Wake up and smell the coffee!

Wake up and smell the coffee!

By Naini Setalvad

July 2014

The good news is that you are allowed to. According to the latest research, coffee is actually good for you in moderate amounts, says Naini Setalvad

Whether alone or in company; whether on waking up or at the conclusion of a meal, whether at work or with friends, there’s nothing like coffee to make us feel better. Now that the monsoon is upon us, a hot steaming cup of coffee has never seemed more alluring. Coffee has, of late, gained vastly in popularity the world over. Coffee shops have become the cool place to hang out in; and everyone is reaching for a latte or a mocha. Most offices have vending machines, serving admittedly uninspired coffee, but without which the office-goer would find it hard to complete his day!

Originally known as chaoua in Arabia, the Italians christened it caffe, which the British then refined to coffee. The first coffee cultivation took place in Mocha, a part of Yemen in Arabia during the mid-15th century. By the 16th century, it had reached the rest of the Middle East, Persia, Turkey, and Northern Africa. The Sufi saint, Baba Budan, smuggled coffee into India, where it was first planted in Mysore, Karnataka. Even today, most coffee is grown in Southern India, where it is also a highly popular beverage. No wonder one can practically smell the coffee in the South Indian air.

Till recently, most scientists and researchers viewed coffee as a health deterrent. However, the benefits and ills of this beverage have been under great scrutiny by experts. The majority of recent research suggests that moderate coffee consumption is benign or mildly beneficial for healthy adults.

Some of the positive effects are that it magnifies the impact of painkillers and plays an important role in acting as a stimulant for the central nervous system. The caffeine in coffee is known to boost the concentration of sufferers of adult ADHD and to improve their self-confidence. It also boosts athletic performance when taken in small doses. In this respect, the effects of coffee – good or bad – are far greater than tea as it has a much higher content of caffeine.

Now research from Harvard backs up coffee’s use as an anti-depressant, finding that drinking two cups a day of caffeinated coffee could reduce your risk of depression by 34 per cent, and three cups, by 42 per cent. The mix of caffeine and antioxidants in coffee stimulates the brain to produce more powerful antidepressant hormones like serotonin and dopamine that improves mood. Indeed, coffee was originally sold in pharmacies in Finland in the 18th century as a treatment for depression.

This beverage betters the short-term recall of the aged, besides improving reactions. Coffee drinkers have a reduced risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease. Compared to tea, coffee has a higher chance of preventing dementia as well. Drinking coffee reduces the risk of Type-2 diabetes and gout. Nevertheless coffee’s caffeine content increases body pressure and also causes anxiety, so not more than two cups of coffee a day would be advised. Coffee beans or coffee powder are best stored in airtight containers made of glass, ceramic or non-reactive metal. Its freshness and flavour is preserved when it is stored away from moisture, heat, and light. Please do not store in the fridge as moisture spoils the coffee.

Hot coffee

Ingredients

1 tsp instant coffee

1 tsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 sachet stevia

Method

1.      Mix milk and water in a bowl and heat it.

2.     Add coffee and cocoa to it.

3.     Once it starts boiling, put off the gas and pour the mix in a cup.

4.     Instead of sugar use stevia as a sweetener and mix well.

5.     Serve the hot coffee.

Vanilla coffee drink

Ingredients

1 tsp instant coffee

2 – 3 drops of vanilla essence

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 sachet stevia

Crushed ice

 Method

1.      Take milk, water, coffee, vanilla essence, stevia and a few crushed ice cubes in a blender and blend it till it become little fluffy.

2.     Pour it in a glass and enjoy the fluffy cold coffee.

Orange coffee drink

Ingredients

1 tsp instant coffee

1/4 glass orange juice

1/2 tsp cocoa

Crushed ice

100 ml water

1 sachet stevia

 Method

1.      Mix coffee, orange juice, cocoa, stevia, crushed ice and little water. If required blend it

2.     Pour it in a glass and serve it.