Coffee is revitalizing, exotic and can be made a million different ways. Most importantly, it brings people together and serves as the perfect complement to light conversation with friends. It offers one of the few places where people can just sit and chat, listen to music or just enjoy the atmosphere by looking out the window or reading the newspaper.
And coffee is even beneficial for your physical health. So good for you, in fact, that you may want to consider drinking more.
Antioxidants
According to an article recently published by CNN, 54 percent of American adults are “habitual coffee drinkers” consuming nearly 150 billion cups of coffee each year. So why should anybody need to drink more? One word: antioxidants. It is true that antioxidants are found in fruits, vegetables and various teas. But according to a leading health expert, Joe Vinson, most people in America are getting these antioxidents from coffee. He says that drinking one or two cups of coffee every day is actually beneficial to one’s health.
In his article, "Antioxidants in Coffee," Gaghan Dhillon also writes of a few of the other possible health benefits of coffee including prevention of diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Type 2 diabetes. The caffeine in coffee provides stimulation to the brain and nervous system which in turn improves alertness, concentration and overall mental abilities. The caffeine can also work as a healthier alternative to pain relievers for headaches. Finally, coffee helps to prevent such ailments as heartburn, osteoporosis and strokes.
Coffee shops
While coffee is good for your physical health, it is probably even better for your mental, emotional and spiritual health. There are few things better than waking up in the morning to that dark, rich smell of coffee wafting up the stairs. And there are few better places to spend an afternoon than in a coffee shop with a cup of java and a good book.
Coffee shops have become excellent places for casual meetings, conversations with old and new friends, as well as first, second and maybe even third dates. Coffee shops also provide an outlet for various artistic works like photography, sculpture, painting and live music. Then there are those rare and wonderful shops where art and coffee collide. In places like this you may find yourself drinking from a handmade ceramic mug or tasting a hot cocoa that has, through a creative process of invention and re-invention, been made to perfection over the past five years. There isn’t really a price for this kind of precious experience.
Sources
"Coffee is number one source of antioxidants." Joe Vinson.
"Antioxidants in Coffee." Gagan Dhillon.
"Coffee: Is it healther than you think?" Sarah Klein.
Timothy Gustafson - Tim Gustafson graduated in May of 2010 from Crown College with a B.A. in English and a Minor in History and is now in hot pursuit of a ...
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