Coffee...the villain we all love to love

Confessions of this aspiring raw foodist reveal a very common inner struggle amongst health pursuers...that of the desire to give up coffee, while all the time continuing the love affair with the black, milky godliness that is this drink of ours.

As we speak (because I know my words speak to a lot of you out there), I sit at my desk, with a freshly brewed cup of coffee; Italian style espresso, with hot milk added, and occasionally, though not today, a spoon of sugar. The process of making the coffee excites me, the smell entices me and the knowledge that it is there for me while I write, and in a short time I will be all the more sprightly, comforts me.

There are SO many coffee drinkers in the world, in every country, it is hard to look upon coffee as truly evil. Of course, there are a lot of smokers also, but smoking has been proven beyond doubt, to adversely affect health, or to kill, if you will. So we don't think smoking is good, just because so many people do it. We are not THAT foolish. But we do, I do, think nothing of enjoying coffee, in the comfort that everyone else does it.

And with that part of me that says, "Go on, it's just one coffee, enjoy it, you deserve it", fully alive and sprightly, I write the first part of this article, rejoicing in the reasons that drinking coffee is ok. (Or rather, the reasons I tell myself.)

Well, firstly, it's just coffee. Lets not get bogged down in eliminating ALL the things from our lives that MAY be bad. Researchers can always come up with suggestions that X or Y may be bad, but we can't live our lives so obsessed with avoiding badness, we need to leave our eyes and senses open to see the goodness, no?

Socially, coffee is beauty.

Truly, hearing a friend say, "Let's go for a coffee" is so beautiful.

It says interesting conversation, relaxing environments, different choices of coffee, maybe biscuits or cake, it says...well, for me, it is something to look forward to. A moment of your day of pure relaxation, whatever that may be to you.

Then of course, waking up in the morning to hear my boyfriend say, "I'll make us coffee", and then enjoying that coffee on the balcony, well, that simple joy is one of the main reasons I would consider NEVER giving up coffee. Not completely anyway. Whoever it is with, sharing a morning coffee, is, again, such a simple thing to look forward to, but look forward to it we do.

Now, the above are all my sentimental feelings based on coffee. Let's get to the facts, the things you can use in an argument FOR coffee, if you are one who is willing to fight that argument to the death.

Coffee has high levels of antioxidants, substances which help counter oxidative affects upon our bodies. In fact, in 2005, the University of Scranton informed the world that the number one consumption of antioxidants in the American diet comes from coffee. Well now, antioxidants are abundant in fresh fruit and vegetables, so this is not necessarily good news, as a whole. But the point here, is that yes, coffee DOES do some good for your body, or so it would seem.

Coffee makes your body 'produce' more energy. In actuality, the coffee does not give the energy itself, your body does that, triggered by the coffee. This production of energy equals an increase in the expulsion of energy, even if you are just writing, as I am doing now. Thus, some scientists suggest, and some people confirm that coffee helps them lose weight.

With this 'extra energy' provided by coffee, many people exercise, which may be a good way to use the benefits of coffee, as many studies have shown that coffee MAY increase stamina, reduce fatigue and lessen muscle pain.

And now, onto considering the possibility that coffee may not be quite as innocent after all....

...next article, the cons of coffee.

Related Links

(When visiting these links, keep an eye on whether this website in some way benefits from the sales of coffee. Information should be unbiased if you are to base your opinion on it.)

http://www.keopu.com/benefits.html

http://www.healthcastle.com/coffee.shtml

http://www.coffeescience.org/

Spiced Orange Coffee

* 1 teaspoon fresh, grated orange peel
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
* 5 whole cloves
* Regular amount of your usual coffee or try Swiss Chocolate Orange flavored coffee

Add the above ingredients together and brew as normal. Place a slice of orange at the bottom or your cup. Pour in coffee and add suger and cream to taste. Top with whipping cream and sprinkle with a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon if so desired.

Author: Ciara Carruthers