Coffee
Worldwide, coffee is the second most consumed beverage other than water. We love our locally roasted Bent Penny & Eucalyptus & Pine coffee here at Harvest cafe. But how do our bodies and earth like it? Coffee seems to be a double-edged sword: It can make some people feel more alert, productive and motivated. It can make others feel anxious, jittery and unable to focus. This does not mean that coffee has damaging effects. It just means that coffee affects different people in different ways. Personally, I can get both effects. It just comes down to knowing yourself and knowing your physical and mental health in the moment. Listen to your body! Coffee actually supports our bodies and is very rich in antioxidants. In July 2017, a pair of large studies was published in the Annals of Medicine that actually found drinking coffee seems to promote longevity. Looking at roughly 700,000 people from different racial, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, the study found drinking more coffee was linked to a lower risk of death. Drinking coffee (in moderation) appeared to lower the chances of dying from cancer, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, diabetes or chronic lower respiratory disease.
Nutritional breakdown of our coffee:
- 2.4 calories/cup
- 0 grams fat
- 0 grams sugar
- 0.3 grams protein
- 0.2 milligrams vitamin B2 riboflavin (11 percent DV)
- 0.6 milligrams pantothenic acid (6 percent DV)
- 116 milligrams potassium (3 percent DV)
- 7.1 milligrams magnesium (2 percent DV)
- 0.5 milligrams niacin (2 percent DV)
Don’t forget, in moderation! Again listen to your body!
The only really negative effect we believe coffee has on our internal body is that it can make your gut more acidic and interrupt the digestive system. Having more acidity in your stomach reduces the amount of stomach acid available for digestion later on. If you want to prevent your gut from becoming more acidic, then yes: don’t drink too much coffee. But if you are enjoying that one cup in the morning and you are not experiencing acidic effects like acid reflux or constipation, and are still concerned about stomach acidity, try to enjoy a cup of hot lemon water first thing in the morning before you have coffee. This will make your stomach more alkaline, and prevent the affects of the coffee’s acidity to some extent. We are strong believers in an alkaline diet over all, more about alkaline food in our next news letter.
