The new year is coming upon us. With that said, why not take a moment to enjoy a cup of coffee every January 20, which is National Coffee Break Day. Some people can’t start their day without a cup of coffee, while others need the extra boost in the afternoon.
The caffeine in coffee can affect people in different ways. While one person may be able to drink multiple cups throughout the day and fall asleep shortly after their last cup, another might not be able to drink a cup after noon or they’ll be up until midnight.
It is interesting to note, though, that while Americans may love coffee, we don’t compare to other countries. In fact, the US doesn’t even crack the top 15 for daily per capita consumption of coffee. The Scandinavian countries, led by Norway, topped of the list. In Norway, per capita consumption is 2.4 cups a day, while US per capita consumption is only at 0.9 cups a day.
While experts are concerned about our increasingly caffeinated nation—not without merit—coffee and caffeine also have some health benefits. For instance, caffeine can improve memory and mental functioning.
In fact, three or four cups a day may help prevent type-2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, liver disease and liver cancer. However, the saying goes “all good things in moderation.” Caffeine can also increase blood pressure and may increase the risk of heart disease.
If you’re looking to get your daily coffee fix, but are tired of drinking it, try cooking with it and make our braised short ribs. This recipe is for six pounds of short ribs. You should brew half a cup of coffee in advance.
Recipe:
Take 4 dried ancho chilies
Remove the stems, the seeds, and the ribs,
Place them in 2 cups of boiling-hot water for 20 minutes, or until softened. Drain the liquid in a colander over a bowl. The water should be a little bitter, but not unpleasantly so.
Put the chilies in a blender and puree them with 1 medium onion, quartered, 3 garlic cloves that have been coarsely chopped, 2 tablespoons of finely chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo, 2 teaspoons of the adobo sauce, 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Pat the ribs dry and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of black pepper and 2 teaspoons of salt.
Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet, then brown the ribs in 3 batches, about 5 minutes per batch.
Turn the ribs occasionally and transfer to a roasting pan large enough to hold the ribs in 1 layer. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, but don’t put the ribs in just yet.
The skillet should have some fat remaining.
Add the puree to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes over moderately low heat, stirring frequently.
Add the chili-soaked liquid you set aside earlier and the coffee.
Bring the whole sauce to a boil.
Pour it over the ribs.
he liquid should be enough to come halfway up the sides of the meat.
Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil and braise ribs in the middle of the oven for 3 to 3 and a half hours.
The ribs should be very tender. Serve with your side of choice.
Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water and many people like to drink tea because it gives them a sense of calm and focus; however, most people do not realize how many health benefits this drink provides, such as weight loss, improved heart health, dental care, and more.
Here are some ways you can incorporate this healthy drink into your life: The Health Benefits of Drinking Tea
Tea Protects Your Heart Against Saturated Fats Trans fats are some of the worst ingredients for heart health. They raise your cholesterol level, which increases the risk of heart disease.
High Quality Tea Contains a Great Source of Antioxidants This helps lower your LDL cholesterol because antioxidants fight off free radicals. Those are the bad guys (cells) that cause damage to your body and is a great fighter against many diseases.
A Great Source of L-Carnitine This ingredient helps convert fats into energy. This means that your body can absorb more of the good fats.
Can Keep You Calmer Mint teas, chamomile teas, lavender teas, and rose teas are just some of the teas that can give you a calming effect, especially if you are stressed.
Tea Helps with Weight Management Teas have catechins that may boost metabolism and when your metabolism is higher, you use more energy; in other words, it helps your body break down fats more quickly. Additionally, caffeine in tea also increases your energy use, causing your body to burn more calories. Caffeine also helps to keep you more alert. One caveat though is people who have heart conditions should consult with a medical professional prior to consuming caffeine.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Did you know that each teabag has different amounts of caffeine in it? You can even drink different types of tea to discover how it affects your body. Here are some teas you can consider:
Green Tea: When you drink green tea, you are getting lots of nutrients in addition to caffeine. It’s a great source of antioxidants that can help you fight against heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and more.
Black Tea: Black tea is a very high antioxidant and can help with liver disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and more. It also helps relieve pain, reduces the effects of acne, and has anti-inflammatory properties that can help with digestive issues.
White Tea: If you are looking for a less intense caffeinated tea, white tea is a great option.
