Hi, my name is Mary. I’m a coffee addict.
I started drinking when I was ten.
It was my grandmother who led me astray. Of course she put lots of powdery creamer and heaps of sugar in mine, but I soon learned it was the taste of the black stuff that I craved. Now I drink three to four cups per day, without anything else in my cup. But in my own defense I once drank ten cups per day, so at least I am finally drinking in moderation.
And this month an article in the February issue of Prevention magazine lists coffee as one of the “4 Foods for a Longer Life”!!! WhooHoo!!! My grandmother lived to be 92, so who I am I to argue with the facts? Turns out that coffee is “packed with polyphenols” and we all know how great they are, right? Okay, so I had to Google to remind us! This is borrowed from Natural News.
Polyphenols have recently been termed "lifespan
essentials". They work in the body to enhance health in complex ways, and
they do more than scavenge free radicals. Their specific heath benefits are
being actively researched. So far it is known that polypheonols work to protect
the systems of the body from chronic diseases, particularly heart disease and
cancer.
To attain or
preserve optimal health, foods containing polyphenols should be eaten daily, as
these compounds are only active in the body for a short period of time. Blood
levels of polyphenols will peak soon after they are consumed, and then decrease
as they are metabolized or excreted from the body. Some polyphenols are not
even absorbed into the bloodstream at all, but merely pass through the
digestive tract, protecting against colon cancer.
Polyphenols are
found in unprocessed fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. They tend
not to be destroyed by moderate cooking or heating, and cooked foods may offer
a more bioavilable source of some polyphenols. To a large degree, polyphenols
are why it is so important to eat a plant based diet.
And this from a Canadian site called Coffee and Health:
According to recent studies, coffee has
four times the antioxidant content of green tea. The amount of antioxidants in
coffee also surpasses that of cocoa, other herbal teas and red wine, and even
fruit and fresh vegetables. There are approximately 1,000 antioxidants in green
coffee beans and brewing these beans adds an additional 300.
The antioxidants in coffee are in the form of
polyphenols, a substance also found in a variety of plants. Polyphenols are
seen by some to be even more significant than vitamins C and E in terms of
disease preventative properties. Research has indicated that coffee provides
about 1,300 mg of polyphenal antioxidants daily Studies also indicate that the
level of antioxidants is similar in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.
Yes, caffeine IS an issue for some people. In case you are curious, it is the taste of coffee that I crave and I enjoy a variety of different blends. I have gone as long as a year drinking decaffeinated coffee. I returned to the real thing because it is often cheaper and tastes better. The one I drink now is in the mid-range for caffeine. And I don’t drink soda of any kind, so the only other caffeine I get is from tea and chocolate. Check your brand online. They vary from around 50mg to 175mg. There is even one called “Death Wish” and I don’t think we want to know how much caffeine it contains.
One more tip. Studies of tea drinkers show that the casein found in milk counteracts antioxidants, so you may not want to add milk or cream to your coffee either.
So…no more guilt about coffee. Drink up and enjoy! I will!
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