Are you getting more than coffee in your "cup of joe"?Did you know..
Coffee is a "superfood" containing vast amounts of nutrients and antioxidants - phytochemicals and phenols. It even contains more antioxidants than food such as berries, dark chocolate and kale! Coffee provides health benefits, prevention of disease and increased cognitive function.
However all of this is only possible when the coffee is high grade and produced to retain the nutrients and antioxidants. (Helschein, 2018) When the coffee is not made correctly, i.e. unhealthy chemicals, poor quality farming, handling and roasting methods, unhealthy chemicals can be found in many leading coffee beans and consumers are experiencing the negative impacts of this.
How do you ensure a cup of coffee is high in nutrients and rich in antioxidants? The coffee must be farmed organically in high altitudes. Arabica beans are the best species of coffee and rank highest for nutrition density, pleasing flavor and low acidity. Coffee plants thrive in a certain temperature, amount of rainfall, sunlight and altitude making tropical mountains the ideal climate for growth.
Organic farming and nature work hand in hand to ensure that consumers are not ingesting chemicals from pesticides and herbicides. Coffee can be harvested by either hand picking or machine stripping. Machine picking does not individualize. By utilizing this farming mechanism, berries are picked whether they are ripe or not. By handpicking the farmer can choose to only pick the berries at their ripest.
The roast matters too! A premium roast decreases acrylamide and maximizes chlorogenic acids and other antioxidant compounds. If coffee is over roasted the beans may form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, some of which are carcinogenic and will also diminish chlorogenic acids and other antioxidants.
Chlorogenic acid is a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial compound. It can enhance insulin function in the body, prevent growth of existing tumors and may also reduce triglyceride levels and decrease blood cholesterol. Chlorogenic acidals can reduce bile stagnation which causes adverse effects in the liver, kidneys, and gallbladder and can cause cancer and stone formation. Bile acid formation is due to Phase III in the liver. Colonics also stimulate phase III.
Plant phenols are powerful antioxidants found in berries and include flavonoids and lignans. Plant phenols can protect the body from cellular damage and disease including cardiovascular disease and cancers. They also help break down carbs and aid in weight loss.
Studies show that most coffee beans have not been organically grown or sourced, processed and tested. They contain mold, mycotoxins, pesticides and herbicides. Also be mindful of artificial sweeteners and flavoring no matter what coffee you are drinking.
- Buy fair trade organic coffee. Store it in the freezer until you are ready to grind it fresh.
- Hold the cream and sugar. Sugar spoils the innate bitter taste that makes coffee coffee. I do froth up unsweetened coconut or almond milk to a feverish pitch before I attempt to create abstract designs by pouring the steamed milk into the coffee base. This will test and improve your eye to hand coordination.
- Share your cup of Joe with someone special as you drink to better health
Bulleproof Coffee: Hip or Hype?
Helschien, S., DC. (2018, May). What's in Your Coffee? The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Townsend Letter, 24-26