Gourmet Coffee Shop

Sunday, February 25, 2007 -----

Coffee May Pack Dietary Fiber

This is a great article on the true benefits of coffee!

Coffee May Be Higher in Soluble Fiber Than Wine or Orange Juice, Experts Say
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD
on Friday, February 23, 2007

Feb. 23, 2007 -- Your coffee may come with a little something extra -- and not just cream and sugar.

Some of the dietary fiber in coffee beans may make it into your mug, Spanish researchers report.

They say coffee has more soluble dietary fiber (the type of fiber that dissolves in water and helps prevent cholesterol from being absorbed by the intestines) than wine or orange juice.

Fulgencio Saura-Calixto, PhD, and colleagues at the Spanish National Research Council in Madrid brewed instant coffee, espresso, and filtered coffee.

They measured how much soluble dietary fiber was in each drink.

Instant coffee contained the most -- about 1.8 grams of soluble dietary fiber per cup. Espresso had 1.5 grams of soluble dietary fiber per cup, and filtered coffee contained 1.1 grams, the study shows.

The report is scheduled for publication in the March 21 edition of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Fiber Recommendations

You would have to drink a lot of coffee -- about 17 cups of instant -- to reach the recommended daily intake of 31 grams of dietary fiber per day, based on a 2,000-calorie daily diet.

That fiber recommendation comes from dietary guidelines published in 2005 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In their study, the Spanish scientists simply measured dietary fiber in coffee. They didn't study coffee's health effects; and they don't make any recommendations about drinking coffee.

Past studies on coffee and health have had mixed results, note Saura-Calixto and colleagues.

Fiber Sources

Looking for other sources of dietary fiber? Beans, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are leading sources.

Those foods also contain insoluble fiber, which doesn't dissolve in water, rather than the soluble dietary fiber found in coffee.

Insoluble fiber (roughage) may help keep bowel movements regular and reduce the risk of colon problems. It also makes you feel full.

Let's say you start your day with half a cup of 100% bran cereal (8.8 grams of dietary fiber) and a cup of instant coffee (1.8 grams of dietary fiber).

Then you lunch on chili containing half a cup of cooked Navy beans (9.5 grams of dietary fiber). In the afternoon, you snack on an ounce of almonds (3.3 grams of dietary fiber) and a small, raw pear (4.3 grams of dietary fiber).

For dinner, you have chicken (sorry, no fiber there) and half a medium-sized baked sweet potato (4.8 grams of dietary fiber).

Add it all up, and you've reached 32 grams of dietary fiber. That's a smidgen more than the recommended amount.

That menu is just an example to give you an idea of foods' fiber content. Your doctor or a nutritionist have more pointers for creating a healthy diet with plenty of fiber.

SOURCES: Diaz-Rubio, M. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, March 21, 2007. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005." WebMD Feature: "Why You Need More Fiber." News release, American Chemical Society.

::  Posted by: 3am Art  at 9:44 PM
::  0 Comments -- Post a comment
::  Email this article to a friend:   

Wednesday, February 14, 2007 -----

Happy Valentine's Ermmm,,,,,,,Love Day!

It's no longer Valentine's; apparently some people felt left out and when I went to buy my honey a new coffee mug among his other LOVE DAY presents, I was corrected by the girl in the store for calling it Valentine's. And was given the Reader's Digest Condensed Version of "Love Day".

We just had one humdinger of a snow storm blow through here - my first blizzard in Ohioland. Am I ready for the beach? You bet. I'll take sand over snow any day.

We've been keeping warm brewing coffee and even busted out the trusty stovetop espresso maker and made some coffee that made the whole house smell like fresh roasted coffee beans. Don't know about you, but I love the way that smells!

Okay, off to paint I go and Happy Love Day everyone!

::  Posted by: 3am Art  at 4:52 PM
::  0 Comments -- Post a comment
::  Email this article to a friend:   

Archives

July 2005   August 2005   September 2005   October 2005   November 2005   December 2005   January 2006   February 2006   March 2006   April 2006   May 2006   June 2006   July 2006   August 2006   September 2006   October 2006   November 2006   December 2006   January 2007   February 2007  

Coffee.

Roasted fresh, delivered to your door.