Coffee, Coffee, Joy, Joy, Joy!

Coffee, Coffee, Joy, Joy, Joy!

I love coffee. I REALLY love coffee! It is one of nature's most perfect gifts to the world. It wakes you up, improves your mood, helps to purge excess water from your system. Now there is evidence that coffee can reduce your risk of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, and Type 2 Diabetes.

In 2009, two coffee studies suggested additional benefits: Coffee-drinking men seemed to have a lower risk of advanced or lethal prostate cancer than other men, and middle-aged people who drank moderate amounts of coffee -- three to five cups a day -- had the lowest risk for dementia and Alzheimer's disease later in life compared to less (or more) frequent drinkers.

“For Parkinson’s disease, the data have always been very consistent: higher consumption of coffee is associated with decreased risk of Parkinson’s,” Hu tells Web MD. That seems to be due to caffeine, though exactly how that works isn't clear, Hu notes.
Coffee has also been linked to lower risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. A 2009 study from Finland and Sweden showed that, out of 1,400 people followed for about 20 years, those who reported drinking 3-5 cups of coffee daily were 65% less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, compared with nondrinkers or occasional coffee drinkers.
The evidence of a cancer protection effect of coffee is weaker than that for type 2 diabetes. But “for liver cancer, I think that the data are very consistent,” Hu says.
“All of the studies have shown that high coffee consumption is associated with decreased risk of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer,” he says. That's a "very interesting finding," Hu says, but again, it's not clear how it might work.
Again, this research shows a possible association, but like most studies on coffee and health, does not show cause and effect.

Like I said...I LOVE ME SOME COFFEE!!! Here in hot, humid, sunny South Carolina though, I don't always want a hot steamy cup of the stuff: Enter Iced Coffee. That's why I keep instant coffee crystals in my pantry at all times. The brand and type doesn't matter for this recipe, but I find the darker the coffee the better it tastes in this one.This recipe is dairy and fat free, very low on the calories (and thus any guilt), and a super-yummy pick-me-up any time of the day. you don't need a fancy expensive coffee house, you just need a few ingredients and a blender!






Fat Free Coffee Frappe

2 Tbs. Instant Coffee
1 cup almond milk
1 cup ice cubes1-3 packets of calorie-free sweetener
1 tsp. vanilla
OPTIONAL...1/4 cup coco or chocolate syrup

Place everything into a blender. Puree until smooth and creamy. Pour into your favorite tall glass and enjoy! You can add a little whipped topping and chocolate syrup to the top of your coffee frappe to make it look and taste super fancy.

You can also pour the mixture into ice cube trays and freeze them solid. Then use in plain iced coffee for an extra yummy summer treat!