No, it isn't a mistake, I am talking about coffee today. Coffee is one of the most amazing drinks and has lots of benefits. However I am not talking about Cappuccinos, Frappuccinos or Lattes. These have all had lots of sugar and fat added to them. I am talking about plain, black coffee from good quality coffee beans. I always used to drink white coffee until my husband got me to try it plain coffee with nothing added. Now that is the only way I like to drink it!

So how do you choose good coffee beans? Firstly you should find a coffee that contains 100% Arabica beans. These are the best quality beans and also taste the best. Secondly you want to buy whole beans if possible. This is because as soon as beans are ground they start losing there freshness and flavour. The final thing to look at is how the coffee is roasted. Quality coffee beans can have as many different and complex tastes as gourmet wines and the roasting should enhance it's natural flavours so that you can actually taste the true coffee and not just the roasting. This means the coffee does not need to be roasted until it is totally black! Hopefully these tips will help you choose better quality coffee, or you can always try my coffee here!

Anyway here are the reasons you should be drinking coffee. Number 4 is my favourite!

1. It is full of antioxidants

Coffee beans are full of antioxidants. So when you drink a cup of coffee you get a huge boost of these amazing nutrients that have been shown to reduce ageing and prevent cancer.

2. You live longer if you drink coffee

A few studies have been done that show a link between regularly drinking coffee and living longer. It showed that coffee drinkers were less likely to die from injuries, accidents, heart disease or diabetes.

3. It can help with weight loss

Coffee contains caffeine which has been shown to help fat burning by boosting your metabolism. This means you will use more energy during the day than you would normally.

4. It improves your workouts

This is one of my favourite benefits. The caffeine in coffee improves your physical performance during sport and exercise. If you have a cup of coffee 30 minutes before you exercise it can improve your performance by 10%!

5. It contains vitamins and minerals

One cup of coffee has 11% of your daily requirement of Vitamin B2, 6% of your requirement of Vitamin B5 and 3% of your requirement of Potassium. 

This is just 5 reasons why coffee is such a great drink. As I have said the important thing is the quality of the coffee you use and that you do not add loads of extra sugar to it! Just make sure that you do not drink any after 3 pm otherwise you may struggle to get to sleep!

TAGS: benefits of foodlifestylenutrition