How to make coffee even more healthier
We've all heard that phrase, “It's
not what you said, but how you said it.“ Well, that's sort of what it's like
with coffee, because we're hearing that it's not so much the coffee that
creates problems but, rather, the way it's brewed... and stored...and ground.
As a health coach, I do have
concerns about negative health impacts, but I am also aware that research is
pointing toward more health benefits than we first thought. I certainly also
emphasise moderation and would never approve of a sixcup-a-day habit.
Let's be completely honest, though:
The bottom line is that I just love the taste of coffee.That said, I gave up
trying to give it up. Now I have another mission: How to make coffee a little
healthier.
USE FILTERS
This is a huge point, because
research, more and more, is pointing toward coffee raising the LDL (bad)
cholesterol. It's not the coffee per se, though, it's how it's prepared. In
other words, always use filters! According to the National Institutes of
Health, when coffee beans have direct and prolonged contact with boiling water,
i.e., unfiltered, it can release the diterpene cafestrol which, in turn, raises
the serum concentration of cholesterol.
Dr. Michael J. Klag, the vice dean
for clinical investigation at a school of medicine in Baltimore, told a news
channel that in 2001, he and his colleagues reviewed more than a dozen studies
that looked at the relationship between coffee consumption and cholesterol
levels. They found that drinking an average of six cups of coffee a day was
associated with increased total cholesterol and LDL, the harmful type of
cholesterol. Nearly all of the rise in cholesterol was linked to unfiltered
coffee.
Need even more evidence? The
evidence? The Harvard School of Public Health recommends filtered coffee for
those who want to avoid high LDL.
GRIND IT YOURSELF
A coffee grinder Grind the grounds
yourself, preferably just before drinking. Coffee beans have aromatic oils and,
like most anything, they become rancid when exposed to moisture and oxygen.
Grinding yourself, as opposed to purchasing those pre-ground bags, results in
better taste and less break-down of nutrients.
DISCOVER COLDBREWING CHARM
Nope, that doesn't mean iced coffee
or just refrigerating it. What it does mean, explains Bob Neace, the creator of
a redesigned version of the hourglass, is that the beans never come into direct
contact with heat. They are steeped in cold water (usual ly for 12-24 hours)
and strained through a filter. You get a thick ened coffee substance that can
be diluted and then served hot or iced. This coffee, Neace said, is a whole lot
less acidic (which is great news for a heartburn suf ferer like me). It also
tastes bet ter and is slightly sweet, proba bly because of the acid reduc tion
of almost 70 percent per cup, says Neace. Since the beans aren't heated, you
also don't get that funny , burned taste found sometimes in coffees. “The cof
fee diterpene cafestol that occurs in both robusta and ara bica beans are
present in unfil tered coffee brews (such as the French press) and raise serum
concentrations of cholesterol in humans,“ he says.
By the way , while you should n't
think that all it takes is pour ing ice water over grounds (that'll only result
in a weak, bit ter taste), you can make your own cold-brewed coffee with just a
gallon jug and some filters or a cheesecloth.
DON'T STORE IT IN THE FRIDGE
Store the beans in an air-tight
glass or ceramic container. The National Coffee Association says it's important
not to refrig erate or freeze your daily sup ply of coffee, because the mois
ture and oxygen will cause it to deteriorate.
TAME HEARTBURN HAVOC
You wouldn't think, but the darker
roasts are actually gentler on the stomach than the lighter ones and, to a
heartburn sufferer like me, hat's good news indeed. I'll even attest that it's
been my own personal experience. According to an article in Science Daily, a
substance called N-methylpyridium (NMP) appears to block the abil ity of the
stomach cells to pro duce hydrochloric acid, reduc ing or avoiding stomach
irrita tion. Since NMP, the article says, is generated only upon roasting and
not found in raw coffee beans, darker-roasted cof fees contain higher amounts
of this stomach-friendly coffee ingredient.
SCRAP THE SUGAR
You can still add both flavour and
health without any sugar, by using a little cinnamon or coconut oil. According
to the National Institutes of Health, studies have shown cinnamon to have
anti-inflammatory , anti bacterial, antioxidant and cho lesterol-lowering
properties. It may even regulate glucose.
Many people, like me, see coconut
oil as some kind of wonder substance. The National Institutes of Health also
examined the association between coconut oil consump tion and good cholesterol
(HDL) levels among pre-menopausal woman in the Philippines, sug gesting a
possible positive lipid profile. There's even a trend to put butter in coffee -referred
to as `Bullet-Proof Coffee' proponents claim that it does everything from
increasing energy and mental clarity to helping one avoid the afternoon energy
crash.
|
Irene Ross, HuffingtonPost in
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BT6JUL15
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