Hi. My name’s Evan, and I’ve been an addict for 6 years. That’s right, y’all. I’ve been addicted to caffeine for 6 years. Believe it or not, my drug habit might actually be healthier than you think. (Globally, AND for myself.) In fact, coffee is pretty great for you, which is where 99.9% of my caffeine intake comes from. If you think that coffee is bad—you’re wrong. So here’s 5 reasons why coffee is amazing, perhaps in reasons you’re unaware of:
- Coffee Improves Cognitive Function
- While caffeine makes you feel like you’re able to conquer anything, it actually can help you conquer anything, by giving you greater focus, increasing activity in the central nervous system, meaning alertness. This has been tested with subjects taking tests with coffee and without coffee, and coffee-drinkers generally scored better on tests. While this doesn’t mean that drinking coffee should replace studying, it does mean you should have a cup before you go into a test after studying.
- Coffee Helps the Global Economy and Fight Poverty
- Currently, there are nearly 25 million farmers and coffee workers producing coffee around the world. Not only this, but coffee exporting alone is a $20 billion dollar industry, coming second in trading and the most sought-commodity after OIL. This means when you grind your coffee beans, you’re supporting other country’s economy’s, our own, and countries that are struggling financially. In fact, coffee’s worth is in a decline right now globally, due to it being an unregulated market. Unfortunately, many coffee farms are lowering wages in order to stay in business. “The corporate products that have the lowest price and highest profitability on the world market win out…” (even though the flavor of said coffee is awful because they burn the coffee to last longer on shelves…looking at you Maxwell House and Folger’s…) “often devastating the economies and communities in smaller, poorer countries. Corporate ownerships and monopolies are protected over labor, the environment and sustainability.” This means that when you drink locally roasted / fair trade coffee, you’re giving a leg up to people in need, and helping the global economy and coffee crisis! (NOTE — if you want to stay current on social justice issues in coffee or cool happens in the world of coffee, check out dailycoffeenews.com)
- Drinking Black Coffee Reduces Risk for Diseases and Cancer
- According to recent studies, 3 to 5 cups of black coffee a day reduces risk for melanoma, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, liver disease, prostate cancer, and Alzheimer’s. It also reduces risk of strokes as well. So basically, since I drink so much coffee, I’ll never get prostate cancer like both of my grandfathers, and I’ll live forever, right?
#IMMORTALPOUROVERS
- According to recent studies, 3 to 5 cups of black coffee a day reduces risk for melanoma, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, liver disease, prostate cancer, and Alzheimer’s. It also reduces risk of strokes as well. So basically, since I drink so much coffee, I’ll never get prostate cancer like both of my grandfathers, and I’ll live forever, right?
- Coffee Keeps You Regular
- While everybody poops, some people have a harder time doing so. If you do struggle with getting constipated, forget fiber—TRY COFFEE! In one 8 ounce cup of coffee, there’s around 80-135 milligrams of caffeine. Caffeine and the acidity of coffee increases the production of bile acids in the body, which makes our colon react, and we poop. For some, too much caffeine can give you the hershey squirts though, and nobody wants that. So be careful.
- Coffee Tastes Crazeamaze
- Yes. I just said “crazeamaze”. The reason? Coffee is DELICIOUS. If you’re reading this and are saying, “EW. NO. COFFEE IS GROSS.” I can assure you that you just haven’t had good coffee. There are many local roasters that spend countless hours perfecting their coffees and making sure that certain flavors pop when you drink it. I prefer 3rd wave roasters, which only roast coffee to the first “pop”, meaning it won’t be as burnt, and generally lighter in taste. If you live in Illinois and want some awesome shops to check out, two of my favorites would be Thirty-Thirty Coffee in Peoria, Illinois, or Gaslight Coffee in Chicago, Illinois (near Logan Square).
Hopefully after reading this, you’re better informed about coffee, are on your way to caffeine addiction, and want to start drinking better coffee. In fact, if you go to Thirty-Thirty, tell them Evan sent you. I’m somewhat of a 3030-coffee-evangelist, and you might see me sipping on a cup.