How to include black coffee in your diet? Know its 5 unique benefits, right time and necessary precautions

In today’s fast-paced life and increasing awareness towards fitness, black coffee has become one of the most popular wellness drinks. It is common in Indian homes to drink traditional tea or coffee with milk and sugar, but from a health point of view, pure black coffee without milk and without any sweetener is a storehouse of nutrients and powerful antioxidants. Fitness freaks and nutritionists consider it to be an excellent fat-burner and energy-booster. However, its full benefit is available only when it is prepared properly, consumed at the right time and included in balanced quantity in the diet.

To get the maximum benefit of black coffee, it is very important to prepare it in the right way and include it in your daily routine step by step:

• Complete abstinence from milk and sugar: The true essence of black coffee is that it has no calories or fat added. Avoid adding white sugar, jaggery, condensed milk or cream in it. If its bitter taste seems strong in the initial days, then you can add a pinch of cinnamon powder to it, which enhances the taste and also keeps the blood sugar under control.

• Choosing Quality Coffee Beans: Use freshly ground roasted coffee beans or French press brew instead of instant powder. Freshly brewed coffee has a higher concentration of polyphenols and antioxidants.

• Correct ratio of water: Half to one teaspoon of coffee powder in a cup (about 150 to 200 ml) of hot water is enough. Making coffee that is too thick can increase the risk of acidity in the stomach.

When you consume black coffee regularly and in limited quantities without any adulteration, it has many positive effects on the body:

• Helpful in rapid weight loss and fat burning: Black coffee has almost zero calories. The caffeine present in it activates the central nervous system and increases the metabolic rate by 3 to 11 percent. It helps in breaking down the fat stored in the body into fatty acids and using it as energy.

• Great Pre-Workout Drink: Drinking a cup of black coffee 30 minutes before exercising or going to the gym increases the level of adrenaline hormone in the body. This increases physical endurance and stamina, due to which fatigue is felt late during workout.

• Improves mental alertness and focus: Caffeine blocks a neurotransmitter called adenosine in the brain, which increases levels of dopamine and norepinephrine. With its effect, sleep and lethargy go away, mood improves and concentration increases manifold.

• Protective cover for type-2 diabetes and liver: Many scientific researches show that drinking black coffee in limited quantities regularly improves insulin sensitivity, thereby reducing the risk of type-2 diabetes. Additionally, it has also been found helpful in preventing liver inflammation and fatty liver problems.

• Source of powerful antioxidants: Black coffee contains many powerful antioxidants, including chlorogenic acid, which fights free radicals in the body and prevents premature aging of cells.

Black coffee is definitely beneficial, but consuming it at the wrong time can spoil both digestion and sleep:

• Do not drink on an empty stomach as soon as you wake up in the morning: Never make the mistake of drinking black coffee on an empty stomach as soon as you get up from bed in the morning. In the morning the level of ‘cortisol’ (stress hormone) in our body is already high. Drinking coffee on an empty stomach increases the production of hydrochloric acid, which can cause heartburn, gas and acid reflux. It is best to consume it 1 hour after breakfast.

• Take in the afternoon or before a workout: Drinking black coffee between 11 pm and 1 pm during the day or half an hour before an evening workout is considered the most ideal time to recharge energy levels.

• Avoid after evening: Caffeine consumption should be stopped at least 6 hours before sleeping. Drinking black coffee in the evening or at night can disrupt your ‘REM sleep’ (deep sleep), leading to insomnia and headache the next day.

• Keep in mind the quantity: throughout the day for a healthy adult 2 to maximum 3 cups Black coffee is considered sufficient. Drinking excessive amounts can cause nervousness, rapid heartbeat and dehydration.