Coffee Nutrition

Okay, coffee drinkers know that a hot cup of coffee is delicious but is there any nutritional value?  Well, good coffee that is brewed with ground, organic coffee beans is delicious but also a great way to lower risk of some illness and disease.  For instance, a number of studies have been conducted that actually show colon cancer can be reduced by as much as 25% by drinking one or two cups of coffee daily.  Other risk reduction includes cirrhosis of the liver, skin cancer, gallstones, and even Parkinson’s disease. 

As far as coffee nutrition, a single cup of coffee has only two calories.  This coupled with the fact that coffee is also a natural diuretic it is often a beverage of choice for people trying to lose weight.  In additional, coffee nutrition include the following:

• Fat (saturated and unsaturated) – 0%
• Cholesterol – 0%
• Sodium – 5 mg
• Total Carbohydrates (fiber and sugar) – 0%
• Protein – 0%
• Vitamin A and C – 0%
• Calcium – 0%
• Iron – 0%

As you can see nutrition for coffee is non-existence however, because coffee has health benefits, it is considered a good drink.  Some people worry about coffee causing problems with high blood pressure but in truth, it only raises pressure by five to fifteen mmHg, which is not enough to be concerned over.  Because the coffee nutrition show no value, it is actually exempt from federal food label programs.

Now, as far as coffee nutrition in relation to trace elements, there are small amounts of Folate, Maganese, Magnesium, Niacin, Phosphorus, and Thiamin.  If the coffee is a quality brand, typically organic grown beans grown in South America, you would also see small levels of Potassium, Pantothenic Acid, and Riboflavin.  As far as sodium, sometimes two to four milligrams can be measured but this usually comes from the water being used, not the actual coffee.

Of course, if you look at coffee nutrition with flavoring, some will have a slight nutritional value whereas others do not.  To determine this, you would need to pay close attention to the product label.  Then, things added to the coffee such as milk, cream, creamer, sugar, honey, molasses, brown sugar, and sweetened flavorings would change the coffee nutrition, which would be based on the specific item added.  The bottom line is that while nutritional value is not the reason people enjoy a cup of coffee, there are many health benefits, not to mention the relaxation that drinking coffee offers.