Coffee is one beverage that is widely consumed around the world. We have to admit, taking a sip from a steaming cup of it is truly soothing. However, other than its great taste and the stimulating effect, do you know the other benefits we get from coffee? Over the past years, there have been arguments on its impact.
Just a Short History
The worldwide growing of coffee can be traced back centuries to an ancient coffee forest back in Ethiopia where legend says a goat herder discovered the plant when his goats got a little bit too excited when they ate berries from a particular plant. The goats were so energetic that they did not want to sleep at night. Today, being a coffee drinker, you would want to know more about the plant as a beverage, its health benefits, and learn about the uses of its grounds.
Increases your Energy Levels
Coffee contains caffeine which is commonly known for its stimulating effect. The substance works by stimulating the central nervous system, increasing your adrenaline levels, and helps you stay alert. Drinking coffee would give a boost to your energy levels and help you feel less tired. Drinking a cup an hour before involving in some activity like working out would increase your performance by 11-12%.
Burns Fat
Caffeine, which is a natural substance in coffee, is also visible in many commercial fat-burning products. This is because the substance will stimulate your body, which would signal fat cells to break down body fats. This is also beneficial since your body can use the available fatty acids for fuel.
Reduce Weight
Moreover, suppose you want to lose weight. In that case, coffee contains potassium and magnesium, which would help your body regulate sugar levels and reduce your craving for snacks or sugary food in general.
Contains Nutrients
As mentioned above, coffee contains 2% magnesium and 3% potassium of the reference daily intake. In addition, a cup of coffee also contains 11% riboflavin-vitamin B2, 3% manganese, 6% pantothenic acid-vitamin B5, and 2% niacin-vitamin B3. These nutrients are incredibly beneficial to your body.
Lowers the Chances of Getting Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a common type of diabetes. It occurs when the blood sugar in your body is too high. This is because your body gets impaired by how it uses and regulates glucose produced from the food you eat. Coffee may help your body process glucose better. Studies have shown that coffee drinkers, in some way, have a reduced risk of getting the disease.
May Reduce the Chance of Getting Neurodegenerative Disease
Being a common neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer’s is the common cause of Dementia. The disease is a term known for impairing thinking abilities such as memory loss, problem-solving, and language. People who commonly experience the condition are over 65 years. There are a couple of things people do to prevent the chances of the disease, and taking coffee may also be effective as eating a balanced diet and exercising.
Moreover, it may also help reduce the risks of getting Parkinson’s. This type of neurodegenerative disease is caused by the stopping of dopamine-generating neurons in the human brain. Studies show that taking coffee reduces the risk by 32-60%.
Coffee Grounds
Those are some of the many health benefits you can get from consuming coffee. But what about the grounds left behind? Most people discard the remains after it has been brewed. You might go ahead and buy coffee grounds when you discover how much you can do with them. Here are some creative uses the coffee remains:
It can be used as a fertilizer for your garden-
coffee grounds contain minerals such as calcium, nitrogen, iron, magnesium that would greatly fertilize the soil.
It can repel pests and insects-
This is possible with the present components such as caffeine which can be toxic to insects. Hence you can use it to keep away insects like mosquitos and maybe beetles and fruit flies. You simply do it by sprinkling bowls of grounds around your sitting areas.
Remove Odors:
Due to the presence of nitrogen in the plant, the gas can react with carbon hence eliminating foul-smell in the air.
Removal of fleas from pets:
If you keep pets, you would be glad to hear that fleas don’t like coffee. Hence other than buying chemicals to put them away, you could consider using this natural treatment.
Final Thoughts
It is always great waking up to a warm cup of coffee, what you didn’t know; taking the right amount a day is an enjoyable way to boost your health. Caffeine has proven not to be as unhealthy as many people believe. However, if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle, you need to have a healthy weight, do some exercise, and eat a balanced diet– let taking coffee be an added advantage to living a healthy life.