6 ways to make your coffee healthy and why?

If you are one of the 1 billion daily coffee drinkers then you must know all coffees are not the same. Here in the U.K., we drink an estimated 98 million cups a day which is right up there with the estimated 100 million cups of tea drunk daily. I remember as a young child my brother and I would have an egg-cup-sized coffee each which my grandmother would prepare and I still remember the taste. It was the classic granulated brand that was most popular in the early '70s and I loved it.

Coffee is not without its conflict. A quick search on the internet will reveal the multifaceted effects of coffee and it all comes down to quality and quantity. The earliest documentation of coffee was circa the 15th century in Yemen and it made its way to Europe in the 1600s. The World Health Organisation classed it as a carcinogen in 1991 but that was debunked in 201 when no cancer-causing ingredients were found.

When I began my training as a natural health practitioner, the naturopath I worked under suggested I eliminate coffee from the diet of those who were placed in a detox program and discouraged even after completion, yet, coffee enemas were used in colonics. Hence, I started to expand my knowledge of the benefits of coffee consumption and as it turns out there are benefits to including coffee in your diet. Let's discuss how you can make your cup of joe a healthier drink.

1. Don't have your coffee on an empty stomach as it could trigger the overproduction of stomach acid leading to acid reflux and aggravating stomach ulcers. Also, having your coffee within one hour of waking up may not be the best thing for your already rising levels of cortisol. Try waiting until after a meal and then have your coffee which may also help control the after-coffee jitters.

2. Stop loading your coffee with sugar. Sugar adds to the acidity of the coffee and this can strip away its benefits. If you must have a sweetener, it might be a good idea to choose a more natural option like Stevia.

3. Add cinnamon to your coffee and turn it into a fat burner.

4. Liver protection - no matter how the coffee is prepared, whether filtered, instant or ground, drinking coffee can slow the progression of some liver diseases and lower the risk of liver conditions in some people.

5. Coffee as anti-oxidant - oxidative stress has been most talked about in the health industry, over the years. Free radicals have been linked to degenerative conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes which can be impacted negatively by poor-quality foods, environmental and internal stresses, and alcohol and tobacco use, as well as premature ageing. Green coffee beans contain a high amount of polyphenols that provide cellular protection while roasted beans contain less due to processing.

6. Coconut Oil in your coffee - Bulletproof your coffee with coconut oil which is a medium-chain triglyceride that has been touted as an aid in weight loss, helps to improve gut health and may also manage cholesterol levels. It's a great addition to a ketogenic diet as it can help with the control of blood sugar levels. We ought to be getting more healthy fats in our diet rather than processed fats that tend to increase inflammation in the body and coconut oil offers the benefits of a healthy alternative.

There is a growing body of evidence in favour of daily coffee drinking. We often forget that coffee is a berry which means it does hold the advantages of fruit. One study has even found benefits of coffee sweetened with sugar but having said that, sugar is still the number one substance that can cause inflammatory conditions in the body. I encourage you to have your coffee if you love it and tolerate it well, but this is not for everyone.

If you struggle with adrenal stress or fatigue, coffee may not be for you, nor would it be for you if you are sensitive to stimulants. Some medical practitioners advocate having coffee before 3.00 pm in the afternoon so it does not disrupt sleep patterns and if you do experience chronic insomnia, perhaps you should consider removing caffeine from your diet altogether.

If you would like to discuss aspects of your health, get in touch, to discuss how you can make the change you are looking for to help your body heal.

Marcia Howard is a certified health coach and practitioner of Live Blood Analysis which is a prospective nutritional tool to identify potential changes in the human body and not for diagnosis.

References -

https://www.tea.co.uk/tea-faqs#:~:text=Here%20are%20a%20few%20answers,year%20%5BSource%3A%20ITC%5D.

https://britishcoffeeassociation.org/coffee-consumption/