As soon as your alarm goes off, you pull yourself out of bed and stumble your way into the kitchen. Fortunately, your spouse, who is a morning person (unlike you), already has coffee brewing for you. You pour yourself a cup of joe, sip it, and immediately feel as though you’ve been brought back to life.

Now, it’s officially safe for others to approach you with a smile and a “good morning”.http://www.picmonkey.com/

Don’t worry—you’re not alone. Research shows that 64% of Americans drink coffee each day. This is the highest number since 2012, which indicates that more Americans today are consuming joe than ever before.

The question is, is coffee truly good for you? And if not, how can something so good be so bad? Read on to learn about the disadvantages of coffee, as well as how you can make your coffee habit healthier starting now.

Disadvantage of Coffee #1: It May Be Toxic

Coffee that is low in quality can contain many impurities. So, if you drink this type of coffee, you can expect to feel bad physically, which includes suffering headaches. Your coffee is toxic if the beans from which it was made were compromised during harvest. The good news? If you purchase specialty coffee that is high quality, you won’t have to worry about the ill effects of toxic joe.

Disadvantage of Coffee #2: It Can Stain Your Teeth

Your teeth’s enamel is actually your body’s hardest substance. However, rather than being as smooth and flat as it appears, it features microscopic ridges and pits that can easily hold drink and food particles. As a result, pigments from drinks like coffee may embed in the enamel ridges and cracks. This unfortunately leaves you with permanent stains on your teeth, which can be a major confidence killer.

Disadvantage of Coffee #3: It May Cause Insomnia

It is recommended that you don’t exceed more than 400 milligrams of caffeine in a day. That’s about four cups’ worth. Why? Because drinking too much coffee can prevent you from falling asleep at night or staying asleep through the night. Then, if you try to remove coffee from your diet, you’ll likely experience withdrawal symptoms, which will further impact your sleep temporarily.

To combat this coffee-related insomnia problem, it’s best to avoid drinking coffee excessively as you go about your day. Also, try to avoid consuming caffeine after 3 p.m. to avoid interrupting your night-time sleeping schedule.

Disadvantage of Coffee #4: It May Affect People with Cholesterol Issues

Coffee beans feature two ingredients known as kahweol and cafestol. These ingredients may offer anti-cancer benefits, but they are also known to potentially increase levels of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is considered bad cholesterol, as it can build up in the arteries. Unfortunately, high cholesterol is linked to high blood pressure.

The good news? Filtering coffee can trap most LDL, so it’s generally a good idea to buy filtered coffee if your cholesterol levels are already high.

Making Your Coffee Habit Healthier – Tip 1: Go Black

 Despite the above disadvantages of coffee, you may not necessarily be ready to give up your pick-me-up morning beverage. And that’s okay. Fortunately, you can make your coffee habit healthier by first choosing to drink your coffee black.

Black coffee, like espresso, has under 10 calories per cup. So, if you drink black coffee—or coffee with no added ingredients—you can easily trim calories and make your beverage healthier for you overall.

Making Your Coffee Habit Healthier – Tip 2: Stay Away from Artificial Creamers

 If you simply can’t stand to drink black coffee, another way to make drinking coffee healthier for you is to avoid using artificial creamers in it. These creamers contain sugar and thus are not necessarily helpful for those looking to lose weight. Rather than using artificial creamers, you may want to choose vanilla extract or coconut milk instead. There are also an increasing variety of health-conscious, sugar free alternatives on the market that allow diabetic customers or those otherwise seeking to improve their health to still enjoy their coffee.

Making Your Coffee Habit Healthier – Tip 3: Eat First

 If you’re rushing to work in the morning, you may be tempted to drink your cup of joe before eating a meal, or you may even drink it as your meal. Unfortunately, this is yet another unhealthy habit. That’s because drinking coffee when your stomach is empty can ultimately lead to increased anxiety as well as damage your stomach lining. So, be sure to eat a nutritious breakfast each morning as your drink your coffee.

Making Your Coffee Habit Healthier –Tip 4: Try Cinnamon

Adding cinnamon to coffee is another way you can make your coffee habit healthier. Why? Because cinnamon offers multiple health benefits. For instance, cinnamon can help to decrease inflammation in your body. In addition, it has been tied to your heart’s health, although additional research in this area is necessary. Cinnamon is also known to help to stabilize your blood sugar—an added bonus.

Practice Healthier Coffee Drinking Today!

Like many Americans, you can’t see yourself going a day without coffee. Fortunately, even though coffee does come with a few disadvantages, you can take steps to make it healthier to consume on a regular basis.

In other words, you don’t have to give up your morning pick-me-up to live a happier, healthier life, long-term.

Follow the above tips today to enjoy a new level of health and wellbeing while still being able to savor your favorite morning joe in the months and years ahead.

What are your favorite tips for healthier coffee?

Share your thoughts and comments with us.

About the Author

Tess DiNapoli is an artist, freelance writer, and content strategist. She has a passion for yoga and often writes about health and wellness, but also enjoys covering the fashion industry, collaborating with industry insiders and designers, getting insight on the latest trends.

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