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Tuesday 29 October 2013

Caffeine: Truths Which You Will Find Fascinating

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.

Caffeine was first isolated from coffee in the year 1820, as records show. The seeds of the coffee plant go through a process of roasting and grinding in order to come up with your ground coffee which you normally consume. If you want to see caffeine in its pure state, it is actually in a white crystalline form. Another truth you need to know as well is that it is not just coffee beans that bear caffeine as they are found naturally in over 60 plants just like the tea leaves, cocoa beans and kola nuts. Several plants have leaves, seeds and fruits with caffeine, often acting as natural pesticides to scare off leaf-eating insects.

Given that caffeine is not found merely on coffee beans, you can bet that other foods and beverages which we consume daily also contain it. Some products in fact use man-made caffeine as additives. As opposed to what most people popularly think about coffee beans containing the highest caffeine, tea leaves in truth is the higher caffeine-bearing of the two - another interesting fact. What makes the difference is that tea consumed is more diluted and is consumed in a smaller amount thus resulting to that feeling of a lesser caffeine kick when you drink tea instead of coffee.

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.

Many people drink coffee because apart from the energy boost, it also contains antioxidants and nutrients like the B vitamins. There have been studies showing that caffeine may have health benefits including the reduction of risks from Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. This is why some people still remain regular coffee-drinkers. However, as with anything, too much caffeine also has been shown to be unhealthy, especially to women who are pregnant.

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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