- Coffee facts
What coffee has to offer besides caffeine.
To get straight to the point: I personally drink coffee, especially organic coffee, because I like it. Not because it’s healthy. It’s possible that I would drink less of it if it wasn’t healthy. But luckily, it is.
Babette Lichtenford
More fiber than orange juice.
Coffee seems to be full of surprises. And I don’t just mean its wonderful aroma when it comes fresh from the coffee grinder. Its flavor-notes, its happiness-inducing taste. It’s full of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. In fact, s Spanish research team has discovered that e.g. the Germans’ favourite drink, coffee, contains large amounts of indigestible carbohydrates (aka fiber). So much so that 3 cups a day will give you the recommended daily dose of 25g. And that is significantly more than the fiber content of orange juice, for example. The best thing about it: these fibers are linked to health-promoting antioxidants. These free radical scavengers are said to slow down ageing processes and prevent cancer.* Who would have thought that of their favourite coffee…?
Let’s go, vitamins!
Don’t worry, this is not going to be a bio-chemistry health seminar. But who would have thought that coffee contains vitamins, even if you honestly can’t tell by looking at it? Especially B vitamins: Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). The body needs all of these for energy production, for protein, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, the nervous system, for blood formation and for skin and hair growth.** So it’s no wonder that, in addition to all the enjoyment, it also puts you in a good mood.
What’s left? The minerals: Coffee contains potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus in particular. Essentials for bones, teeth, cell membranes, muscles and nerves.
Of course, these are not huge amounts, but at least enough to cover 10% of your daily niacin requirement*** with 1 cup of coffee, for example. Not bad for such a tasty little cup, right?
If you would like dive a little deeper into the matter of coffee and its health benefits, there are a whole series of articles on the subject here on the blog, e.g. “How healthy is coffee?“.
And a range of tips for making coffee. Because coffee that irritates your stomach, is too bitter or doesn’t sit well with you, is either not roasted well or not prepared well. Take a look here: „Why does my coffee irritate my stomach?“
* www.eatsmarter.de/gesund-leben/gesundheit/kaffee-gesund
**Quelle: German Coffee Assoziation
***recommended daily dosis for adults: 11 bis 17 mg
