Thursday, November 25, 2010

Drinking Coffee and Health The 6 Benefits

Many people are avid coffee drinkers. They drink not only because of need but because it has become a form of socialization. Drinking coffee is a way of catching up with friends and family. In this way, coffee consumption has somewhat increased and the repercussion of this towards the health of the person is greatly discussed. Drinking coffee and health issues that it raised has become a topic of hot debate.

However, many people believe that drinking coffee has a lot of positive effects for the body. Studies done in the past has great benefits. Here are some of the positive effects of caffeine in the body.

1. People who are moderate drinkers, they are refereed to those who drink 3 to 5 cups per day as less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those who are light coffee drinkers or who drink 0-2 cups per day. This was stated in a study conducted in 2209. It also showed that the risk of dementia was significantly lowered for moderate coffee drinkers.

2. Caffeinated coffee was shown to decrease the occurrence of gallstones and gallbladders disease in both genders. This is supported by the fact that coffee protect the primary neuronal cells against the damage of hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death.

3. A person who drinks an average of 3.5 cups of coffee a day is less likely to develop Parkinson's disease than a person who is a non-coffee drinker. A reverse study has also stated this fact that non-drinkers are more likely to develop Parkinson's disease at a later stage in their life.

4. The main ingredient found in coffee is caffeine and experts state that this increases the potency of pain medications especially those targeting migraine. That is why, some headache medications include caffeine in the drug's ingredients.

5. A coffee drinker may reduce the risk of having type 2 diabetes mellitus by up to 50%. This is not only applicable for heavy coffee drinkers but also for moderate drinkers as well.

6. Coffee drinker are less likely to die from a heart disease as stated in a study conducted at a university in Madrid. This shows that drinking coffee and health wellness are partners

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Differences Between Organic Coffee and Other Coffees

What is organic coffee? How does it differ from traditional coffee? It all begins in the way that this ever-popular drink's beans are harvested. First of all, the farms that grow organic beans are set up completely differently.

Conventional coffee beans are treated with chemicals including pesticides and the like. When they are not treated directly, if the soil near coffee plants has chemicals present in it, some believe they can make their way throughout the plant. That means all the way into the coffee beans themselves.

Whether pesticides have an adverse effect on the human body is a longstanding debate that will probably continue. However, organic coffee consumption removes the worry from the minds of consumers who choose to drink it.

The farms that grow organic beans are required not only to not treat the crop itself with synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, but they are also mandated not to allow them to be grown in near proximity to land that has been treated synthetically. These strict guidelines ensure there is a near-zero chance that the coffee beans harvested from such land will contain any potentially harmful chemicals or any prohibited substances.

Objections to coffee plantation (as opposed to organic coffee plantation) span far beyond the consequences of human consumption. The fact that fossil fuels are used to produce synthetic fertilizers adds to the problem. That means that the plants themselves are not healthy due to the limited composition of the unhealthy 'food' they are provided in order to grow. Most fuels used to produce these fertilizers are blends made up of nitrogen, phosophorus and potassium.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Shopping For a Coffee Machine

Coffee makers are a great way to get a perfect cup of coffee every time. There are a lot on the market and it can be confusing which ones to go for. The first decision you need to make is whether you want a pod coffee machine or a bean to cup machine, the main difference between the two is the bean to cup machine uses ground coffee beans to filter water through and produce your coffee. Pod coffee machines however; filter water through a small 'pod' which can come in a variety of flavours.

Coffee drinkers generally prefer one or other but bean to cup machines can be extremely expensive and impractical. Pod machines however are generally a lot less expensive and produce great tasting coffee.

The advantages of using a pod coffee maker is that the manufacturers of the pods produce them in a whole host of new and exciting flavours, you can not only get great tasting coffee from your coffee maker but you can also get hot chocolate, latte's, mocha's and even cups of tea! Are these the new must have accessory for the modern kitchen?

With pod machines instead of buying more coffee beans for the machine you buy pods which are available in every major supermarket these days and most stock a massive range of flavours. Make sure you compare the cost on each different manufacturers pod refills so you aren't stuck with buying overpriced refills for your chosen coffee machine. Most brands do offer cheaper varieties and a range of more premium flavours.

The newer machines are also catching up with their profession coffee shop counterparts by boasting higher pressure, this can make a huge difference to the taste as it affects the way the water is filtered through the coffee. Anything between 8-15 bar pressure will result in a pretty amazing coffee so be sure to check this.