Drinking coffee helps protect the heart because it is rich in antioxidants that prevent cardiovascular disease such as heart attack, and its effect on increased blood pressure is most commonly found in people who are sensitive to caffeine, who smoke or who are already diagnosed with high blood pressure.
Coffee also works to combat fatigue and depression, improving mood and mood. However, to get all the benefits of this drink, the ideal is to consume in moderate amounts, from 500 to 600 ml per day, which is equivalent to 3 or 4 cups daily . See the amount of caffeine in food.
Main benefits of coffee
In addition to being rich in antioxidants that protect the heart, coffee also brings benefits such as:
- Fight fatigue;
- Prevent depression;
- Avoid the onset of some types of cancer. Here's how coffee can help protect against different types of cancer.
- Improves memory;
- Combats headaches and migraines;
- Relieves stress and improves mood.
Coffee can also be consumed throughout the day after meals or along with snacks. However, it is important to remember that coffee should not replace milk consumption in snacks, since milk and milk products are the main source of dietary calcium. See more about the risk of drinking too much coffee in: Is Coffee with Milk a Dangerous Mix?
The best way to consume coffee
The best way to consume coffee is coarse coffee, since boiled coffee contains more polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a substance that favors changes in the DNA of cells and the onset of cancer. This is because the boiling of the coffee powder extracts more of these carcinogenic substances, causing that booze to contain 5 times more of these substances than coarse coffee.
Thus, the ideal is that the coffee is cooked, passing the hot water through the filter with the coffee powder, because in addition to the carcinogenic substances, the filter also eliminates most of the compounds that raise cholesterol. In addition, instant coffee also poses no health risks, and can be consumed in moderate amounts to avoid insomnia and heart palpitations.
Coffee + nap awakes sleep and increases concentration
An excellent strategy to fight drowsiness shortly after lunch or in the middle of the morning, for example, is to take 1 cup of black coffee and take a 20-minute nap soon after.
These two strategies together, is called Coffee NAP, and favors brain functioning, leaving the brain more rested and active for another day's work. This is because caffeine and rest together will eliminate excess adenosine accumulated in the brain, which is what causes fatigue and difficulty concentrating.
Although only 1 cup of coffee is already enough to make you feel more awake and more concentrated, when we are very tired, it may take a larger amount of coffee, but it may not have the expected effect, and in those cases, when the person is feeling very tired, drinking coffee and sleeping for 20 minutes is a more efficient strategy.
It is not recommended to sleep longer so that you do not reach deep sleep because if there is no possibility of sleeping for at least 90 minutes, the person will wake up even more tired.
