Coffee Comfort

Good morning to all. For this woman, a good morning begins with a Delicious cup of coffee. It is one of my favorite comfort foods. I think of all the wonderful talks I have shared with family and friends over a robust cup of coffee. And, according to Jonny Bowden, in his book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, coffee is actually pretty darn good for us. There is no good reason to forgo reasonable amounts of coffee unless you have a medical condition like hypertension. Here is more coffee information that I feel is interesting. Consumption of up to 3 cups of coffee per day appear to have no negligible effects on calcium balance. Coffee has more antioxidant activity than cocoa or tea. Two of the antioxidants responsible for coffee's health benefits are chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. Both are strong antioxidants, and coffee beans are one of the richest dietary sources of chlorogenic acid in the world. Chlorogenic acid might actually contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Caffeine remains in the body for only about three hours and is then excreted in the urine; it does not accumulate in body tissue. A pharmacologically active dose of caffeine is about 200mg. The approximate amount of caffeine in 5 ounces of decaf coffee is about 4mg. In a 5 ounce cup of drip coffee it is about 135mg.

If you are interested in an alternative to coffee, a substitute which has a robust flavor, try grain coffee. This delicious beverage is made from a blend of roasted grains ( with or without chicory root).

You may want to try Bambu which is a mix of roasted chicory, wheat, and malted barley. Pero offers an instant coffee substitute and hails from Switzerland. Soyafe is a natural caffeine free blend made from toasted soy beans.