Wise Bread Picks
My first memory of drinking coffee was staying up late with my mom and her childhood girlfriend as they chatted about life and memories. She handed me a small cup of that rich, dark drink, and I was hooked for life. My love of coffee was one of the primary motivators to apply for a job at Starbucks while in college; free, all-you-can drink coffee during my shift was enough stimulation for me to sign on as a barista for a few years.
Having devoted myself to one primary brand of coffee over the course of 10 years has inspired me to find ways to save money on my morning beverage of choice, like applying for a rewards card, bringing in my own cup for a cup discount, and experimenting with coffee drinks at home using my blender. Of course, I'm the first to spout off the positive benefits of coffee. Below I've outlined five good reasons to drink coffee. (See also: French Press Coffee: Step-by-Step Guide)
1. Coffee Is a Healthier, Less-Expensive Addiction
If you're going to be addicted to something, it might as well be coffee. It's a heck of a lot healthier than smoking cigarettes or crack. Not only have studies shown it can positively benefit your brain and make you more productive, it's a lot less expensive compared to other addictions. For comparison, a pack of smokes will cost about $5.75 and might last a day. A cup of joe made at home costs just a few cents; drink the whole pot and you might have consumed $1.50's worth of coffee.
2. It's Good for Your Brain
Coffee has been found to make people more productive and smarter, even if the effect isn't long-lasting. The chemical that's making you "smarter" is the dopamine, which stimulates the gray matter in your brain. As caffeine is released from your cup of joe, dopamine gets to work making you sharper and smarter for up to an hour. Of course, you can always drink another cup as the effect begins to wear off.
3. Coffee Makes the Future Look Brighter
As your coffee works its magic on your brain, making you more alert, it's also making you feel better. Dopamine increases a person's positive outlook on the future. I guess one could call coffee nature's anti-depressant. Another benefit of dopamine is it may block plaque buildup, a leading cause of Parkinson's disease.
4. Coffee Is a Low-Cost Beverage
Other beverages can fulfill the caffeine quota, but home-brewed coffee runs about .27-cents per cup on the high end to as low as .05-cents per cup. I would be hard pressed to find soda for this cheap, even when it's on sale.
5. Coffee Is a Low-Calorie Drink
Another benefit of coffee, compared to caffeinated soda or a similar beverages, is that by itself, it is a low-calorie drink. An 8 oz. brewed cup of black coffee from Starbucks has only two calories, something that can't be said for many sodas or caffeinated canned drinks. Of course, the caloric content changes the moment sugar or cream are added, but for those who like it "black," coffee is a great low-calorie choice.
One word of caution before you increase the milligrams of caffeine in your diet, switch from decaf to fully caffeinated, or go from a non-coffee drinker to a coffee drinker — some individuals are caffeine sensitive; meaning too much caffeine can cause heart palpitations and lead you to believe you're suffering from a heart attack. As with anything, less is usually more.
