Now I know what you're thinking... "Emmaline, surely coffee is not good for us is it?"... Well, you're right, it's not great, but at the same time it does have some benefits!
I'm leering you into a false sense of security here, as this week I am going to focus on coffee. The good, the bad and also how you can cut back (I guess you would call that 'the ugly!').
I thought that we would start on a positive though and let you know all the health benefits that come along with drinking coffee.
I will have to note, this is for coffee, and not for a sugar ridden, high fat, dairy laden latte. If it was, I would be there at the front of the queue with my recyclable coffee cup at the ready! So, keep on reading why this tasty little drink can actually benefit us...
IT CAN BOOST YOUR PHYSICAL & MENTAL PERFORMANCE
We all know how a coffee can impact our productivity right? Feeling a bit sluggish in the afternoon, coffee can really help to give us a 'pick-up'.
I have also heard that it is great before any physical activities such as going to the gym. It can enhance your performance and help improve your overall workout (as long as your body has the correct genes to break it down, otherwise it can actually slow your workout!)
COFFEE CAN BOOST YOUR FOCUS
Now and again there are times in life when you need to be highly focused and also stay alert. Coffee can help with this as it is very stimulating on the brain and nervous system. Job interview? Late night of work? Big meeting? Coffee can boost your mental power to keep your mind on the right track.
IT HAS ANTIOXIDANT POWER
Free radicals are horrid things.Unstable little molecules that bash through our body looking for friends (ok, that is a very basic analogy, but still). Antioxidants give the molecule a friend to stop him causing havoc in our bodies.
The list is scarily long for the health implications of having free radicals in our bodies. Some of the main problems can be cancers, cardiovascular disease, cataract, alzheimers disease, parkinsons disease, dementia plus many more...
One of the worst causes of oxidative (free radical) damage is smoking.
ANTI-DEPRESSANT
I can't say that it can compete with real anti-depressant medication, but if you're just feeling a little low in your mood, coffee can really help that. I find if I'm a bit tired or grumpy, a coffee can just perk me up and bring me back to a normal level of sanity.
COFFEE CAN LOWER YOUR RISK OF TYPE 2 DIABETES
Like I mentioned before, when I say coffee, I'm not talking about ones laden with sugar syrups or sugars for that matter. However, just a normal caffe americano can help. However, studies have shown that increasing your intake of coffee when you already have diabetes can worsen the problem. It's not known really why it can help prevent it, but I am classing this as a positive when I sip on my bi-weekly coffee hit!
Thank you so much for reading,
Emmaline