First Things, First. Coffee.
What better place, than Seattle.Being as this is my very first post in my Living Whole blog.. It is only fitting that I commence with the topic of coffee. I start my day with it. Let’s start a blog with it. In fact, my first job was a barista in my hometown’s local coffee shop. I love coffee. The good, the great, and even the bad… I am very familiar with hospital coffee. Oh, night shift in ICU. It might as well been intravenous.
There is much debate on coffee. The what, when, and how much questions on this bean of an issue has much more of an appeal and substance than the current American political preliminaries so let’s get to the grind.
Coffee for me is everyday life. Culture. It’s becoming an art, science, and passion for a multitude of enthusiasts out there but how does it measure up for your health?
Coffee comes from a genus of plans known as Coffea and is a rather beautiful green plant with delicate white blooms. Appealing to the senses, it’s aromatic scent is timeless and unmistakeable. For that extra pep in your step, it gives you stimulating caffeine, antioxidants and trace amounts of nutrients. The amount of caffeine depends on the type of coffee and how it is prepared. A standard cup of brewed coffee gives you 100 mg of caffeine.
ONE cup (8 fluid ounces) of ground and brewed coffee beans:
5 mg calcium
7 mg magnesium
7 mg phosphorus
116 mg potassium
0.5 mg zinc
Trace amounts of vitamin B-6, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate.
Dietary guidelines for beverages recommend tea and coffee second only to water in healthfulness. I’ll have an entire other post dedicated to the importance of water!
Coffee also appears to decrease the risk of diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, Parkinson’s disease, chronic liver disease, and cancer. Although coffee has been shown to be beneficial to our health, tea is slightly healthier.
Be weary of high amounts of coffee/caffeine consumption because it can lead to habitual use that can cause insomnia, irritability, mild addiction, and withdrawal like symptoms upon cessation.
So these quick facts on coffee nutrition facts should help you enjoy your next cup, and to remember that you will get the most health benefits as long as it’s not consumed in excess.
