Is coffee a healthy drink?

Hi Shruti! Coffee gets a lot of bad rap because of its caffeine content. But when consumed in moderation, there are actually plenty of benefits of drinking coffee. The caffeine in coffee can be beneficial, improve energy levels, reaction times, athletic performance, and even boost your metabolism. Its negative effects are usually only manifested when you consume too much coffee. Too much caffeine can cause restlessness, raised blood pressure, disrupted sleep, and even anxiety. So it’s really important to know how much caffeine in coffee typically is. For reference, an average cup of brewed coffee has around 95mg of caffeine, and a single espresso shot around 60mg of caffeine. But with 400mg of caffeine is considered the safe amount for adults, most of us don’t have anything to worry about. The benefits of drinking coffee go beyond the caffeine though. Coffee is actually the biggest source of antioxidants in the western diet. That’s more than people consume from fruit and veggies! While the antioxidants help to fight free radicals, coffee is also full of essential nutrients such as Vitamin B2, B5, B3, Magnesium, and Potassium. Coffee can positively affect your health further. It can lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, protect your liver, help you live longer, fight depression and lower your risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. So yeah, coffee is pretty healthy!