Coffee Healthy

Archive for April, 2011

Grinding your own coffee beans is a great way of getting fresh, wonderful tasting coffee rather than using coffee grounds that have been stored in a package for an unknown amount of time.  The truth is there are a number of benefits that come from grinding your own coffee beans which include getting great tasting coffee that is much more fresh than that which is bought from the store, the possibility of saving money by not having to buy pre-packaged coffee grounds, and the self satisfaction that is achieved by being able to provide for yourself without having to rely on others.

Coffee beans have a lot of great flavor and freshness that is locked inside them and when you grind the beans for yourself, you are able to get full advantage of that freshness which is in turn released into the coffee you brew.  When you buy coffee grounds from the grocery store, you are buying beans that have already been ground up which means that freshness has been seeping out for an unknown amount of time.  This can directly affect the freshness of your coffee when it is brewed.  If you grind your own coffee beans, you will be able to enjoy the freshness of the coffee grounds almost instantaneously.

One of the other great benefits of grinding your own coffee beans is the fact that you will no longer have to pay the extra cost of having the process done for you.  This is part of the price you pay when you purchase coffee grounds from a grocery store.  Since someone has to grind the beans before they can be package, there must a price that is added to the total cost of the grounds in order to compensate the effort used in order to make those coffee grounds.  When you do this yourself, you are eliminating that extra cost and your compensation is the great tasting grounds that are achieved during the grinding process.

Lastly, grinding your own coffee beans can be a satisfying task which helps give you a sense of self sufficiency because you are no longer relying on someone to provide the coffee grounds to you.  You are relying on your own efforts to product great tasting coffee at a relatively cheaper cost.

Most people think of black tea as that drink you order when you don’t want coffee. This drink also has caffeine in it, although the caffeine in this beverage is better processed by your body than that of coffee. This is just one of the benefits of black tea.

I grew up in Britain where drinking tea with milk was given to me by my parents since I was a child. We all drank it. If visitors or neighbors came knocking at the door, this is what they were offered. If there was a tragedy in the family, someone would make a pot of tea. When I woke up, my father would bring me a cup to start my day and I still start my day with this. Therefore drinking tea became associated with comfort of all descriptions, a great way to start your day and a pick-me-up in the afternoon of if you were tired. A true cure-all for all occasions.

Black tea is actually fermented green tea. When tea was first brought to Britain from China, it was green and as the journey those days took a very long time, it often arrived moldy. By fermenting the green tea leaves, it was protected and it tasted different too. Darjeeling, Orange Pekoe, Irish Breakfast, Ceylon and Assam are all varieties of black tea.

Much has been written about the benefits of black tea. For example, it stimulates blood flow to the brain in a natural manner without stressing the body. It’s good for clarity and concentration. It can be a good digestive aid. In Britain meals often end with a nice cuppa. It can lower cholesterol and can even prevent tooth decay. Some studies recommend the drink as reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. It may be good for people with diabetes as it can help reduce the levels of glucose in the blood. Some people recommend it as it can help to burn off fat and increase metabolism.

It tastes great and the only negative effect I personally have is to be careful to clean my teeth as black tea (just like black coffee) can stain your teeth.

So give this wonderful drink a try and introduce it to your family. The are so many benefits of black tea and it tastes really nice and is a much milder taste, which is why even children like it.

With almost 90% of Americans surveyed saying they need their java, I wouldn’t have big enough beans to tell them to stop drinking.  But trying to dig a little deeper on the subject of how much coffee will have you “pop’n lock’n” (a popular break dance move from the 80′s) for the next few hours right before you crash or how much caffeine is in your favorite cup of joe can become a whole separate job in itself.

Most polls show most people drink caffeinated beverages to increase their energy and alertness. Studies show that 100-200 mg of caffeine (about 1 to 2 cups of regular coffee) are enough to achieve these results. Consume more than this and you may experience signs of overuse and/or withdrawal symptoms. One recent study actually goes as far as to imply that caffeine does not increase energy, alertness, and your functionality. The study suggests caffeine users actually going through withdrawals with every sip of caffeine and that they must get their next fix in order to bring them back to their natural energy level. Since I know that caffeine depletes vitamins and nutrients from your body, I thought this was a reasonable argument to consider since your body could now be forced into slug mode from lack of vitamins and nutrients. At that point your only option could be racing to grab that next cup and chug your self back up to your natural energy baseline. But that is an entirely separate blog, and with conflicting reports and studies all over the place, this could be a never-ending drama on what’s good and what’s evil.  In any case, I’m not here to pick a side. My goal is to relay the message of responsible consumption. So here it goes…

100-200mg and generally a max of 250mg should be enough caffeine consumption for the day. However, based on your size and tolerance for caffeine, dosages may vary.

Below you will find a list of withdrawal & overuse symptoms to know if you have began to OD (slang for over dose) on the java.

Also there is a very popular coffee chain (if you live in New York City, there is one on every corner) with caffeine milligrams listed below.  And yes, if you go for the Tall cup you have already surpassed the recommended daily consumption. Enjoy!

So what’s fueling you, America??? Hopefully, it’s the long-term, solid health choices and not the quick-trash-my-heart-now so I can go-go-go and then worry about happens when the beat go-go-goes-too-fast later. And I apologize in my tone for seemingly picking sides this time, but at least I’m rooting for you and your health.

Beverage Caffeine (mg)

Shorts (8 oz) – 180mg

Talls (12 oz) –  260mg

Grando (16 oz) –  330mg

Plenti (20-24 oz) –  415mg

Withdrawal Symptoms  May Include the Following:   edginess, depression, headache, the shakes, dizziness, cramps, nausea, insomnia, anxiety, lack of concentration, fatigue

Overuse Can Cause: nutritional deficiencies, agitation, tremors, depression, edginess, irritable stomach, headaches, anxiety, increased and irregular heart rate and  elevated blood pressure,