Cup O' Joe - yes or no?
Bite This: According to The Specialty Coffee Association of America and coffeeresearch.org, over 50% of Americans over 18 drink coffee every day. Among coffee drinkers, the average consumption is 3.2 cups/day. Thirty-five percent of coffee drinkers prefer black coffee, while 65% prefer to add cream and sugar. Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day making the US the leading consumer of coffee in the world.
Every Monday morning I get the same reaction from co-workers. Someone comes into the break room to get coffee when "the dietitian" is in there and suddenly he gets embarrassed and says, "Coffee is good for you, right?" It's no wonder they have to ask -there is a lot of conflicting information in the media about coffee. Some say it's good for you because of the antioxidants, and may even boost your metabolism and athletic ability, while others say coffee is not good for you because of the caffeine and the effects it has on your heart. So which is it? Well, both.
Coffee contains polyphenols which have antioxidant-like properties. Antioxidants help scavenge free radicals-molecules responsible for tissue damage and aging - in the body. Turns out when compared with other food and beverages, Americans get most of their antioxidants from coffee - mainly because Americans consume more coffee than fruits and vegetables per day.
Coffee has been shown to help prevent colon cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer and rectal cancer. It has also been shown to help prevent diabetes, as a substance in coffee helps control blood sugars. Coffee also has benefits to exercising and training. The caffeine in coffee has been shown to enhance performance in athletes during high intensity training and endurance training when consumed in moderate doses. Caffeine also binds to pain receptors in the body allowing athletes to perform without feeling as much muscle pain.
The reason that coffee consumption is controversial is because some studies have shown coffee to raise cholesterol levels in people who drink unfiltered coffee due to oils that are filtered out with paper coffee filters. Few studies have also shown coffee to raise homocysteine levels which also leads to heart attacks, while other studies have shown no effect. It's also been speculated that increased consumption of coffee can also cause high blood pressure and hypertension. It's the caffeine in coffee that has been linked to increased heart rate, increased blood pressure and irregular heartbeat. The reason why this is controversial is because it is difficult to research this one factor and its effect on health. Health is a combination of many lifestyle choices - so a non-smoker who drinks 3 cups of coffee per day may see health benefits with coffee consumption while a smoker who drinks the same amount of coffee per day may not see any health benefits.
So, what's the lesson learned here today? Moderation! Are you seeing a pattern here? Good.
Sound bite: If you are not a big coffee drinker, try mixing coffee in a recipe or even try eating chocolate covered coffee beans. You'll get double the antioxidants!
Smoky Black Bean Soup
1 pound (2 cups) dried black beans
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
4 cups water
2 cups brewed coffee
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
sour cream for garnish
1. Rinse beans and put in cold water and soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.
2. Heat oil in a soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add all but 1/3 of the onions, bell pepper, celery, jalapeno and garlic and cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently until vegetables are beginning to brown. Add cumin and cook and stir for 1 more minute. Add the beans, water, coffee and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Skim off any foam, reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans are tender, ~70 -90 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, stir in salt.
3. Puree 1/2 the soup in a food processor or blender until smooth. Return pureed soup to pot and heat.
4. Serve the soup with a garnish of sour cream and cilantro.
Every Monday morning I get the same reaction from co-workers. Someone comes into the break room to get coffee when "the dietitian" is in there and suddenly he gets embarrassed and says, "Coffee is good for you, right?" It's no wonder they have to ask -there is a lot of conflicting information in the media about coffee. Some say it's good for you because of the antioxidants, and may even boost your metabolism and athletic ability, while others say coffee is not good for you because of the caffeine and the effects it has on your heart. So which is it? Well, both. Coffee contains polyphenols which have antioxidant-like properties. Antioxidants help scavenge free radicals-molecules responsible for tissue damage and aging - in the body. Turns out when compared with other food and beverages, Americans get most of their antioxidants from coffee - mainly because Americans consume more coffee than fruits and vegetables per day.
Coffee has been shown to help prevent colon cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer and rectal cancer. It has also been shown to help prevent diabetes, as a substance in coffee helps control blood sugars. Coffee also has benefits to exercising and training. The caffeine in coffee has been shown to enhance performance in athletes during high intensity training and endurance training when consumed in moderate doses. Caffeine also binds to pain receptors in the body allowing athletes to perform without feeling as much muscle pain.
The reason that coffee consumption is controversial is because some studies have shown coffee to raise cholesterol levels in people who drink unfiltered coffee due to oils that are filtered out with paper coffee filters. Few studies have also shown coffee to raise homocysteine levels which also leads to heart attacks, while other studies have shown no effect. It's also been speculated that increased consumption of coffee can also cause high blood pressure and hypertension. It's the caffeine in coffee that has been linked to increased heart rate, increased blood pressure and irregular heartbeat. The reason why this is controversial is because it is difficult to research this one factor and its effect on health. Health is a combination of many lifestyle choices - so a non-smoker who drinks 3 cups of coffee per day may see health benefits with coffee consumption while a smoker who drinks the same amount of coffee per day may not see any health benefits.
So, what's the lesson learned here today? Moderation! Are you seeing a pattern here? Good.
Sound bite: If you are not a big coffee drinker, try mixing coffee in a recipe or even try eating chocolate covered coffee beans. You'll get double the antioxidants!
Smoky Black Bean Soup
1 pound (2 cups) dried black beans
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
4 cups water
2 cups brewed coffee
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
sour cream for garnish
1. Rinse beans and put in cold water and soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.
2. Heat oil in a soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add all but 1/3 of the onions, bell pepper, celery, jalapeno and garlic and cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently until vegetables are beginning to brown. Add cumin and cook and stir for 1 more minute. Add the beans, water, coffee and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Skim off any foam, reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans are tender, ~70 -90 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, stir in salt.
3. Puree 1/2 the soup in a food processor or blender until smooth. Return pureed soup to pot and heat.
4. Serve the soup with a garnish of sour cream and cilantro.
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