The Health Benefits of Coffee

Good morning everyone! Its about 9:00 am here in Texas and all I can say is I am so grateful for that hot pot of steaming coffee brewing in the kitchen! I didn't always like coffee, but about 35 years ago when I was a newbie employee at the Telecom Giant I used to work for I got used to pouring myself a cup or 2 every day just to get an energy jolt. Ever since then, it has become a habit I just can't live without. I can't even imagine not starting my day every morning with a couple of cups. Recently there have been studies that indicate that having a cup or two every day is actually beneficial to your health. This is good news for folks like me, because it would have been terribly difficult to give up something so tasty.  New studies show there are quite a few benefits to drinking coffee.  Some of these include giving you the ability to think clearly, lowering depression risk in women, lowing prostate cancer risk in men, protecting against Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes and liver cancer. Also, new research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research conference shows that coffee could help to ward off basal cell carcinoma, the most common cancer in the world! Another benefit is that coffee is full of antioxidants which we all need. Keep in mind though that you should still go by the old maxim, "everything in moderation" because heavy caffeine use (4-7 cups per day) can cause problems such as anxiety, sleeplessness and irritability. Also, remember that anything you add to coffee, such as cream and sugar can add unnecessary calories to your diet. Ok, I've got to go, looks like my pot is ready!      Have a healthy day everyone!