CINDY BOTTOMLEY
Coffee!! Ah!! There is nothing quite like that first mug of the day. Taking that first sip just gets your ‘motor running’ in the best way. It’s the pause before the day begins – and if that first cup doesn’t quite do the trick then… have another one!
I know this brew can have a bad rep, but as in most things in life, it really is about moderation. Moderation also depends on who you ask and can be anything from as little as one to two cups a day to up to three to five cups a day.
After all, it is hard not to like coffee for its rich, creamy taste and that gorgeous smell that hits you just as soon as you enter a coffee shop. That’s probably why most of us associate the smell of coffee with comfort and good experiences. I mean, there’s nothing quite like a hot cup of coffee to ward off the cold of winter and nothing quite like a frothy cappuccino to warm up a good conversation with friends at a coffee bar mid-morning or mid-afternoon.
Coffee brings people together. You can drink it anywhere, anytime as it also makes a great take-away and nothing stops you swinging by for a cup and then meeting up with a friend,or sipping on the go to your next appointment.
Given that coffee is regarded as everything from sexy to exotic, it comes as no surprise that coffee has also become something of a culture in itself. You can enjoy it served in a number of different ways – latte, Americano, Espresso, Affogato – to mention a few. It’s often fun when visiting an unusual restaurant to try different options like Turkish or Vietnamese coffee too.
But, we know over indulging in anything causes unwelcome effects. So, I am going to assume that you don’t drink 20+ cups of coffee a day and that you are probably a ‘normal’ consumer of ‘the brew’. Because today, we are going to look at it’s benefits.
The magic ingredient that gives you that ‘let’s rock this thing’ feeling is caffeine.
Caffeine in coffee improves mental alertness and therefore helps you focus. It stimulates the central nervous system which boosts your production of mood elevating hormones.
It’s believed that it can lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and various liver diseases.
It may even help prevent Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and dementia not to mention offering benefits for heart health.
It boosts physical performance and it is said that it can help you burn fat. (That’s if you don’t include milk – or horror – cream! Not to mention a spoon of sugar or two …)
If you look a little more closely at the magical coffee bean, you’ll find that there are also a lot of other benefits apart from the caffeine. Coffee also contains magnesium, potassium, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin) and antioxidants which help protect your body from free radicals.
With positives like that, who doesn’t have an excuse to imbibe?
It is also worth knowing that there’s a lot more to coffee than meets the lips.
Being rich in antioxidants, coffee is now added to skincare products. If you are preparing your own coffee (and not cheating with those little pod thingies a la George Clooney), then use the used coffee grounds in a bit of coconut oil for a great exfoliator for the skin.
You can also use the grounds as fertilizer for your plants as they are full of the nutrients that plants require.
The important thing is that your relationship with coffee is inevitably a deeply personal one. Whether it is your morning wake up brew, is drunk with milk, no milk, cream, froth or even a shot of whiskey on a cold evening, here’s to you and the coffee crew!