Friday, December 6, 2013

Interesting Facts About Caffeine

By Debrah Elliot


Do you know that an average American consumes around 200mg of caffeine daily? This is according to the FDA. Even so, America is not the title holder for the most consumption of caffeine on a daily basis because according to a recent BBC article, it is Finland that holds the crown with its average adult consuming about 400mg of caffeine every day. This "caffeine" we are talking about is commonly thought to be found in coffee as majority of the people worldwide believe coffee to be the source of caffeine. However, caffeine is in fact found in many other food and drinks we consume. Here are more interesting facts about caffeine.

Of course, coffee contains a great deal of caffeine and coffee comes from the seed of the coffee tree. The seeds are green and must be roasted and ground in order to finally come up with the coffee which we make into various hot or cold drinks. It is possible to actually separate the caffeine from the coffee seed, and this caffeine is crystalline and white. Do you know that caffeine is not only found in coffee beans because others like the tea leaves, kola nuts and cocoa beans also naturally come with caffeine? Yes, there are more than 60 plants with caffeine in the leaves, seeds or fruits and while we enjoy the energy boost from caffeine, the plants use caffeine as a natural deterrent against insects.

Because of the fact that caffeine is not merely limited to coffee beans, a number of other foods and beverages we consume can also contain it. In fact, it can also come as man-made if it is used as additives to products. One interesting fact is that contrary to what we think about coffee beans having the highest amount of caffeine, tea leaves in fact comes with a higher amount. The only thing is that we tend to consume smaller amount of tea and add the fact that it is more diluted hence giving tea of lesser caffeine effects on the one drinking.

Do you have the appetite for chocolates too? Then you should know that you will also get that "kick" when you eat chocolates along with drinking some cola because these too have caffeine. The only thing is that colas of today mostly use caffeine and artificial flavors already as compared to back when caffeine for colas were actually extracts from coca leaves and kola nuts.

Aside from the energy boost which you get from coffee, it provides you with an assortment of antioxidants and several B vitamins for nutrients. You will also find studies leading to the conclusion that caffeine or coffee-drinking helps reduce risks for the likes of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases as well as Type 2 diabetes. For this reason, still many people remain to be coffee drinkers and lovers. Just be sure you do not overdo consuming caffeine due to probable poor effects on your cardio-vascular function.

What we've discussed above must make you want a cup of coffee now. Perhaps it is about time you check out Island Monarch Coffee, which is one of the best places to get a fresh cup of coffee in Los Angeles. This Culver City coffeehouse uses only the finest coffee beans imported from Kona and South America. The beans arrive in Los Angeles still green and are roasted only days before use. When you order a coffee drink, the beans are roasted only after you order and the water is purified using a process known as reverse osmosis.




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