Caffeine consumption has been shown to have some seriously awesome health benefits including efficient muscle recovery, boosted metabolism, increased focus, and improved mood. Who wouldn’t want some of that?! Personal trainer Jack Braniff from Urban Energy Fitness (urbanenergiefitness.com) recommends the average person ingest around 400mg of caffeine per day to reap the benefits caffeine can offer. Below we go into a bit more depth on each of these benefits.
Increased Muscle Recovery Post Workout
Mike Gleeson, a professor of exercise biochemistry at Loughborough University tells us that: “Studies show that if you consume enough caffeine at the right time, it can enhance your physical performance.” Professor Gleeson explains that consuming caffeine one hour before exercising can greatly reduce the symptoms of fatigue, and can even help you tolerate muscle pains.
Boosted Metabolism and Increased Weight Loss
Losing weight can be hard, so anything that helps is a bonus. Did you know that your morning coffee can help speed up your metabolism and burn fat? The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition tested obese subjects and found that those who consistently ingested caffeine saw improved metabolic processes and broke down fat more quickly when compared to the non-caffeinated subjects.
Improved Memory Recall and Alertness
Studies carried out by the US Library of Medicine have found that the methyl xanthine, found in caffeine, stimulates serotonin production levels in your brain. Serotonin can boost brain power and improve learning, memory recall and alertness. This means that sipping or eating your coffee before a class or business meeting can help you retain information and remain alert, even when things get boring.
Improved Mood and Could Aid in Fighting Depression
In addition to raising serotonin levels, caffeine consumption can also stimulate the production of dopamine, the “happy hormone”. Studies carried out by Jama Internal Medicine found that caffeine consumption decreased the risk of clinical depression in women by up to 10%. It’s good to know that something most of us consume on a daily basis is actually helping us to stay positive!
Offers Key Micronutrients
Most of us can admit that we could eat more fruits and vegetables - but it’s tough! Luckily, caffeine can offer us some of those hard to get micronutrients we might be missing! Self Nutrition Data analysed the contents of a cup of coffee brewed from standard coffee grounds using tap water. The results showed that the caffeine contained high levels of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and other tough to find micronutrients. So your average cup of coffee could help you get nutrients that are harder to find and help you absorb complementary nutrients found in other foods, like those tasty fruits and veggies!
What’s The Best Way to Get Your Caffeine?
The easiest way to consume caffeine is by drinking coffee or soda. Soda is of course a “no no” if you’re trying to avoid synthetic caffeine and other harmful chemicals. For more information on the downsides of soda, check out this article by Medial News Today. Coffee, on the other hand, is a great way to get your daily dose of caffeine. Most of us have a cup or so of coffee every morning, but could there be another way to get that coffee fix? We found a super tasty product we had to pass along.
Eat Your Coffee is a hot new natural foods company that is focused on creating organic caffeinated snacks. Their popular product, the Eat Your Coffee Bar, combines a healthy, superfood packed energy bar with real coffee. Athletes have been eating Eat Your Coffee Bars for a tasty way to fuel up pre-workout and increase muscle recovery post workout. Recently, busy professionals have also discovered the bar and are starting to stock them in their offices for an afternoon snack. Every bar contains the caffeine equivalent of a standard cup of coffee and is packed with nutrient-dense foods like quinoa, chia seeds, cashews and high-fiber dates. The bars are also organic, gluten-free, vegan, and made with real fair trade coffee. If you’re looking to reap big benefits from caffeine, Eat Your Coffee Bars are the way to go (as least we think so).
