Firefighters love coffee! More world issues get solved at the coffee table in a fire house than at a United Nations Summit! OK, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but the camaraderie at a fire station dinner table over a cup of coffee is simply amazing. This is where problems are hashed out, bad calls are discussed and friendship are built. And as a bonus, here are10 Health Benefits of Coffee.
Coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the world, coming in behind water. Coffee for years has gotten a bad rap of being unhealthy, however, new studies find that coffee, in healthy quantities, has many benefits to help make the drinker, fit, smart, and live longer.
Drinking good coffee, free of mold and toxins, provides all kinds of health benefits. The key here is good coffee. Cheap bulk coffee that you purchase by the pounds at your local grocery store does not fall into the “good coffee” category,
10 Health Benefits of Coffee
- Coffee Contains Nutrients.
- Coffee Helps prevent health issues such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, and cancer.
- Coffee reduces inflammation.
- Coffee increases metabolism.
- Coffee is rich in antioxidants.
- Coffee improves energy levels and makes you smarter.
- Coffee can help people suffering from migraines.
- Coffee boost physical performance.
- Coffee may help you live longer.
- Coffee puts you in a better mood.
Nutrients Found in Coffee
Coffee beans are loaded with many nutrients. When coffee is roasted, stored, and brewed properly many of these nutrients are passed on into every hot steamy cup. Some of these nutrients and vitamins are: Magnesium, Potassium, manganese, vitamins B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), and B5 (Pantothenic Acid).
Coffee Helps Prevent Many Health Issues
through many scientific studies, the health benefits of Coffee are being found to help reduce the risk of many diseases and health conditions. For example, the risk of type 2 Diabetes has been found to be reduced by as much as 23 to 50 percent according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine.
Also in this study coffee was found to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease by 25%, some cancers by 20%. Early studies also show a reduction in Strokes and Alzheimer disease.
Coffee Helps Reduce Inflammation.
In addition to containing many minerals and vitamins coffee contains polyphenols and anti-inflammatory compounds that help the body protect against chronic inflammation. Many of these compounds can help your digestive tract as well. On a side note, if you find you experience stomach irritation after drinking coffee try drinking a darker roast. Darker roast coffees have more N-methylpyridinium which will help with acid reflux and stomach irritation.
Coffee Boosts Metabolism.
Research has found that coffee can increase fat burning properties by over 25%! Coffee contains magnesium and potassium which helps the body regulate insulin and break down body fat. This in turn belt the body burn fat more efficiently for fuel.
Coffee is Rich in Antioxidants.
Studies again show that the health Benefits of coffee and many, however, arguably the biggest benefit is due to the high levels of antioxidants. A study in posted in the National Library of medicine, shows that depending on the level of roasting, darker roast is better, people receive more antioxidants from coffee than from both fruits and vegetables!
Coffee Improves Energy Levels and Makes you Smarter.
We all know coffee contains the stimulant caffeine. What is important about caffeine is when consumed, it blocks the receptors that normally contains adenosine. Adenosine’s job is to slow down the firing of neurons in your brain, allowing you to think calmly and clearly. However, blocking the adenosine increases the levels of other neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine. As a result, you experience increased levels of energy, better reaction times, and overall better cognitive function. Coffee has also been shown to enhance memory performance, increase alertness, attention, and concentration.
Coffee can help people suffering from migraines.
Coffee dilates the blood vessels which help to remove harmful toxins that can be the cause of the inflammation that causes a headache. This isn’t really that surprising when you begin to look into the headache and migraine medications, as their active ingredient is caffeine.
Coffee Boost Physical Performance.
Consuming a cup of coffee an hour before a workout can improve your performance by as much as 12%. Caffeine increases adrenaline levels in your blood stream helping you prepare for physical exertion.
Coffee may help you live longer.
Studies found that drinking 2-4 cups of coffee translated into an 18% lower risk of death during the study period compared to non-coffee drinkers. Drinking more coffee appeared to lower the chances of dying from cancer, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, diabetes or chronic lower respiratory disease.
Coffee puts you in a better mood.
By stimulating the central nervous system and increasing the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline your mood brightens. in addition, coffee may have other mood benefits then simply elevating mood shortly after its intake. One study suggests that there is an 8% reduced risk of developing depression per average cup of (caffeinated) coffee consumed per day.
Quality Coffee For the best health benefits of coffee
Poor, or some might say, cheap coffee does not provide these health benefits. In fact, it can actually cause health problems. Poor quality coffee will often contain mold and other toxins. It will also have fillers that are not healthy.
Choose high quality coffee that has been tested for mold. one that I highly recommend is Bulletproof coffee. It is highly regulated to insure the best quality coffee. I mix grass fed butter in my coffee to add healthy fats as well.
The popularity of the Bulletproof Coffee by Dave Asprey is undeniable. Going into all the work Dave Asprey has done to make coffee healthier and taste better will be the subject for another post.
Here is a link to his website and coffee products.
Making a Keto rich cup of Bulletproof coffee:
What is it exactly? You simply blend grass-fed butter (or ghee) and MCT oil into black coffee which creates a brain-boosting, creamy coffee. By blending these beautiful fats into your coffee, it allows the caffeine to be slowly released throughout the day so you don’t get the usual ‘coffee crash’ like you would from drinking regular coffee. Instead you’ll have more stable blood sugar and energy levels + better brain function. The medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) in the MCT oil help to supercharge your brain function by giving you mental clarity and removing any brain fog.
And by using grass-fed butter or organic ghee when making your bulletproof coffee, it will provide much higher amounts of Omega 3’s and important fat soluble vitamins, including; A, D, E and Vitamin K2 which is incredibly important for calcium distribution in the body. But the most amazing thing about quality butter and ghee is that it’s a fantastic source of butyrate, which is a food source for the beneficial bacteria in our guts.
Now that you’re armed with all the great health benefits of coffee, not to mention the ability of solving all the world problems at the coffee table, get out there and grab some high quality coffee and and make the fire service a better place!