Is coffee healthy?

As I am writing this blog, I am sitting in my favorite coffee place in the city center of Amsterdam. While I am drinking my latte macchiato, I am thinking what to write about; coffee! Is coffee good for you, or should you avoid it? In my opinion, this is one of the most commonly misunderstood concepts in nutrition. A lot of people assume that coffee is bad for you, due to the caffeine.

I’ve got news for you; this is not true! Coffee is actually healthy! Drinking 3-4 cups of coffee (without sugar/honey/agave syrup of course) every day, is related to reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes. It also increases your energy level and focus. Therefore, a double shot of espresso is a perfect (and much cheaper) pre-workout drink, or when you want to fully focus on your work. Coffee consists 99% of water, so it is an excellent source of your daily water intake. Guess where those health benefits come from; yup, it’s the caffeine.

I do recommend not to drink more than 4 cups, as too much caffeine (as anything else in abundance) is not healthy. Also, it is best to not drink coffee after 3 pm, because caffeine stays 8-10 hours in your blood, and you may get trouble falling asleep. Furthermore, caffeine is of recommended for children or pregnant women (max. 1 cup per day). It can also be that you are super sensitive to caffeine, obviously it is good to listen to your body then, and to drink decaf or tea/water instead of regular coffee.

Finally, it’s also good to know that there is a difference in the quality of coffee. Filter coffee and coffee pads are the healthiest to drink. Coffee cups and espresso are a bit less healthy, because they contain more cafestol, which may increase your cholesterol level. But no worries, you can still drink 2-3 cups of nespresso or espresso every day. If you are drinking coffee from a cafetière, I recommend replacing this by coffee cups or filter coffee. Coffee from machines depends on the kind of machine, but you can also drink 2-3 cups of them.

So, I hope you can enjoy your cup of coffee guilt-free now!