More than half of American adults believe drinking coffee can be good for their health, and they're not wrong.
Coffee boosts energy and helps improve focus. It also comes with a long list of other potential health benefits.
But there are a few things you can do to ruin a healthy coffee, like loading it up with creamer, or letting it disturb a good night's sleep.
To take full advantage of the health benefits of drinking coffee, try the simple steps outlined below.
Keep Sugar, Syrups, and Creamer Out of Coffee
A plain black coffee is a healthy coffee. It's only going to have about five calories.
But most people don't drink just black coffee. Instead, they'll often add things like sugar, syrups, and artificial creamer to it to make it taste better.
If you add just a splash of one of these things, it isn't going to wreak too much havoc on your health. But if you load your coffee up with them every single day, it will turn it into a high-calorie drink with unhealthy artificial additions.
To maximize the health benefits of drinking coffee, try not to fall in love with the taste of coffee that has sugar, syrups, or creamer in it. You'll be better off for it over the years.
Find Healthy Ways to Spice Up Coffee
If you can't stomach the thought of drinking black coffee, you might be able to spice it up without making it unhealthy. You can add certain spices to a cup of coffee to improve its taste dramatically.
In recent years, cinnamon has become a go-to for many coffee drinkers. The flavor of cinnamon adds just a hint of sweetness to your coffee, and it's full of benefits.
Other health benefits are thought to come along with adding cinnamon to coffee, like bringing blood glucose levels down; it may also help get your cholesterol under control
If you're not a massive fan of the coffee and cinnamon combination, something like nutmeg might be a better option. Like cinnamon, it'll inject some taste into a cup of coffee without piling on calories.
Attach Healthy Habits to Cups of Coffee
If you're like most Americans, you will make yourself at least two or three cups of coffee each day. Why not attach a healthy habit to each one to enhance the health benefits of drinking coffee?
For example, you should commit to drinking water either right before or right after you have coffee. Recent studies have pointed out that about 75% of American adults are either chronically dehydrated every day or at least some days. You can keep yourself out of this category by drinking water along with your coffee all the time.
You'll also usually have five minutes to burn every time you're waiting for a cup of coffee to brew. So why take make the most of that time? You can implement a healthy habit like:
- Performing a series of stretches (this will be especially good for you if you sit at a desk all day!)
- Closing your eyes and meditating
- Repeating a few positive affirmations to yourself over and over again
You might be surprised to see what a big difference these healthy habits can make in your life. The simple act of making coffee could be the catalyst behind all of them.
Use a Coffee Supplement
Coffee supplements are unlike creamers and syrups because they typically add a functional element to your drink.
There is a range of supplements on the market, with as many different benefits depending on what you need.
Here at For Wellness, we've developed our very own supplement called The Good Stuff™.
The Good Stuff™ is designed to optimize your body and mind. Not only does it replace nasty additives with a delicious cinnamon taste, The Good Stuff™ also combats the coffee jitters, helps fight inflammation, and supports skin and hair health.
Plus, The Good Stuff™ now has a sibling, The Good Stuff™ FOCUS, which has the same benefits and ingredients as above, as well as cocoa extract to support mood and focus.
It truly is the easiest way to level up your day!
Understand the Ingredients Found in The Good Stuff
There are five main ingredients in The Good Stuff™: l-theanine, Ceylon cinnamon, collagen, Himalayan salt, and C8 MCT oil.
Each of these ingredients amplifies the health benefits of drinking coffee in its own way.
L-theanine is a naturally-occurring amino acid that promotes relaxation and reduces the jitters that can be an annoying side effect of drinking coffee.
Ceylon cinnamon is a natural antioxidant, antioxidants help eliminate free radicals from your body and keep it free from diseases.
Collagen makes up nearly one-third of the protein in your body and is responsible for strengthening your skin, muscles, tissues, and bones.
Himalayan salt contains minerals that reduce muscle cramping, plus contrary to what you might think, it actually smoothes out the flavor of coffee.
C8 MCT oil is a healthy fat found in coconut oil that can boost energy and help burn fat.
In The Good Stuff™ FOCUS, there's one added ingredient that makes it really stand out.
Theobromine, which we use in The Good Stuff™ FOCUS, is a cacao bean alkaloid. It supports cognitive function, mood and serves as a source of slow-release energy. Plus, it makes your coffee taste like a mocha dream!
Drink Coffee Before Working Out
The pre-workout supplement industry has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. Many younger people, in particular, are using pre-workout supplements before workouts to boost their energy levels.
But why do that when you can use coffee to give yourself all the energy you'll need to work out harder? Studies have discovered drinking coffee before workouts might help delay workout fatigue and strengthen muscles. Try having a cup of it about 60 minutes before working out and see what happens!
Coffee is a more cost-effective exercise enhancer than pre-workout supplements. As long as you drink a high-quality coffee with The Good Stuff™ in it, you also won't have to worry about experiencing any jitters while working out.
Drink Coffee at the Right Times
Did you know there are certain times of the day when coffee is more beneficial than others?
Most people naturally assume that slamming a cup of coffee first thing in the morning is the best time, but this isn't often the case.
First thing in the morning, your body's cortisol levels will increase.
Cortisol is responsible for keeping you alert and focused, so you should be able to rely on it to carry you through the first part of your day. You can then turn to caffeine to keep you chugging along once your initial dose of cortisol wears off.
Research has revealed it's better to wait until later to drink your first cup of coffee.
For most people, this will be sometime between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Your body's cortisol levels will likely be at their lowest points at this time, so caffeine will give you a more significant boost than usual when you drink it.
You might also want to rely on coffee to help you overcome the midafternoon slump many people experience. It's typically brought on by a drop in the body's blood sugar a couple of hours after you eat lunch. Lower than usual cortisol levels can also be to blame for the sluggish feeling you'll sometimes get in the middle of the afternoon.
Drinking coffee can help you push through this midafternoon slump and enable you to get more work done each day. Just try not to drink coffee too late in the day since it could start to affect your ability to sleep!
Steer Clear of Drinking Too Much Coffee
The good news for coffee lovers is that you should be able to get plenty of it into your system without affecting your health. According to the FDA, you can safely take up to 400 milligrams of coffee daily. That adds up to about four or five cups of coffee.
The problem is that it's very easy for some people to go well over that amount. And who can blame them? Coffee is delicious!
However, those who drink more than the recommended amount of coffee daily risk anxiety, jitters, insomnia, increased heart rate, headache, and more.
Some people will even fall into dysphoria when they drink too much coffee and find themselves over-caffeinated. It can lead to unhappiness and make you wish you hadn't poured yourself so many cups of coffee.
To avoid this, you should limit your coffee intake to just two or three cups each day. You don't need to overdo it to get all the health benefits of drinking coffee.
We'll Help You Enjoy All the Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee
If drinking coffee is one of your day's biggest staples, you should ensure you're taking the healthiest approach possible while consuming it. If you do, you'll get all of the health benefits of drinking coffee.
We specialize in high-quality coffee and products that help you perform your best.
Check out the rest of our website for more products that will take your routine to the next level!