Western society has a problem. We love to eat. We try to love dieting and exercise too, but it is obvious from the statistics that we’re struggling with weight loss. The United States, UK, and Australia are at the top of the list of obese nations. Our eyes are no longer bigger than our stomachs.
Consequently, there has been hundreds of diets, dietary supplements, exercise programs, and exercise equipment introduced. Apparently, getting fat is good for the economy.
However, many of these diet tools can get rather expensive and because of this high cost associated with weight loss, people are continuously seeking inexpensive yet effective ways to maximize the results of their efforts.
The most attractive diet plans involve foods that the average person can buy in a regular store. Going to a specialty store or health foods store usually involves spending a considerably larger amount of money. With the appeal of dieting not nearly as appealing as the foods one likes to consume, dieting with “normal” foods is infinitely more attractive.
Coffee is one of those foods. Most people enjoy coffee. It is an easy food to diet with because it doesn’t involve taking a chance on foods or supplements you might not enjoy. Fortunately, it has been found that coffee can provide some benefits to weight loss by virtue of its effect on the metabolism (1).
The active ingredient in coffee is, of course, caffeine.
Caffeine can help speed up the metabolism which helps the body burn off more calories. It is one of the main ingredients in many diet supplements and in the current energy drink products so prevalent in the stores and on TV.
In addition to the caffeine element, drinking coffee also puts liquid in your stomach, appeasing the hunger with a feeling of being “full”. Yes, you could have the same effect with water, and it is recommended that you drink “at least” 3 to 4 large glasses of water daily on any good diet, but the caffeine in coffee works on the metabolism at the same time. The ability to suppress hunger becomes easier with the caffeine laden coffee. Even tea, which also has caffeine, is less effective than coffee in this respect.
Coffee has also been shown to provide additional health benefits to your diet plan. The nutrients in coffee can lower potential risks for a multitude of serious ailments and diseases that include certain cancers and gallstones .
Coffee contains magnesium and other oxidants that interact with blood sugar and can assist in the prevention of type 2 diabetes (2). The caffeine in coffee may also help impede Parkinson’s disease (3).
Of course, when drinking coffee for dietary considerations, it is always best to resist adding full cream milk, cream, and sugar which will all directly raise the calorie levels of your drink negating any positive dieting affects the caffeine may cause. For weight loss considerations, black coffee is best, although if you can’t do without you should consider skim milk.
WHAT YOU NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN USING COFFEE AS A DIETING AID:
Coffee is a diuretic (it affects kidney functions causing extra urine), which means that it may also dehydrate your body. That may work against you if you’re trying to combine diet considerations while maintaining optimum health. Dehydration eliminates water in your system, water that is a requirement for many of the body’s processes including those that burn up fat. There are other special types of coffee such as that made from Red Reishi Mushroom called Ganoderma that greatly enhance the health benefits of coffee while reducing nasty side effects.
The bottom line is yes, coffee can be beneficial for your diet because it speeds up your metabolism (4). It also provides benefits to assist in possibly avoiding some diseases, and is perfectly safe for most people. It isn’t an easy way out of the weight loss dilemma, but it can certainly help. If you’re going to drink coffee as a dietary food, you should remember that it is a diuretic and a stimulant, and it is best to limit your intake to a couple of cups a day. Red reishi mushrooms can also be useful as a healthy substitute to regular coffee.
Combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise plan, coffee will become a helpful supplement. If you believe you may be sensitive to caffeine containing drinks it is always best to start with a small amount if you’re unsure. If you aren’t accustomed to coffee in your diet, your doctor may be able to determine whether the additional caffeine will of benefit to you.
