Surprise! Coffee can actually be very good for you.

I used to demonize coffee, and now I am thinking that my judgment of the popular drink was unfair.  Indeed, drinking coffee can be good for you.  Who knew?

You see, I am quite the health freak (an unfair tag, there’s nothing freaky about being healthy), especially during my younger days.  Back then, I’d be pretty vocal about coffee being a no-no as it was addictive and that there’s nothing beneficial about it.

While I still think that you should be wary of imbibing substances that could cause addiction, I have learned, through this awesome article, that coffee is a chock full of benefits that are now too numerous and too solid to ignore.  I’m now not only convinced that drinking coffee (in moderation) is not bad for you, but not drinking it could actually cause you to miss out on some great benefits.  Wow, that’s a big step in the opposite direction.

There are some guidelines you need to follow to get the benefits of coffee, but before I say those, I’d like to give you a quick list on what coffee does for our benefit, according to the article.

Drinking coffee:
•    Has a protective effect against type 2 diabetes.

•    Has great preventive effect against Parkinson’s Disease.

•    Protects you from Alzheimer’s Disease

•    Greatly lowers risk of certain cancers (colorectal, kidney, liver, prostate)

•    Lowers risk of stroke

•    Has beneficial effects on the lung function of non-smokers

•    Raises the number and activity of Bifidobacterium, a beneficial bacteria in your gut.

Now, the article also gave some precautions and tips to getting the most of your coffee, and these are as follows:

•    The darker the roast, the more the antioxidants.

•    Since coffee beans are one of the most heavily sprayed crops with pesticides, choose organic coffee.

•    It is far better to get whole beans and then grind them yourself (try these coffee grinders) than it is to get the coffee already ground, which can easily develop mold and lose freshness and taste.

•    Drink your coffee black, as sugar ruins the health benefits by spiking insulin levels.  The article didn’t say anything about creamer (however, one can assume it’s not a healthy addition either), and I wonder if other sweeteners can be used.  Raw honey is awesome with coffee, as is coco sap sugar.

•    If yours is a drip coffee maker, be sure to use unbleached filters.  If it’s bright white, most likely it’s chlorine bleached…and the said chemical could seep into your coffee as it brews.

•    You may have heard how Styrofoam cups could also leach in harmful chemicals into your hot drink.  Your best bet are the breakables: ceramic or glass mugs.

•    If you work out, don’t have your cup of Joe afterwards.  It will ruin your muscle building.  Have it before.

The last part of the article was also very cool, as it encouraged us to consider roasting our own coffee beans.  If you’re up to the task, you’ll benefit greatly by saving a lot of money as well has having maximum control over the quality of your coffee (it would be much fresher and probably more nutritious).  Try it by investing in these home coffee roasters and buying dried organic green coffee beans to get started.

Um, yeah, I’m man enough to admit that I can be wrong.  In the case of coffee, I definitely was wrong.  I’m surprised that coffee, when taken in moderation (the article suggests just one cup) can actually be very good for you.  So, get that organic, dark roast, black cup of Joe today!