Coffee Around My Table: Part One- Health Benefits, Roasts, and Brews

You either love coffee or you don’t. Some are just in the middle.  Coffee only takes second place to water as one of the most consumed beverages.   Let’s gather around my table with coffee as we learn about Coffee’s, roasts, brews, nutrition and health benefits.

According to the National coffee associate, over 50% of US adults drink coffee and it’s on the rise. If I think about four of my friends, two of them won’t drink any hot beverage and the other two drink a couple cups of coffee a day.   You may know the extreme person who talks about coffee all the time and loves Starbucks or Caribou Coffee.

I also know the one who quietly enjoys his coffee, roasts it and uses a more detailed approach to brew his Coffee.  The last person I am talking about is my husband. Much of this blog will come from information we have learned along the way to him becoming a coffee hobbyist.  He enjoys roasting his own coffee.  This makes 4 out of 5 in our family that enjoy coffee.  

If you are done with this because you don’t like coffee, read on and learn a little about why your friends like coffee. Or check out my blog on Tea.

nutrition

Nutrition Information

According to the USDA, 1 cup of home-brewed coffee contains around 95 mg of caffeine .05 grams of fat, 2-5 calories, .28 grams protein.

Coffee contains chlorogenic acid, caffeine, antioxidants, and other ingredients. If you are drinking decaffeinated coffee, coffee with the caffeine taken out, you are missing out on some of the antioxidant benefits to health.

coffee drinks

Coffee is low calorie 

It beats the many high sugary drinks that people in the U.S. consume.  Unfortunately, many will only drink coffee if it has sugar and is high in calories.  A plain cup of coffee has 2-5 Kcals but with the added creams, milk, syrups and sugars it can range from 100-700 Kcals for a hot or cold coffee drink.

My recommendation is to drink it plain.  It has taken me over five years to learn to drink it plain.   Sometimes I just want a latte and that is okay.   I have discovered if you drink a plain latte it is only 100 calories extra from the fat-free or low-fat milk. Milk does the body good. 

The times I am craving a sweeter latte, I just have them put coconut milk in it instead and it gives it a touch of sweetness for the same calories.  Watch the extra calories of add-ins in your coffee. Every pump of flavor/syrup adds around 30 calories.  So a five pump drink can be close to 150 Kcals extra plus the milk calories of 90 to 200 Kcals depedning on the size you order.

Health Benefits

Coffee Health Benefits

Research is once again in constant review with coffee and its health benefits to the body.  Most of the time if you drink it in moderation at two cups per day, there is usually no major negative impact on the body.  

We all know coffee can keep you alert; keep you focused and help you to feel good.  Coffee, like tea and chocolate, has good antioxidants that help to protect your health. 

Quick info to summarize:

Coffee drinking can lower the risk of Coronary Vascular Disease. Coffee is associated with a lower risk of type two diabetes, benefits in liver disease, and a decrease in the risk of depression and Alzheimer’s.  Of course this is still in research for all catagories.

Coffee can also have health benefits to Parkinson’s, cancer and migraines.   So much research is still to be done.  It’s not the caffeine alone but the combinations of unique ingredients in coffee that makes it beneficial to the body.

Coffee

Coffee negative effects

If you are pregnant or nursing it is not recommended to drink coffee because of the caffeine in it.  It also wouldn’t be a good idea to drink coffee with caffeine if you can’t sleep and if you experience a lot of gastric/reflux, ulcers, and heartburn. 

The acid in coffee can mess with your stomach lining so if you have a problem stay away.   I for one can drink coffee if it’s not the first thing in the morning or on an empty stomach. 

Research has also shown that coffee can increase your blood lipids such as LDL, cholesterol and triglyceride levels.  Which personally had me thinking.  The past five years my LDL levels and cholesterol levels had increased a little.  Yet my HDL still remained excellent. 

The past five years my husband started roasting his own coffee and making it in the French press and pour-overs.  Because my coffee was not filtered with a coffee filter, I am getting more coffee bean fat in my coffee.   Something to consider when your blood levels start to increase. This may be my problem or I’m just getting older?  Keep thinking.

Coffee and its caffeine can also have some side effects with medications.  It is also a good laxative which can be bad for some but for others, this can be a good thing keeping them regular. 

Know your body and know when you can drink coffee or if you can drink it at all. 

Coffee benefits are more good than harm.

Green Beans
Green Coffee Beans

All about coffee and Roasts

Coffee comes from 70 different countries. It is mostly grown in the equator regions because of the long growing seasons and sunshine. 

  1. Coffee berries are picked.
  2. Coffee is processed and dried into green beans.
  3. The green beans are shipped to the roasters and roasted.
  4. Roasted coffee beans are brewed into coffee with almost boiling water.
  5. Some drink coffee plain with water others add milk, sugar, cream, cocoa, and flavors.

Coffee is the freshest up to 7 days after Roasting. Now that is good coffee!

Coffee is usually roasted to light, medium or dark roasts.  There are a lot more details involved in the roasts.  We will cover that in the next blog.   The lighter the roast the more caffeine in the coffee.  This is why your light/medium roasts are often called morning blend because you are getting more caffeine in a cup of coffee to wake you up.

Hope you enjoyed more about Coffee around my table.  Next blog will be Coffee Part 2. How to roast your own Coffee and methods to make a good cup of Coffee.

A good Article on Coffee can be found here: https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/0318p20.shtml

Coffee Around My Table

Please comment below about your favorite way to drink coffee.

If you don’t want to miss a blog post then once a month I’ll send you a link to Dabillaroundthetable Email. It’s like reading a magazine around the table. Topics of Faith, Food, Family, Fun, and Favorites. See mail chimp link below to subscribe.

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