsweetened coffee were 16 to 21 percent less likely to die during the study period, with those drinking about three cups per day having the lowest risk of death when compared with noncoffee drinkers.

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And, finally:

You drink more than 4 cups of coffee a day

• Headache.

• Insomnia.

• Nervousness.

• Irritability.

• Frequent urination or inability to control urination.

• Fast heartbeat.

• Muscle tremors.

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Okay, the annual review of coffee doesn’t show any significant changes in the research.  Coffee - in moderation, and without sugar or cream - can be helpful with heart health.

Coffee joke from a few years back.

Folgers ran an ad “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.

Johnny was staying at Grandma’s house overnight.  He knew how to make coffee and made a pot for Grandma the next morning.  As Grandma was drinking she found some green plastic men with rifles in her coffee.  She asked Johnny what was going on.

Johnny said, “Gee Grandma, haven’t you heard “The best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup”