Health Benefits of Coffee

If you’re the type of person whose body responds with a smile when you take in the scent of coffee, you’re in good company!

Besides the energy boost, there are other health benefits your morning cup of coffee provides, and in today’s post, I want to share some of them with you to keep you smiling with each sip.

Yes, coffee is good for you – of course, in moderation. So, go ahead and fill up a mug (or two) and start your day with caffeine, antioxidants, and happiness!

 want to emphasize that this post is based on my personal research and experience. You should first consult a licensed medical physician. Making health and lifestyle changes, even positive ones, are always something to be discussed with a medical professional. 

The purpose of this post is to give you my first-hand experience and acquired knowledge not to provide any professional/medical advice.

Is Coffee Healthy?

When consumed in appropriate quantities, coffee provides health benefits. On its own, coffee has virtually no calories and provides our bodies with energy from caffeine.

In addition to caffeine, coffee also provides antioxidants, research shows that it may reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, decreases the risk of developing certain types of cancer, and also decreases the risk of developing depression.

Again, in moderation, adding coffee to your day may be a healthy addition that can bring repeated smiles.

Is it Good to Have Coffee Every Day?

Having a cup of coffee every day has been part of many cultures for thousands of years. However, as with many things, too much of a good thing can be bad.

Therefore, it is recommended to limit your coffee consumption to no more than four eight-ounce cups a day. Drinking more than this could result in dehydration, heart palpitations (from excess caffeine), and disrupt your digestive tract (trips to the bathroom).

Coffee Nutrition Facts

Although it contains some nutritional benefits, black coffee is not a source of macronutrients (carbs, fats, and proteins). This means that coffee has very few calories, about 1 calorie per 8-ounce cup when brewed traditionally.

A cup of coffee’s nutritional data will vary by the ingredients you choose to serve it with. Adding cream and sugar will add calories and fat so keep it in mind when calculating your dietary intake.

Calories in Coffee

By itself, there aren’t many calories in coffee, no carbs, and no fat. Whether you brew it in your coffee pot, use a french press, or mix instant with water, your cup of goodness isn’t a source of caloric worry.

Take a look at this table to see how each brewing method compares.

Coffee Type	Quantity	Calories
Brewed	8-ounces (125ml)	1 cal
Brewed, Decaf	8-ounces (125ml)	1 cal
Espresso	1-ounce (30ml)	3 cal
Instant	1 teaspoon (5g)	4 cal

Of course, our favorite coffee shops offer more ways to enjoy coffee than the above methods. From lattes to frozen coffee drinks, the flavors and calories stack up high -as well as the cost.

If you’re looking for a healthy way to drink coffee, then the least amount of add-ins you put the better the cup.

Per 8-ounce brewed cup, coffee also has about 116mg of potassium, 7mg magnesium, and 1-2mg niacin.

Antioxidants in Coffee

Coffee is one of the most studied foods in the world and research shows that there are benefits to drinking a cup because it provides antioxidants called polyphenols (polyphenolic antioxidants) such as chlorogenic, caffeic, ferulic, and n-coumarinic acids and Hydrocinnamic acids.

• Hydrocinnamic acids. These micronutrients neutralize free radicals, thus preventing oxidative stress.
• Polyphenols. These plant compounds also neutralize free radicals and may help prevent heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

These are the same antioxidants that our bodies see as beneficial to fight off “free radicals” that can affect your health through oxidative stress. 

A 2019 Study found that light and medium roasts contained more polyphenols than dark roasts; that is because during the roasting process antioxidants decrease the longer coffee is roasted.

When looking for coffee beans by type, Robusta coffee beans have significantly more antioxidants (643+-68) than Arabica beans (366+-74) [nih gov]. With Arabica coffee beans from Mexico and India having more antioxidants than coffees from China [pub med].

Antioxidant levels can also vary by country of origin, degree of roasting, coffee processing method, altitude in which the coffee was grown, soil quality, and other environmental differences. 

Organic coffee beans also showed slightly higher levels of antioxidant compounds than conventional beans. 

While tea is often praised for its antioxidant levels, here is how coffee compares green tea, black tea, and cocoa in antioxidant power by weight.

Beverage	Serving, in grams	TAC,mg
Coffee	7-10	150-300
Green Tea	2	150-300
Black Tea	2	110-200
Cocoa	10	200-250

Nutritional Benefits of Coffee

The nutritional benefits of coffee are always discussed in terms of drinking coffee.   

Therefore, coffee can be a great tool to help us feel healthier and live longer. Plus, the caffeine levels in coffee can help curb your appetite making it a great drink for weight loss or intermittent fasting. 

If you want to increase the nutritional benefits of your morning cup, you might want to check out the Benefits of Bulletproof Coffee for Women.

Coffee Benefits for Skin

Coffee provides health benefits for your skin, but drinking it isn’t the only way to reap the rewards. There’s a reason you’ll often see coffee extract in many beauty products since it’s easily added to gels, pastes, and creams.

Coffee extract, when added to a mask, is often claimed to reduce puffiness and under-eye circles. In body scrubs, it claims to reduce cellulite -although this remains to be unproven.

I’m personally wary of when products containing coffee claim to reduce, sun spots, wrinkles, and inflammation.

While the skin is the largest organ in our bodies, and one that absorbs compounds, and coffee extract is a concentrated form of the antioxidants found in coffee, a lot of claims are marketing-centric rather than data and research-driven.

The Coffee Nap

The coffee…wait, what? Aren’t you supposed to drink coffee to stay awake? That’s what I thought, too! Turns out drinking a cup of coffee right before taking a twenty-minute nap can actually give you better sleep!

I wrote an entire post on how and when to take a nap so you don’t wake up groggy here.

When consumed, coffee blocks a chemical in your brain known as adenosine. When too much adenosine accumulates, it causes you to feel tired. However, sleeping clears adenosine from your brain. 

Therefore, by blocking receptors with coffee and immediately taking a short nap, you can prevent more adenosine from accumulating and clear what is already there. By the time you wake up, the coffee will have worked its way into your bloodstream, leaving you feeling refreshed and more energized than ever. 

By a short nap, I mean a 20-minute start-to-finish nap.

My Favorite Ways to Drink Coffee

To get the most health benefits out of my morning cup of coffee, I created the perfect Bullet Proof coffee recipe. I’ve even written another article explaining the Benefits of Bulletproof Coffee. 

In hotter months, I tend to reach for iced coffees. Quick and refreshing, I’ve figured out how to make a delicious instant recipe to deliver the caffeine to your system that much faster. 

Of course, you can always add a scoop or two of instant coffee to a Chocolate Smoothie Bowl.