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The Health Benefits of Coffee
A Simple Cup of Coffee
A simple cup of coffee is a powerful thing! It can mend fences and save friendships. They say that the pen is mightier than the sword, but it could be that a simple cup of coffee is more powerful than both of them put together.
It had been a tough week in the neighborhood. It was cold, and the kids had been underfoot indoors at one house or the other all week. My neighbor and I had been close friends for several years, but our relationship had gotten seriously strained over this past week. She had called me twice to complain about how my Bobby was tormenting her Shawn. She had sent him home, too, more than twice.
Now, the boys played at my house as often as they played at her house, and I was fully aware of the fact that her Shawn wasn't the little darling that she thought he was. Our relationship and our friendship were nearing the breaking point; there really wasn't much doubt about it.
On Thursday morning, I took the boys to the "Mother's Day Out" program at a nearby local church for the morning. It was my neighbor's turn to drive, but I offered to run the "taxi" service and she accepted.
When I returned from dropping the boys off, I looked across the street at my neighbor's house, and it had the deserted look that most homes have during midwinter. In fact, it looked sad. I looked at the pile of laundry that was waiting for my attention. I looked at the as-yet-unmade beds. Then I looked at my coffee maker and made the decision. I picked up the phone and called my neighbor.
I said, "I know we both have a long list of things that we need to do while the little darlings are gone, but how about coming over for a cup of coffee?" She was there almost before I had time to hang up the phone. We drank a cup of coffee, and we talked about how we were both so tired of being cooped up with rowdy kids. We laughed and we cried, and we mended our broken fences and saved our friendship -- all over one simple cup of coffee.
See Also:
Coffee and Alzheimers Disease " Propeller
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Gourmet Coffee Gifts
Coffee with Chicory
You might have visions of Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street when you think about coffee with chicory. The coffee served in New Orleans and all of south Florida comes in two flavors; with and without chicory. The coffee is always strong, and only tourists add anything to the coffee. It is usually served in demitasse cups (4 ounces).
Some people mistakenly believe that the coffee with chicory is stronger and bitterer tasting than coffee without chicory, but that is a misconception. Chicory makes the coffee blacker, but it does not make it stronger or bitterer. Actually, the chicory makes the coffee a little less bitter and a tad sweeter.
Chicory leaves have long been used as a salad green all over the country. They have a distinctive and pleasant taste and add another dimension to green salads that many people find very enjoyable. Chicory root is the part of the plant that is used to make the chicory that is used in coffee. It is kiln-dried and ground. Chicory has no caffeine, and coffee that contains chicory actually has less caffeine than coffee without caffeine.
The people in south Louisiana didn't discover chicory. Chicory has been around for more than 4,000 years. It is mentioned in writings dated to the days of Cleopatra and Napoleon. These ancient writings praise chicory and extol its medicinal properties. It is said to work wonders on the digestive tract and digestive tract problems. The governor of Massachusetts introduced chicory to the colonies back in 1785, and it quickly became a very common household item. It was used to make a drink that was hot, and it was also used as a vegetable that was served either hot or cold.
Chicory in coffee is most often associated with south Louisiana, but chicory has been used for many purposes and it still is being used today. |
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Starbucks Coffee Runs Cold
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Justine: The Italian Coffee-Making Robot
THE SCOUT: An Antioxidant-Packed Gift for Tea Lovers
Coffee with a Twist
How Coffee Affects the Body
It all depends on what "study" you choose to believe whether coffee (caffeine) is a good thing for the body or pure poison. Personally, I've decided to believe those "studies" that say coffee is a good thing…a VERY good thing.
I like coffee…no, that isn't exactly accurate….I LOVE my coffee!
The fact is that there is caffeine in a lot of things other than coffee. There is caffeine in tea, and there is caffeine in many sodas as well as in chocolate….and I am sure not going to give up chocolate! So just giving up coffee won't mean that you have given up caffeine. Caffeine is actually the only active ingredient in coffee. There are no calories and no carbohydrates in a cup of black coffee.
Caffeine is a stimulant. There isn't much doubt about that one. If you have a cup of coffee right before bed, you will certainly have difficulty falling asleep -- at least that is true for most people. A cup of coffee first thing in the morning certainly wakes you up and gets you going! That afternoon cup of coffee picks you up.
Coffee is said to be addictive, and maybe that is true. People who suddenly stop their usual daily intake of caffeine in whatever form will suffer from withdrawal symptoms. Headache is the most common symptom of caffeine withdrawal, but caffeine withdrawal can also put a big dent in your sweet disposition. People who are withdrawing from caffeine are just plain grouchy.
The caffeine in coffee has both positive and negative effects on the human body. The positive effects are that it relieves boredom, decreases depression, increases alertness, increases physical stamina, and increases performance on boring or repetitive tasks. The negative effects of caffeine on the human body are that it increases nervousness, affects sleep, and increases jaw tension.
Related Topics: Just Coffee Please,
Coffee To Go, Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
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