Do not let a cloudy tea glass scare you. There are several different ways to make tea that will make it a little clearer. The first way to make tea is by soaking the tea leaves in water, ideally boiling them for three minutes.
The best thing to do is steep the tea leaves in a pot with enough water to cover the leaves, bring it to a boil, and then let it sit for two minutes. If the tea still isn’t clear, place the tea leaves in a strainer and rinse the leaves through several times. To make a light tea, add a teaspoon of honey to the water. If the leaves are still a little cloudy, place them in a strainer and rinse them through a couple of times. Having black tea does not mean you have to do without sugar. To make a tea with just enough sugar, add a teaspoon of honey to the water. Best Types of Tea for Your Health
For many of the health benefits listed above, you can drink an assortment of teas, which can come in a variety of flavors and strengths. Generally, the darker the tea, the stronger and more antioxidant-rich it is. There are many health benefits that come from drinking loose-leaf teas. The darker the tea leaves, the more caffeine it contains.
Generally, green and oolong teas have less caffeine, while black and yellow teas have a lot of caffeine. It’s important to make sure that you always use high-quality loose-leaf tea. This is because it is the best way to get the most health benefits. Look for loose-leaf tea made from High-Quality Teas, which have been carefully brewed and steeped to extract the most caffeine out of the tea leaves.
What Is Tea? Tea is an herbaceous perennial plant that originated in Asia. Tea’s botanical name is Camellia sinensis. It can be brewed from black, green, oolong, and white teas. The botanical name for green tea is C.sinensis var. assamica.
Tea tree oil is the name for a derivative of tea tree. Tea tree oil has been used for a long time as a topical and oral spray to treat a variety of conditions. It’s used to heal skin infections, wounds, itching, eczema, acne, and sunburns. It’s also used to repel insects and pests. It is also used as an antiseptic in people with skin infections. Tea & Cola I am sure you can guess this right away – the combination of tea and cola tastes awful.
What is the Best Time to Drink Tea?
Tea has caffeine, but it’s much less than coffee or soda. While drinking tea does not have the same negative effects as caffeine, it can be harmful if you drink it too close to bedtime, as it has been shown to keep you awake longer. How much tea should I drink? If you want to lose weight, drink around five cups of tea a day.
If you are looking to lose weight and promote a healthy diet, you should drink around three cups of tea a day. Drinking tea can lower your cholesterol and insulin levels. What other benefits does tea offer? Tea is high in antioxidants, which can help lower the risk of heart disease and cancer. It is also a natural substance to make bile, which aids in digestion. Tea contains sugar, but it can be sweetened with honey, maple syrup, or fruit.
Can I Drink Tea While Pregnant?
Many pregnant women drink green tea, as it helps to lower the chances of birth defects and other complications. However, a small amount of research shows that drinking tea while pregnant could put your child at a higher risk for death from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). However, most of these studies were done on rats, so it is not yet clear if drinking tea during pregnancy is actually harmful to your baby. For more information, click here. Can I drink green tea when breastfeeding? Most green tea companies will produce tea with caffeine that has been decaffeinated. That means you can drink green tea while breastfeeding, but it is not recommended.
Can I Drink Tea if I Have Type 2 Diabetes?
According to The American Diabetes Association, tea is one of the best non-medicinal diabetes treatments. However, it is still important to talk to your doctor before adding it to your daily diabetes regimen. For more information, please visit the American Diabetes Association website. Can I drink tea if I have type 1 diabetes? A non-tea drink like juice can be very harmful to your body when consumed every day. Therefore, it is recommended that people with diabetes slowly reduce their juice consumption and increase the amount of water they drink. For more information, please visit the American Diabetes Association website. Can I drink tea if I have type 2 diabetes? Tea has an almost equal mix of carbohydrates and protein as other foods.
Which is Healthier, Green or Black Tea?
Both green and black tea contain polyphenols, which are phytonutrients, but only green tea contains catechins.
1. Catechins support the body’s natural detoxification mechanisms. 2. Catechins provide antioxidant properties that help fight harmful free radicals in the body. 3. Catechins have neuroprotective benefits, which help protect the brain from damage. 4. Catechins support the metabolism of glucose, which helps control blood sugar levels. 5. Catechins can help slow the aging of the skin and promote glowing skin. 6. Catechins help reduce the body’s production of uric acid, which causes gout.
