Can you imagine what the world would be like if coffee didn’t exist? Rather unpleasant images come to mind, of grumpy expressions on faces all day, people moving slower and losing their energy faster. Can we get anything done without coffee? Most of us depend on that nice, steaming cup of morning coffee to kick start our mood for the day. And without it, at least some of us would just give up and go back to bed.
Drinking black coffee, in particular, can give you more of an energy boost than coffee that has been diluted with milk or cream. That’s why a lot of workaholics and ‘hustlers’ prefer it to anything else. We prefer it too! Be warned, if you go on reading, you will be tempted to cross over to the dark side, where the palate only craves coffee as black as midnight!
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#1- It Helps you Lose Weight
If you’ve been struggling for forever to shed off a few extra pounds, then perhaps it’s time to take a look at your daily sugar consumption. The common advice for adults is to stick to just 9 teaspoons of sugar a day but many of us exceed that amount by lunchtime. With popular coffee chains like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts enticing us with all sorts of sweet, mouth-watering brews, it’s very hard to cut down on the sugar intake.
That’s why you should get used to plain black coffee. It does more to brighten up your day than milk coffee and will ultimately help you kick the sugar addiction and lose weight.
Caffeine, in general, helps to burn fat by giving your metabolic rate a good boost. It’s also known to help keep your appetite in control, thus helping you go past a fast food chain without experiencing the urge to visit the drive-through every time.
#2- Maintain a Healthy Heart
A regular dose of love and joy can keep a heart young, and apparently so can coffee. Several studies have concluded that drinking coffee lowers the risk of heart failure. That is, as long as you don’t drink more than four cups a day.
#3- Keep Your Teeth Cavity-Free!
Want good oral hygiene? Drink black coffee! According to one particular study, drinking black coffee in moderation actually helps prevent bacterial build up on teeth, thereby preventing the formation of plaque.
The point to emphasize here is that it must be plain black coffee. That means no milk and no sugar! So if you’re worried about plaque build-up, ditch the latte and grab a cup of old fashioned black coffee.
#4- It Stops Periodontal Disease
If you’re concerned about receding gums, then try drinking a cup or two of black coffee every day. According to one study published in the Journal of Periodontology, caffeine helps to prevent gum inflammation and thereby prevents complications like bone loss.
#5- It Makes You Happier
Depression, fundamentally, is a chemical imbalance in your brain. To explain further, it’s when neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine (which produce feelings of happiness) are fewer and inhibitory neurotransmitters like adenosine are greater.
A few studies have come to the conclusion that caffeine helps to reduce the amount of adenosine in the brain and simultaneously encourage the production of more norepinephrine and dopamine. Plain black coffee may have the biggest antidepressant effect of all, given that excess sugar tends to promote depression.
#6- It Lowers the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease for which there is still no cure. Sufferers first experience mild symptoms such as faint tremors. Once the disease progresses, motor functions begin to cease and patients have trouble carrying out even the smallest movements.
While it’s not a cure, coffee seems to reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to studies. Furthermore, it seems that coffee can help sufferers regain some of their motor functions.
#7- It Helps You Become Smarter
If you want a magic potion that helps you become smarter, then black coffee is the closest thing. As mentioned above, caffeine helps to reduce the number of inhibitory neurotransmitters in the brain. When this happens, lots of different parts of our brain ‘light up’, including the areas responsible for memory and vigilance.
#8- Your Liver Will Appreciate It
If you like to go out with your friends to the bar every week, you probably put your liver through a lot. The good news is that you could counter this abuse by drinking coffee. Research has shown that having 3-4 cups a day does a whole to prevent a number of liver diseases, including the really bad ones like liver cirrhosis.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should gulp down 4 cups of caramel latte every day. You’ll just end up with fatty liver. Black coffee is clearly the healthier choice.
#9- It’s Rich in Antioxidants
Everyone knows the vast health benefits of antioxidants. Now coffee addicts all of the world can rejoice knowing that their morning cup of joe is one of the richest sources of antioxidants.
#10- It Helps You Maintain Your Eyesight
Staring at a computer screen all day can ruin your eyesight. However, it can’t be helped, considering how the world functions today. But don’t worry, because research has found that coffee helps to preserve your eyesight as well! The key ingredient here is chlorogenic acid (an antioxidant found much more abundantly in coffee than caffeine) which prevents retinal degradation significantly.
Coffee is the fuel that keeps the world turning. A lot of us would be in a permanent bad mood if coffee somehow went out of production! Out of all the different varieties, black coffee is undoubtedly the healthiest, because while caffeine itself is what provides most benefits, the addition of milk, sugar or cream tends to neutralize these. So the next time you think about grabbing a cup of coffee, do yourself a favor and order a good old-fashioned black brew.
Even if you’re addicted to sugary flavors right now, it’s never too ‘latte’ to quit.
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