Coffee and Health Benefits Cold Brew

There are so many mixed reviews on coffee.  Is it good for you or bad for you?

Cons and Myths Debunked

It is no secret that coffee contains acids  which can irritate or make a mild heartburn worse. Is there any solution? Sadly decaffeinated coffee also contains acid. There may be a partial solution: along came Cold Brew Coffee which provides up to 67% less acidic taste, which may be less irritating.

Doctors have instructed people for years who have high or borderline high blood pressure to watch their coffee intake due to caffeine, which can lead to increased heart rate, heart attack or stroke. Now I am totally in shock because WebMD released this study of  130,000 Kaiser Permanente health plan members; people who reported drinking 1-3 cups of coffee per day were 20% less likely to be hospitalized for abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) than nondrinkers, and they go on to talk about coffee preventing strokes in women.

Is there something we just don't know or perhaps is it not the coffee itself but what you put in it?  According to the USDA a 6 ounce cup of coffee is only about 7 calories. That is amazing! The problem occurs when you load it with more half and half than coffee, and add tons of sugar or unnatural sugar substitutes. 

Some Like It Hot or Not?

If you are one of those (and we do understand) who likes their hot coffee looking like milk, why not consider trying to wane yourself and onto good black java by downgrading to low fat milk or fat free creamers?  Unnatural sugar substitute can be replaced with small amounts of natural sweeteners.  Eventually you want to shoot for black coffee but if you are not used to it , this may take you some time.  Why not consider the Cold Brew Coffee below and see if you enjoy that better than hot? It is sweeter and needs less additives because it contains 67% less acid and tastes altogether different than hot coffee.

Pros

I read up on "Health Benefits of Coffee" from Neil Osterweil on WebMD and a few other articles.  I was shocked to hear recent studies stating that pregnant mothers can consume coffee in small amounts.(When did that change?)  In recent medical studies, coffee consumption has been associated with :

• Lowering Prostate Cancer
• Decreased Risk of Liver Cancers
• Decreasing Risk of Type 2 Diabetes which in turn Stalls Heart Attack and Stroke
• Lowering risk of Dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease

Not to mention countries like Canada, believe organic coffee enemas can cure hepatitis and other health concerns and conditions.  One of my clients swears this worked for them, but the coffee was shade-grown and ordered from SA Wilson's in Canada and doctors here in the US won't recognize these herbal remedies (yet.)

Image used w/permission coldbrewcoffee dot com

Cold Brew Coffee: Daily Coffee Alternative With Less Acid

Cold brew or cold press refers to the method of steeping coffee grounds in room temperature water for an extended period (usually 12-24 hours) of time.  No heating element is ever introduced to the process brewing coffee.  The benefits of this are that you get a coffee that comes out with tastes a little sweeter because of its lower acidity, but can be just as full bodied yet often smoother than heat brewed coffee.  In essence, you are producing a sweet cold coffee concentrate with up to 20% less caffeine and up to 67% less acidic taste. 

A lot of people prefer the cold brew process and enjoy drinking the coffee in it's natural black state without the use of creams and sugars.  It also saves money because you can use the grounds twice since they are never heated, meaning you get more bang for your buck. 

Find out more about Cold Brew Coffee here. including recipes and instructions !


Direct questions on cold brew to @foodchatter on twitter!