Bottom Line
Most all teas carry a large array of health benefits, but it is up to you to decide which teas are best for you or maybe try different ones and not stick to just one kind of tea.
So you go to a bagel store and look at the drink menu. You see the coffee listings and you are bewildered by all the different types of coffee they have. Well, bewilder no more. Here we will discuss what each coffee blend is so you can make an educated decision. Let’s go!
Espresso
Ever drink black coffee? There you go! Only this type of black coffee will give you the jump start for your morning commute. That’s because espresso is darker and stronger. You will usually get it in a shot glass or you might get it as a double.
With that said, espresso is nothing more than strong black coffee with a bit of milk foam, called macchiato (meaning ‘mark’) at the top. It is also found at the base (bottom) for numerous other coffee drinks.
What is Milk Foam?
Well, you need an espresso machine to start off with. It comes with a steam wand which is needed to push (hot) air into the milk, but only the tip of the wand is placed into the milk and only at the top. Once properly placed, then the air comes out of the wand which causes the mist in the milk. You can then pour the steamed milk on top of the drink, even make some designs. This process of sending air into the milk is called frothering and is an essential process in the making of espresso coffee.
What are the Ingredients of Espresso?
The coffee shop connoisseur boils a minor amount of water. Then he forces the water through very small ground coffee beans, which makes the espresso thicker than the typical coffee you are more familiar with. To finish it off, he places the milk foam at the top.
Believe it or not, espresso is not caffeine heavy and actually has a bit less caffeine than standard coffee.
What is Cappuccino?
Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash
A favorite among Italians. This drink can be served hot or cold, but most people are used to the hot one.
Cappuccino is made with espresso poured at the bottom with milk at the top. In between is steamed milk and milk foam. The proportion of ingredients are 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, and 1/3 milk foam.
Sounds tasty right? So the next time you go into your coffee shop or bagel store, get a fresh cup of hot cappuccino!
Ah, coffee! The quintessential wake me up in the morning, get up and go drink. But is coffee really good for you? Well, for the most part, yes as it has antioxidants that help kill those scary free radicals in your body and consequently, help to reduce oxidative stress.
But you are saying huh?? What? Don’t worry, we won’t let you hang with these unfamiliar terms without giving an explanation, as well as providing the benefits that can result. We will also discuss what we can do to keep free radicals at bay.
Let’s Start by Talking About Oxidative Stress – What is It?
Free radicals, antioxidants, and healthy atoms (Bigstock)
Any substance that loses electrons is referred to as being oxidized and is labeled as a reducing agent. Any substance that gains electrons is the oxidizing agent.
The cells in the brain are called neurons. There are billions of them in our brains and they communicate by sending impulses to each other which creates thought and maintains memory. This process is the psychological representation of how we think.
Neurons can get damaged by some nasty fellers called free radicals, which are cells that contain missing electrons. Since free radicals are lacking electrons, they look for neurons that have the electrons they need, and subsequently, they attempt to steal them from healthy cells and then the neurons become defective. This can inhibit the cells from making contact with other neurons, which can result in damaging the cognitive process in the brain.
With that said, it would take billions of these mutations to actually cause a brain malfunction; however, the more that free radicals are free to rob and steal (the more they keep attacking healthy cells), the more hazardous it can become for us.
So, What are the Actual Consequences of Oxidative Stress?
Synapse and Neuron cells sending electrical chemical signals.
Loss of memory is one possibility, but the situation can get worse if the free radicals are not contained. Oxidation can also cause fatigue, eyesight issues, headaches, and increased susceptibility to infections by diminishing the immune system. Studies have shown that they may also be responsible for age-related wrinkles and gray hair, so seniors take note! The risk of acquiring diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s Disease is also a possibility.
How Do We Keep Free Radicals at Bay?
Simple. Eat the right foods and drink the right drinks!
Eat and drink foods that contain antioxidants – the entities that fight off the free radicals, so the more antioxidants in our bodies, the stronger our immune systems and the healthier we can be.
Enter Coffee!
A study by the Laboratory of Neuroscience in Boston has stated that: “Coffee can have direct effects on the brain and also reduces oxidative stress and inflammation.”
So, coffee is rich in antioxidants. The result is you are actually drinking an antioxidant booster, so one (or more – but in moderation) coffee cup per day may actually keep the doctor away!
