It’s no secret that people in Britain love a good cup of coffee. 70% of us have at least two cups a day, but it turns out that the way you brew your coffee could be impacting your cholesterol levels. Is nothing sacred?
Unfiltered coffee raises cholesterol meaning that French Press, Scandinavian, and Turkish-style coffee have all been proven to raise cholesterol because they are unfiltered. Other coffee preparations such as drip-filtered, instant and percolator coffee don’t have the same effect.
Wait, What’s The Difference Between Filtered and Unfiltered Coffee?
Almost all methods of making coffee rely on a filter but when the filter is made of mesh metal, that is actually considered to be unfiltered coffee. Confusing. Mesh filters keep beans out of coffee resulting in a stronger cup of coffee but paper filters absorb coffee impurities and that’s partly why they tend to taste a little more acidic.
So, Should You Throw Out Your French Press?
Not quite yet! If you are concerned about your cholesterol levels, speak to your doctor who can test them for you and let you know if there are any changes that you need to make. Realistically, if you only have 1-2 cups a day, you should be okay - everything in moderation!
If you are looking to switch to filtered coffee, filtered brewing methods include:
- Pour Over
- Drip-Brew
- Cold Brew (with a paper filter, of course)
- Disposable Coffee Pods
Other helpful changes you can make to how coffee impacts your body is when you drink it. Caffeine has a half life of around six hours and it’s ideal if you have a healthy gap between your last cup of coffee and when you tend to go to bed.
Try to ensure that you never drink coffee, especially black coffee, on an empty stomach as coffee sets off acid production which can result in heartburn and abdominal discomfort.
How To Get Energy Without Coffee?
Found that you do have to cut down your coffee intake? You can still get the much-needed energy boost by pairing the cups of coffee you do have with water. Theobromine is a chemical found in caffeine that starts working about half an hour after you drink coffee and is often the cause of a “caffeine crash”. Drinking plenty of water lowers this effect, limiting your risk of crashing and keeping your energy levels raised.
Additionally, water acts as a palate cleanser meaning that when you pair it with your daily cups of coffee, you’re more likely to benefit from the full, rounded taste of your coffee.