Today (Wednesday) we celebrate a cup o' Joe, java, brew, mud, liquid energy – it’s International Coffee Day.
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in America, and for good reason.
Beth Czerwony, a registered dietian at Cleveland Clinic, tells why this is a good thing.
“So, coffee being a plant, it has all the health benefits associated with plants, right, with all the things that we naturally think about. So, we're talking about antioxidants, we're talking about polyphenols. And with that, that improves our health by improving our blood sugars, our blood pressures, cardiovascular health.”
Czerwony says research also shows coffee can help improve our cognitive function with things like focus, memory and alertness. So which kind of coffee is best to drink? Czerwony says light and medium roasts are recommended since they retain most of their antioxidants, which protect the body's cells. Cold brew can be another great option for those with acid reflux. She explains that the process to make cold brew removes a lot of the acidity. And while coffee can offer many health benefits, it's important not to overdo it by adding a bunch of creamer and sweeteners.
“If we're adding in high fat creamers, whole milks, we're adding in multiple pumps of syrupy--syrups, or we're adding in just sugar itself, because we're not actually eating those calories, we're just drinking those calories, they can add up. So, you can add up hundreds and hundreds of extra calories without us even thinking about it.”
It's also important to be mindful of your daily caffeine intake. According to the FDA, most adults should have only about 400 milligrams of caffeine per day — which is about two to three cups of coffee.
