Saturday, February 20, 2010

Good morning Coffee!

I don't know about you guys, but I completely admit to needing a cup (or two) of coffee every morning. I don't know how I went the 9 months of pregnancy without it, but I did..somehow. However, I have spent some time researching the benefits of coffee and how it can actually help us. Here's what I found.

Research shows that coffee can lessen the risk of heart disease, Parkinson's Disease as well as gallstones. Coffee also is a powerful natural antioxidant. From a fitness standpoint, having a a cup of coffee before exercising can boost performance. It can help you feel more alert and for some reason is linked to longer endurance.

Now of course here is a limit. Coffee can cause dehydration, so its important to drink extra water if you are a coffee drinker. Its also important not to overdue it. 1-2 cups of coffee a day are fine, but when you are drinking an entire pot-- the coffee can actually be in your system up to 12 hours after you drink it. This is what happens when you have trouble settling down for the night.

So the bottom line is that go ahead and enjoy that cup of coffee, followed by a cup of water... I know I will!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know this makes me a happy camper. Love me some coffee! :)

Unknown said...

mmmmm I LOVE coffee! I have pretty much gone without since June of '08. something I'm very much looking forward to about weaning!

Here's my question: are the powerful antioxidants still present in the coffee been after it's roasted, then ground up, then...percolated? (that is probably not a word!) I would still drink it if it had no health benefits at all--just wondering what your nutritionist trained self thinks! :) :)

BJJFamilyMatters.com said...

Unfortunately, I need 2 cups of coffee before I can function doing anything. I force myself to start with 16 oz of water before the coffee, then it's only water after those beautiful 2 cups! :) - Jen


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