Caffeine is found in many beverages, including coffee, tea, cocoa, cola, energy drinks, and chocolate. The most commonly consumed form of caffeine is in coffee, which contains approximately 95 milligrams per eight-ounce cup. 

I didn’t start drinking coffee until my early forties. Every morning before a workout, I have my quarter cup of coffee with cinnamon and almond milk. It has been a ritual that triggers me to get up and move. My wife makes fun of me because I only drink a quarter cup in the morning and another quarter cup in the early afternoon. I’m a lightweight 🙂

What Makes Coffee So Great?

Coffee is so commonly consumed, sometimes in abundance. But is coffee really good for you?

In 1991, the World Health Organization put coffee on a list of possible carcinogens. In 2016, coffee was removed from the list, and research indicated that coffee could reduce the risk of cancer. Unfortunately, when it comes to research nowadays, it’s hard to know what’s true. Common sense tells me that coffee has been around for hundreds of years, and you don’t hear people dropping dead from drinking it. Other research (listed at the bottom of this article) has indicated that coffee may help reduce the risk of type II diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and gallstones. Based on all this research, coffee is like liquid gold that will make you live longer and healthier. So, how much coffee and caffeine should you have daily?

Recommended Amount of Coffee

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a moderate and accepted amount of coffee to drink daily is three to five eight-ounce cups. That’s an average of 400 mg of caffeine. This amount of coffee may differ from person to person. You have to figure out what makes you feel healthy. If you’re feeling jittery or your heart feels like it’s going to jump out of your chest, you’re probably drinking too much. Or if you stopped drinking for a few days and have withdrawal symptoms, you’re drinking too much coffee. Just like anything in life, you can have too much of a good thing. 

Best Way to Make Coffee

There is no best way to make coffee. Some love the French press, while I enjoy using a Moka Pot to make an expresso.

You do you and research on what matches your lifestyle and tastes. But, I would suggest avoiding cheap instant coffee. Buy cheap, get cheap. I don’t know about you, but I prefer to feed my body with the most natural fuel possible. 

Grinding vs. Instant

I know instant coffee is easier, but life isn’t always easy. You have to love the convenience of the Keurig. If fact, the good things in life often take work. 

During the drying and freezing process, the ground coffee used to make instant coffee loses some of the oils found in non-instant coffee. The oils provide a more robust flavor. Some science proposes that instant coffee has fewer antioxidants. In addition, instant coffee may contain preservatives and added fake flavors, as with all packaged foods. So, I would highly suggest buying high-quality beans and grinding them. I’m a fan of the Trager Brothers Coffee. Organic and quite tasty. 

Some of you may be thinking, I don’t have the time to grind the beans. Grinding the beans in a grinder only takes a few minutes. After grinding the beans, you can store a week’s supply in a stainless steel container with a CO2 valve. Take care of your body and consume real food, not some easy, convenient fix.

Conclusion

Coffee is a perfect supplement to energize you for your training. It’s a great way to get yourself moving. It can even have some compelling health benefits if consumed moderately or less. Be sure to drink real coffee to avoid fake synthetic quick fixes. Rarely are convenient, quick things in life good for you. Now, have your cup and climb those hills. What’s your favorite way to make coffee?

