Coffee...Health Benefits?

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DustinWed
DustinWed Posts: 12 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Now I've never been a coffee drinker. Just never started, but I've been reading more and more about how drinking coffee every day has its health benefits. What do you guys think of this and do you drink coffee every day?

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  • absalomabsalom
    absalomabsalom Posts: 2
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    Health benefits?? New one on me. It is a diuretic (sp??) so it helps to keep me regular. Apart from that, there are basically no calories in an espresso and it tastes amazing and makes me happy!
  • semperfiwife
    semperfiwife Posts: 55
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    I read in one of my health magazines that coffee can help suppress appetite if you are craving munchies, I don't know if its been proven or anything. I have found when I am working, we have free coffee all day, that when I get the urge to go to the snack machine, I have a cup of coffee and it fights off the urge at least to get me to lunch :)
  • sunshine92
    sunshine92 Posts: 228 Member
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    coffee is my best friend in the morning :) im addicted to Starbucks! i've heard the caffeine speeds up our metabolism and it curbs your appetite...
  • Dee678
    Dee678 Posts: 53
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    From what I've read in fitness magazines and on health websites. . . .
    Coffee contains anti-oxidants, caffeine (a stimulant, which suppresses appetite and increases energy)
    Downside: is a GI irritant (don't have your vitamins w/ it, they'll be sped through and may not be fully absorbed; for some can cause cramping, diarrhea, etc), caffeine can cause headaches in some individuals, etc

    The list goes on . . .

    Taking all of this into consideration. I have 1 cup in the morning an hour before breakfast. I also have a cup 30 min before I hit the gym, to keep me feeling energized, so I can last longer. I also don't consume any (decaf or otherwise) after 6pm, so I can get a good nights rest.

    FWIW . . .
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
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    I love love love the taste of coffee with skim milk. I recently switched to decaf just to prove to myself that I wasn't addicted to the caffeine but rather the taste (although there is still some caffeine in decaf).

    I have read things on either side of the argument. Coffee is good for you one day and yet caffeine is bad for you the next, it seems. My opinion is that if you don't already drink it, I don't know that the benefits are great enough that it makes sense to start. It is a bit of an acquired taste for many. ESPECIALLY if you find that you need to load it down with sugar and cream. The calories in that would likely negate the health benefits you are striving for. (I have to have milk in mine b/c I just don't like it black, but I've weaned myself down to only skim milk--it still adds about 80 calories over the course of the day.)
  • healthycat31
    healthycat31 Posts: 99
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    I know, I've read points for and against drinking coffee but I love coffee too & have been a coffee drinker for a long long time so I just focused on the sugar first. I started having coffee with no sugar over a year ago & I find it tastes so much better, even black coffee. Two months ago, I replaced 2-3 cups of coffee a day with 1 cup of coffee in the morning and 1-2 cups of green tea a day & I'm finding that better too.
  • amyfritz
    amyfritz Posts: 33
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    Here is the latest on coffee. Latest research has shown that it can help you during a workout. So drink up.. In moderation of course..
    I work in cardiac rehab so my patients ask me this question constantly. And everyone else is right, it is a diruetic, low in calories (in you drink it black) and they do change their minds about it every now and again.
  • sendmoretigers
    sendmoretigers Posts: 48
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    coffee has been proven to prevent insanity, particularly when used during morning commutes

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