HOW HEALTHY ARE CAFFEINE AND COFFEE?
Crazy about coffee but afraid it's not healthy to drink caffeine every day? No fear! Coffee and caffeine have all sorts of healthy properties. So you can ignore the next influencer who tries to talk you into a coffee detox. Read all about what coffee and caffeine do to your body and mind here.
How much coffee and caffeine is healthy?
The short answer: coffee is simply healthy. Why this is so, we will explain in detail below. First, we are going to allay fears of coffee addiction for a large proportion of readers. You see, there is a persistent rumour that drinking coffee is not good for you. Fortunately, this is certainly not the case. In fact, many studies show that 3 to 5 cups a day is healthy. The average Dutch person is well below that. On average, we drink 2 to 4 cups of coffee a day. Women drink slightly less than men. Nothing wrong with that!
Note that the caffeine content can differ between coffees. For instance, the way you brew it and the type of coffee bean make a difference to its strength. Besides, caffeine is not only found in coffee. Tea, cola, chocolate and, of course, energy drinks, among others, contain this uplifting substance. If you drink these alongside your few cups of lager, your caffeine intake logically increases too.
The black gold: what's so healthy about coffee
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks worldwide. Mainly because of its immediate effects: energy! We owe this to the uplifting ingredient caffeine. Among other things, this releases the substance dopamine, which most people do well on. More focus and stamina and less tired is the result.
Besides that jolt of energy, a lot more happens in your body after a cup of coffee (or more...). These are all the possible healthy effects of coffee:
Coffee can be healthy for your brain
Researchers have found that coffee drinkers are less likely to suffer from a number of brain disorders. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, for example. People who have Parkinson's also benefit from coffee because it slows down the disease progression. It also turns out that the more coffee you drink, the less likely you are to get Alzheimer's. So above all, keep enjoying your cup of coffee when you want to keep your brain healthy!
Living healthier for longer with caffeine and coffee
A number of studies seem to indicate that you live longer when you are a coffee drinker. This specifically involves coffee with caffeine in it. One explanation is that the healthy substances in coffee protect your cells and DNA. These include alkaloids and antioxidants. And let those be the very key players in ageing and the development of disease.
Lower risk of diabetes 2 and easier weight loss
Type 2 diabetes is an increasingly common condition. Thanks to our increasing affluence and unhealthy environment, more and more people are getting diabetes and obesity. Here's a tip: skip the sugar and drink black coffee. Black coffee actually helps stabilise your blood sugar levels. Fewer spikes in your blood sugar is what you want when you want to avoid diabetes.
Obesity and obesity have also been on the rise for years. If you want to lose weight, then coffee is your friend. In fact, those who drink a lot of coffee have a lower fat percentage. Coffee drinkers also exercise more. And so coffee's boost helps you keep your body healthy and slim.
Coffee keeps your heart healthy
Too much coffee makes your heart race. Just enough coffee (3 to 5 cups a day) actually makes your heart healthier. You have less risk of strokes, heart failure and other heart diseases. Do you have a heart condition or suffer from high or low blood pressure? Then coffee has a potentially detrimental effect on that. So this is definitely something you want to check with your doctor before you start clacking trays of espressos. If you are healthy, cups of coffee will lower your risk of heart disease by about 10%.
Also know that one coffee is not the other. In fact, unfiltered coffee is not so good for your vascular system. Filtered coffee, on the other hand, is.
Too much coffee or caffeine: how to calm down again
Taking in too much caffeine can make you feel very uncomfortable. Palpitations, sweating and anxiety can be the consequences of an overkill of coffee or other caffeinated products. Does this ever happen to you? Then be sure to read this article: Nervous after too much coffee or uppers: here's what you can do.
More healthy products with caffeine
So coffee with and without caffeine is healthy for you. If you want to take in caffeine in another way: it is found in many more superfoods. And they have all kinds of additional health benefits!
Cacao
Cacao is the first tip. Whether you go for crunchy raw cacao nibs, make hot chocolate with cacao powder or have a real cacao ceremony with cacao paste... As long as you use pure cacao, you are doing something super healthy!
Tea
Matcha, green tea, maté and plain classic tea: all healthy teas that contain caffeine. Matcha, for instance, is extra healthy for your brain and heart. Just like coffee, in other words. Maté is short for yerba mate. This is a tea that is nice and strong. It is also good for your lungs and combats inflammation.
More energising coffee alternatives
Besides coffee, cocoa and tea, there are other plants that contain caffeine. Like guarana and cola nut. Plants that have been used by mankind for energy and health for an unimaginably long time.
