The Food Site

Much has been said about the good and bad of drinking coffee. The recent onslought of advertisements by Nescafe claiming that coffee is good for you because it contains anti-oxidants made me decide that it’s time I do some digging around to find out the truth behind all these claims.

Let’s first look at the nutrition value of coffee without looking into the various claims by various researchers and scientists.

Nutrition value of Coffee

If we talk about 2g of regular instant powdered coffee:

• it is low in calories, about 5 calories
• it is low in cholesterol
• it is low in fatty acids
• it has ZERO vitamins
• it contains potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and small amounts of calcium
• it contains 62.8mg of caffeine

Now, we come to the findings and research by various scientists and experts.

Pros and Cons of Drinking Coffee

According to WebMD, researches have found that drinking coffee could possibly help lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, colon cancer, cavities and treat headaches too.  However, the article also maintained that  if you consume more coffee than your body could handle, it could result in adverse effects such as nervousness, trembling hands and rapid heartbeat. Coffee, although low in cholesterol, was known to raise cholesterol levels in certain people and this could result in artery clogging which could lead to heart attacks.

Contrary to the WebMD article’s claims, a Harvard research showed that coffee consumption has not effect on cancer in any way at all. However, it concurs with the findings that drinking coffee has been beneficial in reducing the risks of Alzheimenr’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, cirrhosis of the liver and gout.

Coffee is also known to cause heartburn and other related illnesses and yes, it does contain anti-oxidants that could prevent cell damage but that is very minimal. In fact, research has shown that more than 1,000 chemicals are found in roasted coffee and many of these chemicals are rodent carcinogens.

Doctors have advised those with heart problems and pregnant mothers to limit the intake of coffee and for a good reason too. That’s because coffee contains caffeine and caffeine is found to cause an increase in the stiffening of arterial walls which is not good for people with heart problems.

Also,  drinking coffee can result in iron deficiency anemia in mothers and babies. It won’t even help if the mother consume supplemental iron because coffee would block the absorption of iron.

In conclusion, I think that all these contradictory researches only goes to show that coffee isn’t all that bad but it’s not all that good either. If you want anti-oxidants, fresh fruits and vegetables contain loads of anti-oxidants that is proven to boosts your immune system and also contains loads of vitamins and minerals.

You don’t need to fall for the ridiculous Nescafe ads on getting your anti-oxidants from coffee when you can get it from other natural sources that are healthier and better.

Also, if you enjoy a cuppa every once in a while, it’s not all bad. When it comes to our health and food, moderation is always the key. So, if you consume coffee in moderation it probably will not cause much bad side effects on you. Still, it all boils down to how your body takes it.

For example, my husband has a heart problem and he only needs to drink a cup of Nescafe before he suffers chest pains for the next few days. So, he has to cut out coffee entirely from his diet.  As for me, I don’t drink coffee either because after years of over-indulging in Nescafe and other coffee brands, my body finally puts a stop to it all. Now, a drink of really rich coffee (such as Nescafe, Expresso and brewed coffee) would give me heart palpitations, shortness of breath, trembling hands and nervousness.

So, whether you are a coffee addict or simply loves the taste of coffee, do remember that coffee is not all that good for you but it’s also not all bad. Enjoy the taste and the aroma by all means but do remember, moderation is the key.

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