Resources

1. Je Y, Giovannucci E. Coffee consumption and risk of endometrial cancer: findings from a large up-to-date meta-analysis. International Journal of Cancer. 2011 Dec 20.
2. Arab L. Epidemiologic evidence on coffee and cancer. Nutrition and Cancer, 2010. 62(3): p. 271-83.
3. Ding M, Bhupathiraju SN, Chen M, van Dam RM, Hu FB. Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and a dose-response meta-analysis. Diabetes Care. 2014 Feb;37(2):569-86.
4. Jiang X, Zhang D, Jiang W. Coffee and caffeine intake and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. Eur J Nutr. 2014 Feb;53(1):25-38.
5. Lopez-Garcia E, Rodriguez-Artalejo F, Rexrode KM, Logroscino G, Hu FB, van Dam RM. Coffee consumption and risk of stroke in women. Circulation. 2009;119:1116-23.
6. de Koning Gans JM, Uiterwaal CS, van der Schouw YT, et al. Tea and coffee consumption and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2010;30:1665-71.
7. Crippa A, Discacciati A, Larsson SC, Wolk A, Orsini N. Coffee consumption and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer: a dose-response meta-analysis. Am J Epidemiol. 2014;180:763-75.
8. Ding M, Bhupathiraju SN, Satija A, van Dam RM, Hu FB. Long-term coffee consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Circulation. 2014 Feb 11;129(6):643-59.
9. Ding M, Satija A, Bhupathiraju SN, Hu Y, Sun Q, Han J, Lopez-Garcia E, Willett W, van Dam RM, Hu FB. Association of Coffee Consumption With Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in 3 Large Prospective Cohorts. Circulation. 2015 Dec 15;132(24):2305-15.
10. Lara DR. Caffeine, mental health, and psychiatric disorders. J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;20 Suppl 1:S239-48.
11. Guo X, Park Y, Freedman ND, Sinha R, Hollenbeck AR, Blair A, Chen H. Sweetened beverages, coffee, and tea and depression risk among older US adults. PLoS One. 2014 Apr 17;9(4):e94715.
12. Wang L, Shen X, Wu Y, Zhang D. Coffee and caffeine consumption and depression: A meta-analysis of observational studies. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2016 Mar;50(3):228-42.
13. Lucas M, O’Reilly EJ, Pan A, Mirzaei F, Willett WC, Okereke OI, Ascherio A. Coffee, caffeine, and risk of completed suicide: results from three prospective cohorts of American adults. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2014 Jul;15(5):377-86.
14. Costa J, Lunet N, Santos C, Santos J, Vaz-Carneiro A. Caffeine exposure and the risk of Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;20 Suppl 1:S221-38.
15. Sääksjärvi K, Knekt P, Rissanen H, Laaksonen MA, Reunanen A, Männistö S. Prospective study of coffee consumption and risk of parkinson’s disease. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008;62:908–915.
16. Ascherio A, Zhang SM, Hernan MA, Kawachi I, Colditz GA, Speizer FE, Willett WC. Prospective study of caffeine consumption and risk of parkinson’s disease in men and women. Ann Neurol. 2001;50:56–63.
17. Panza F, Solfrizzi V, Barulli MR, Bonfiglio C, Guerra V, Osella A, Seripa D, Sabbà C, Pilotto A, Logroscino G. Coffee, tea, and caffeine consumption and prevention of late-life cognitive decline and dementia: a systematic review. J Nutr Health Aging. 2015 Mar;19(3):313-28.
18. Santos C, Costa J, Santos J, Vaz-Carneiro A, Lunet N. Caffeine intake and dementia: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;20 Suppl 1:S187-204.
19. Carman AJ, Dacks PA, Lane RF, Shineman DW, Fillit HM. Current evidence for the use of coffee and caffeine to prevent age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. J Nutr Health Aging. 2014 Apr;18(4):383-92.
20. Leitzmann MF, Willett WC, Rimm EB, et al. A prospective study of coffee consumption and the risk of symptomatic gallstone disease in men. JAMA. 1999;281:2106-12.
21. Leitzmann MF, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Spiegelman D, Colditz GA, Giovannucci EL. Coffee intake is associated with lower risk of symptomatic gallstone disease in women. Gastroenterology. 2002;123:1823-30.
22. Loftfield E, Cornelis MC, Caporaso N, Yu K, Sinha R, Freedman N. Association of Coffee Drinking With Mortality by Genetic Variation in Caffeine Metabolism: Findings From the UK Biobank. JAMA Intern Med. 2018 Jul 2.