Where coffee really shines as part of a healthy diet is it’s high antioxidant status. Worryingly studies have shown that some people eating a typical Western diet get more antioxidants from coffee than from fruit and veg combined! Some of us aren’t genetically geared up to tolerate coffee so it is not for everyone but if you regularly enjoy drinking it here are some tips to help make sure you’re getting the best health benefits.

  • Don’t add anything unhealthy to it – sugar, artificial sweeteners, syrups or chemical-laden creamer.
  • Coffee beans are among the most heavily sprayed crops so try to drink organic where possible.
  • Use freshly ground organic coffee beans to preserve the antioxidants that rapidly diminish once the beans are ground.
  • The darker the roast the better as they have higher levels of antioxidants.
  • Decaf coffee is often made by rinsing coffee beans with chemicals but it still does contain some caffeine and not all the health benefits of regular coffee apply to decaf. This is probably due to the fact that the antioxidants are largely lost in the processing. So opt for ‘regular’ if you are drinking coffee.