lifestyle

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Why Make Your Coffee Habit Part of A Healthy Lifestyle?
7 Reasons Why!

It seems as though we’re constantly debating whether coffee is good for your health, or bad for it.

While some factions are convinced that caffeine is bad for you, studies constantly show that coffee could have a number of positive benefits to bring to the table.
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In fact, coffee has been proven to help with everything from reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes, to helping you lose weight faster. You could even take advantage of advances in technology to lose weight faster and easier by using weight loss apps.  Of course, even with the help of coffee to lose weight, you must also also give up being a couch potato and factor in a consistent fitness routine!

Not all coffee is created equally. On its own, the natural coffee beans harvested, roasted and sold by the bag full each day are packed full of great antioxidants and minerals.
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Unfortunately, it’s the way that most people drink and store those coffees that make the drink less beneficial than it could be. From pumpkin-spiced lattes drenched in sugar, to ground and freeze-dried coffee that’s been robbed of its nutrients, we’re not giving coffee the respect it deserves.

If you’re looking for a way to bring more of the health benefits of coffee into your daily routine, the following tips could help.
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• 1. Drink Your Coffee Early in the Day

There are few things that can wake you up quite like a good cup of coffee. That’s because coffee beans are naturally loaded with caffeine – a stimulant that’s sure to give you a jolt of energy when you need it most.
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While most of us appreciate the caffeine that coffee has to offer in the early morning hours, it can present more of a problem when you drink it later in the day.
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If your workload at the office is making you stressed up, coffee may not be your answer, especially later on in the day. In this case, relaxation, meditation and stress-relief management techniques are better for you. Ensuring that you get a healthy night’s rest means stopping your coffee habit no later than 3 pm each day.
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If you really want to drink coffee later in the afternoon, then you can always try switching to decaf instead. Of course, not everyone will automatically be sensitive to caffeine. You may sleep just fine no matter when you drink your java.
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• 2. Don’t Drink Too Much…Coffee

You can get too much of a good thing. As great as coffee can be for your health, it’s not designed to be drunk morning, noon and night. A moderate intake of coffee is healthy enough, but when you’re stocking your body full of caffeine throughout the day, you can begin to see problems. In general, it’s best to stick to a couple of cups of coffee throughout the day.
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If you have a hard time stopping at one cup when you’re drinking your favorite freshly-roasted beans, try setting a schedule where you can sit down with a drink a couple of times during your day.
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Use these moments to talk with friends and family, and really appreciate the flavors that you’re getting from the beans. Taking these mindful breaks will help you to get much more out of each cup of coffee.
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• 3. Avoid Adding Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners

There’s nothing wrong with having a sweet tooth, but if you’re pouring syrups and sugars into your coffee every time you drink it, then there’s a good chance you’re going to miss out on the benefits you could be getting.
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Sugar is one of the most dangerous ingredients out there today, as it often links back to problems like diabetes and is a fast track to heart disease including stroke and heart failure. With time, diabetes usually leads to obesity and eventually, even cancer.

Choosing a high-quality coffee that comes with plenty of delicious flavor to enjoy should reduce your need for artificial sweeteners and sugars. However, if you struggle to get by without any sweetness in your drink, you could always try using a natural option like organic honey or cinnamon.

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• 4. Stick to Organic Coffee

It’s safe to say that a ground, freeze-dried coffee that you buy from your local grocery store isn’t going to be as nutritious and beneficial as an organic, whole-roasted coffee bean.
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The quality of coffee and the advantages it can give you in life depend largely on the processing method for the bean, and how it was grown. Some coffee beans are sprayed with synthetic chemicals that detract from their nutritional value, which is why it’s often best to stick to an organic brand.

At the same time, it’s always important to choose whole beans over grounds. When a coffee bean is ground it up and exposed to oxygen, it begins to lose some of its minerals and antioxidants, as well as its delicious flavor.
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• 5. Stay Away from Artificial Creamers ~ Use REAL Ingredients!

Artificial creamers – the stuff you get in little pots to add to your coffee at a café, tend to be highly processed substances.
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Of course, while the contents can vary according to brand, most experts agree that whole, natural ingredients are generally a better choice for those who want to get the most out of their coffee experience.
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Consider adding some full-fat cream to your coffee instead – preferable from cows who have been grass fed. Milk products, if you can tolerate them, are a great source of calcium, and they can be ideal for reducing your risk of fractures.

Alternatively, you could always consider adding grass-fed butter to your coffee if you’re willing to try the “Bulletproof diet” trend. Essentially, you add butter to black coffee to get all the health benefits of grass-fed butter, along with the antioxidants of coffee.
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• 6. Consider Adding Coconut Oil

Speaking of beneficial additives, you can put in your coffee to make it healthier, coconut oil is packed full of healthy fats, including medium-chain triglycerides, which have been linked in studies to improved weight loss. Not only could coconut oil help you to lose weight faster, but it could also be very beneficial in boosting brain health too.
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One study published by UCLA found that coconut oil could actually begin to reverse some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
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It goes without saying that more research would be necessary to find out for certain whether coconut oil can really be the answer to a lot of mind-degenerating diseases. Even if coconut oil doesn’t improve cognitive function, it could still offer a lot of health benefits alongside your daily dose of coffee.
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• 7. Make Sure You’re Drinking It for the Right Reasons ~ It’s all about Balance and Lifestyle!

Finally, while coffee certainly has a lot of health benefits to bring to the table when it’s used correctly, it’s important to make sure that you’re drinking it for the right reasons.
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If you simply love the flavor of your freshly ground coffee beans, and you want to take advantage of all the benefits we’ve mentioned above, that’s absolutely fine.
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However, if you’re using the substance as a crutch to keep you awake during long shifts and 70-hour weeks, then that could be a problem.

If you want to get the most out of your coffee habit, then make sure that you’re not using it to cover up other problems like poor sleep and an overwhelming work schedule. Instead, think of your coffee as the delicious and healthy treat you need once or twice a day to add something special to your self-care routine.

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Article by Caroline Black
caroline@javapresse.com
Caroline is a coffee enthusiast and an avid blogger who spends her time learning as much as she can about the health and wellness world.  

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 Share with us your coffee experience. What challenges did you have, if any, about stopping, or starting, to drink coffee?
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