In every corner of the globe, you'll find people sipping on coffee. It's the second most popular drink in the world (tea is the first, in case you were wondering). For many of us, a morning without coffee is practically unimaginable; it's so ingrained in our daily routine.
If you've ever felt guilty about your coffee addiction, you can breathe a sigh of relief (and take another swig of that long black). When not drunk to excess, coffee carries a host of benefits for your body and mind:
It Promotes Mental Clarity and Focus
There's a reason that a latte or espresso puts you in 'get stuff done' mode. The caffeine in your cup of coffee acts as a stimulant, helping you to focus and think clearly. Just ask anyone who's used coffee to help finish an assignment or cram for an exam - and it's backed by research.
In one study, three groups of participants were given drinks with different levels of caffeine - one group had 75mg, another had 150mg, and a third group a placebo that contained no caffeine. The subjects were then taken through a series of tests to measure their cognitive performance and mood. The study found that after consuming caffeine, subjects had significant improvement in reaction time, numeric working memory reaction time and verification accuracy.
It's Full of Nutrients and Antioxidants
More often than not, we turn to coffee for its stimulant effects or from habit - but it contains a range of essential nutrients including B vitamins, potassium and manganese. While it might not be enough of a variety or volume to swap out your multi-vitamin (or skimp on the wholefoods), it can accumulate and add a boost of nutrients to your day.
Coffee is also jam-packed with antioxidants. Studies in Norway and Spain have found that coffee contributed more antioxidants to their diet than fruit and vegetables. Antioxidants protect the body from free radicals, minimising the cell damage that can lead to disease. If that doesn't give you get a renewed sense of appreciation for your daily cup of joe, we don't know what will.
It Enhances Performance
It's no secret that we love a good pre-workout pick-me-up, but coffee is also a useful supplement to take before your next gym session. Performance is where coffee shines, improving everything from endurance to power and even perceived rate of exertion.
There’s a stack of studies and trials that have been conducted to measure the effect of caffeine on a variety of athletes and active subjects. It’s been found to improve the endurance cycling time in athletes, increase sprint running performance, increase power in a half-squat and bench-press test, reduce perceived fatigue during prolonged cycling, reduce perceived pain and exhaustion on a grip test, and even improve agility time on fatigued athletes.
Next time you're feeling fatigued, foggy or fiending for your caffeine hit, pour yourself a cup of coffee - or better yet, reach for our Clean Coffee. With all the benefits of Columbian single-origin coffee, plus a host of clean ingredients designed to fuel your high-performance lifestyle.
