Posted by Stephanie Clarke on Tue, Jun 08, 2010
This week's must-have will be welcome news for all you coffee lovers—and according to the stats, there are quite a lot of you! Americans consume more than 400 million cups of the stuff per day! In fact, coffee is the second most widely traded commodity in the world, after oil. Whatever your reason for sipping—that jolt of caffeine, the unique flavor, the ritual and experience surrounding drinking it, or a combination of these things—there's one thing we can all agree on: Coffee is a drink that's in demand.
Unfortunately, many java lovers feel guilty about their habit because of studies that suggested coffee may be bad for the bones, increase blood pressure, or cause anxiety. As a dietitian, I often hear clients say "I'm working on cutting out my last vice, coffee." But the latest research shows that if you currently drink coffee, you can probably continue to sip safely—in moderation, of course. If you're a coffee drinker like me, here's what you should know.
Coffee Perks
The emerging health benefits of coffee are plentiful. An analysis in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people who drink three to four cups of coffee a day are 25 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who drink fewer than two cups. Additional studies have linked coffee consumption with a lower risk for colon, mouth, throat, esophageal and endometrial cancers. And coffee drinkers are also less likely to have cavities, gallstones, cirrhosis of the liver, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Experts suspect that many of these health benefits can be attributed to antioxidant compounds in coffee called phenols. One in particular, chlorogenic acid, may play a role in the prevention of diabetes and Parkinson's Disease. Not to mention, a little bit of java can also help boost your energy level and help you carry out daily tasks (like answering those morning emails or getting in a morning workout) with more ease, a result of the drink's caffeine content.
More isn't necessarily better when it comes to coffee, and this is particularly true for certain groups of people. If you're pregnant, the caffeine in coffee may increase the risk of miscarriage and therefore should be limited to a cup a day for healthy women, according to most experts (check with your doctor before making any changes to your diet). And you should steer clear of it if you have preeclampsia, a form of high blood pressure during pregnancy. In fact, anyone with high blood pressure or heart disease should ask their doctor how much coffee they can safely have, as caffeine can temporarily raise blood pressure. It's also important to recognize that individual reactions to coffee and caffeine can differ. While one person can drink six cups of coffee and not feel jittery, another might drink just one cup and feel the effects. Too much caffeine can irritate your gut and disrupt sleep. (There's about 130 to 150 mg of caffeine in one regular size cup; a tall coffee from Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts can have nearly double that.)
How Do You Take It?
What you pour or stir into your coffee can make a big difference in how healthy your cup is. For example, drinking coffee with fat-free or one percent milk will add a bit of calcium (40 mg per two tablespoons) to your diet, which studies show can offset any calcium you may lose because of caffeine. Whole milk or cream, on the other hand, contain saturated fat, which can increase LDL (bad) cholesterol. Sugar and other toppings (like caramel and whipped cream) can also add lots of calories, which can contribute to weight gain. For instance, frozen coffee drinks with whipped cream can cost you more than 500 calories and 20 grams of saturated fat! Stick with nonfat lattes or coffee with fat-free milk (or one percent milk or a calcium-fortified soymilk or almond milk, which are both a little higher in total fat), and if you use sugar, opt for no more than 1 teaspoon (which adds 16 calories) per cup.
Posted by Janis Jibrin on Fri, Sep 11, 2009
Got a minute? Then you have time to make a major difference in your diet. These five quick and easy adjustments will help slim you down and infuse your diet with more vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients.
1. Say buh-bye to butter. Replace regular butter with peanut or almond butter. Nut butters contain the same amount of calories as margarine or butter, but they keep you feeling full longer. That may be because the creamy spread is high in protein; there is 4 g of the satiating nutrient per tablespoon. Plus, the healthy monounsaturated fats help protect your ticker. If you're in the mood for a butter-like spread, be sure to choose one that contains no partially hydrogenated oil, such as Smart Balance Buttery Spread, which carries the Best Life seal.
2. Choose whole over white. Opting for whole-grain products, such as bread, cereal and rice, over white will help you get your fiber fix for the day. Hitting the 25- to 35-grams-per-day goal for fiber will help keep you satisfied and reduce your risk for cancer, heart disease, constipation, and obesity.
3. Drink your vegetables. Don't have time to wash and chop? Six ounces of vegetable juice counts as one of your three or more daily vegetable servings. Ideally, you should use juice to fill just one of your veggie servings because the whole vegetable is much more filling for the calories.
4. Select a smarter cup. Coffee can weaken your bones, but drinking fat-free milk can help offset the risk, according to a study from the University of California at San Diego. So add some calcium to your cup by turning your coffee into café au lait or your espresso into a latte. Calcium- and vitamin D-enriched soymilk is also an excellent choice—soy has been linked to protection against heart disease. (Many flavors of Silk soymilk have the Best Life seal.)
5. Go for real fruit, not fruit juice. Fruit juice can cost you up to about 150 calories per 8-ounce cup. The real deal—a piece of whole fruit—will set you back only 60 calories. Plus, whole fruit contains fiber (there's 3 to 4 g in a medium orange or apple), whereas fruit juice has none. Note: Veggie juice, though lower in fiber than whole veggies, is still OK for one of your daily veggie servings because it's low in calories. In fact, it has half the calories of most fruit juices.
For more quick and easy healthy-eating tips, check out TheBestLife.com.