Coffee is one of the most popular beverages globally and many health professionals feel it’s also one of the healthiest. For some, it’s the single largest source of antioxidants in their diet, outranking both fruits and vegetables combined. Here are a few tips on how to make coffee healthy without sacrificing an ounce of flavor.
8 Ways to Make Coffee Healthy
1.) Avoid Caffeine After 2:00 pm
Coffee is without question one of the richest natural sources of caffeine in the average human’s diet.
Caffeine is a stimulant, which is why coffee is so popular as a morning beverage. It gives you a boost of energy and helps you stay awake when you start to feel tired. (Did anyone else flashback to finals week during their undergrad years?!)
However, if you drink coffee late in the day, it can harm your natural sleep cycle. Poor sleep is associated with an array of health problems, so you don’t want to mess with it.
This is why it’s important that you avoid coffee late in the day. If you must, go with a cup of decaf or, better yet, a cup of tea instead, which contains far less caffeine than coffee.
Avoiding coffee after 2:00 or so in the afternoon is a solid guideline. However, not everyone is equally sensitive to caffeine. Some people may sleep like a baby even if they down a cup of joe at 6:00 pm.
Nevertheless, if you feel like you need to improve your sleep cycle, avoiding coffee in the latter part of the day could make for an effective plan.
2.) Ditch the Sugar to Make Your Coffee Healthy
While coffee itself is rather healthy, you can quickly turn it into something harmful.
The quickest way to do that is to pour a pound of sugar into it. Added sugar is possibly one of the worst ingredients in the modern diet.
Sugar, specifically the excessive amount of fructose, is linked to a variety of serious diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
If you can’t imagine going through life without a lump of sugar in your coffee, then you should try a natural sweetener like stevia.
If you’re serious about limiting your intake of natural sugar, then you should definitely check out this article!
3.) Choose a Quality Brand (Preferably Organic)
The quality of your coffee can vary greatly depending on the growing and processing methods.
Most coffee farms spray their beans with artificial pesticides and other chemicals that humans should not consume.
While the health effects of pesticides are up for debate, there is little evidence that they cause harm when found at low levels in our produce.
You should opt for organic coffee beans if you’re worried about pesticides in your coffee. Organic coffee contains far lower levels of pesticides.
4.) Avoid Drinking Too Much Coffee
Consuming a moderate amount of coffee on a daily basis is 100% okay. However, drinking too much can reduce the overall health benefits. Furthermore, excessive caffeine can bring about serious adverse side effects.
Health Canada recommends that you limit yourself to 1.1 mg of caffeine per pound of your body weight per day. Based on that ratio, a person weighing 180 pounds can safely consume 198 mg of caffeine daily. Seeing how an average cup of coffee contains around 95 mg of caffeine corresponds to roughly two cups of coffee per day for a person weighing 180 pounds.
However, much higher amounts of caffeine (400-600 mg) per day, or 4-6 cups, are not associated with any direct adverse side effects in most coffee drinkers.
Consuming coffee is all about balancing the associated risks and benefits. Ultimately, you need to listen to your body and consume no more than what you can comfortably tolerate.
5.) Add a Dash of Cinnamon to Your Coffee
Cinnamon is not only tasty but it also mixes rather nicely with the flavor of just about any type of coffee.
Studies show that cinnamon can lower blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides in diabetics!
If you need some extra flavor, you should definitely consider adding cinnamon to your morning cup of joe.
To lower the risk of potential side effects, you should opt for Ceylon cinnamon instead of the more common Cassia cinnamon, if at all possible.
6.) Avoid Low-Fat and Artificial Creamers
Low-fat and artificial creamers tend to be highly processed and typically contain less than kosher ingredients.
However, there isn’t much research on the health impact of non-dairy coffee creamers. Their contents vary by brand, so some may be healthier than others.
Regardless, whole, natural foods are generally a far better choice.
Instead of using a non-dairy creamer, consider adding some full-fat cream to your coffee. If you really want to go all out, then make sure your full-fat cream is from grass-fed cows!
Studies show that dairy products contain some important nutrients. For instance, dairy is an excellent source of calcium and may limit the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures!
Furthermore, milk from grass-fed cows contains traces of vitamin K, which is associated with better bone health.
7.) Add Some Cocoa to Your Coffee
Cocoa is rich in antioxidants and offers a wealth of health benefits. One such benefit is a reduced risk of heart disease.
Try adding a dash of cocoa powder to your coffee for an extra kick of flavor.
Caffè mocha, a chocolate-flavored version of caffè latte, is a popular menu item in many coffeehouses. However, caffè mocha is usually sugar-sweetened. With that in mind, you can easily make your own at home and skip the added sugar!
8.) Brew Your Coffee with a Paper Filter
Brewed coffee contains cafestol, which is a diterpene that can raise cholesterol levels in your blood.
However, reducing its levels is simple. All you need to do is use a paper filter!
Brewing coffee with a paper filter lowers the amounts of cafestol but lets the caffeine and beneficial antioxidants pass through.
It’s worth noting that cafestol is not 100% bad. Recent studies in mice show that it has anti-diabetic effects.
Closing Thoughts
Coffee is an extremely popular beverage and it’s well known for its stimulant effects.
A high intake of coffee is linked to various health benefits. However, there are several ways you can improve these benefits even further.
Most importantly, you should avoid loading your coffee with added sugar. Instead, you can flavor your coffee with a dash of cinnamon or cocoa.
Furthermore, you should also refrain from drinking coffee in the late afternoon and evening since it may impair the overall quality of your sleep.
If you follow the advice above, you can make your cup of coffee even healthier!
