Coffee Nutrition Facts
Described in my favorite Cartoon Dexter's Laboratory as,"yuck, muddy poopy water" I must say I am a huge fan of this wonderful brew. I am talking about coffee. Can't live without it, can we? What morning doesn't begin with this drink, whether we decide a night in advance who's going to make it in the morning or just pick one up from starbucks, we need a cup to start our mornings. I know for a fact that this little miracle keeps me running during my exams and crunch time at work. This may shock you all but coffee was actually considered unreligious and had “cults" against it. But thanks to Pope Clement VIII, it has been welcomed in to the circle of permissible drinks.
But even today people have doubts and grudges against coffee. Perhaps because it has that dreaded and oh so awful caffeine in it! I had to rain on the English ladies tea party but tea also has caffeine in it. So today I'm going to tell you some nutritional FACTS about my favorite drink.
Ok well one cup serving of coffee that is 8oz or 237g of black coffee have 2 calories, no fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates and protein and 5g of sodium. Thiamin is 2%, niacin and magnesium are also at 2%. Potassium at 3%, riboflavin at 11% and 1% phosphorus. Looks pretty good, but its actually this lack of lots and lots of vitamins and proteins that put people on their guard.
Its actually what else is in your coffee that you need to think about. Lets say they have a discount at the store and you decide to try it whipped cream. That's 50 more calories and add sugar to that you have 50 more. Its not really the coffee but how you take it. Many people's breakfast is a cup of coffee with cream and sugar and their favorite pastry. And the coffee is going to end up taking all the blame.
Then you want to consider where you get your coffee from. At home is best because you know what you're putting in it. Consider a 16 oz serving of a café latte espresso available at a popular coffee franchise. With fat free milk it contains around 130 calories. And you haven't added the sugar yet. Not all coffee shops print their nutritional information on the cup and you might end up taking in more calories then you bargained for.
And although our white coat wearing friends have been at it for around 40 years, they haven't proved that coffee causes disease. In fact some studies show to the contrary that coffee actually helps prevent some diseases like colon cancer, liver cancer, Parkinson's disease and diabetes. And get this, it has 3 to 4 times more antioxidants in it than green tea.
I guess people largely fear the drink for the amount of caffeine that is has and because it is a known stimulant. But caffeine is not something one can get addicted to. Its not that type of a stimulant. If it were people would be hooked on carbonated colas, because guess what. They have caffeine. So rest assured, the coffee is indeed good for you.