If you have been using social media recently, you must have come across the wave of discussions about green coffee. Many brands seem to be selling it, and people claim it works wonders. But what is green coffee, and what is the hype about it?
Green coffee is just unroasted coffee beans. Technically speaking, all coffee is green coffee, as long as it is not roasted.
Why is coffee roasted?
You must be wondering if green coffee is good for health, why do we bother roasting it? The coffee that we know and love is possible only when the beans are roasted. When coffee beans are roasted, they become dry and all the moisture from the inside leaves, making it expand. It sheds its outer skin and starts to release oils, which is responsible for the heady aroma of coffee.
What makes green coffee and regular coffee different?
They are the same, except, the roasting process alters a few things. Unroasted coffee bean has a high amount of chlorogenic acid. This is an antioxidant that is lost during the roasting process of ordinary coffee that is found in coffee shop near you.
It has plenty of health benefits for our body. The human body absorbs chlorogenic acid and metabolizes it easily. This is why the results show quickly.
Caffeine
Most people tend to avoid drinking more than two cups of coffee a day, as it keeps them up at night. But drinking coffee in moderation is a great thing. It improves mood and brain function and protects against heart diseases. Roasted coffee has a higher amount of caffeine than green coffee.
Many people who fear feeling hyperactive due to coffee can resort to green coffee as it has lesser amount of caffeine. Green coffee extract is gaining popularity as a healthy supplement.
Here are 7 health benefits of green coffee:
Helps weight loss
Our world is one that is obsessed with body image. People are constantly trying to find quick fixes to aid weight loss. While there are no magic potions that can help you become skinny overnight, naturally good supplements like green coffee extract can help you lose weight.
Research has shown that chlorogenic acid reduces the rate of carbohydrate absorption into the body, which in turn leads to lower blood sugar and insulin spikes. It also helps the body burn fat and glucose, leading to quicker fat loss.
Boosts metabolism
There have been several pieces of research that have shown that green coffee helps boost metabolism. This can help people lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. Green coffee can really help your workout. Caffeine aids metabolism and green coffee has the perfect amount of caffeine, that is healthy but won’t make you hyper.
Stabilizes blood sugar
Green coffee greatly benefits people suffering from obesity and blood sugar problems. It lowers inflammation, reduces fat accumulation, and prevents insulin spikes. It can also reduce the amount of glucose that is absorbed by the body. This ability to stabilize blood sugar levels is unique and highly valuable. This makes green coffee the perfect coffee drink for diabetic people.
Prevents diseases
Most of the diseases in our body are caused due to the presence of free radicals. Dangerous diseases like cancer develop with the help of free radicals. The high amounts of antioxidants in green coffee may prevent the growth of cancer cells and other serious illnesses.
Boosts energy and controls blood pressure
Caffeine is known to make people feel energetic and hyper. Green coffee has the perfect amount of caffeine, which will make you feel energetic and charged up, but not keep you awake at night.
Green coffee has also been known to lower blood pressure and keep it in check.
Improves mood and focus
The American Psychological Association has found that caffeine is capable of severely affecting our psychological and cognitive skills. Caffeine helps maintain mental well-being by improving mood, altering attention, and boosting motivation. It also helps raise alertness and reaction times.
Anti-aging properties
Antioxidants are known to aid anti-aging. Green coffee is packed full of antioxidants, mainly chlorogenic acid. This compound prevents redness when exposed to sunlight and skin damage due to excessive heat and sun exposure. It can also reduce the roughness of skin and wrinkles. For this reason, many face creams and serums include green coffee extracts.
Risks of eating raw coffee beans
Eating raw coffee beans might be hard as they are very bitter and woody. Eating coffee beans leads to a very high amount of caffeine being supplied to the body, which is not ideal. Overeating green coffee may cause bloating, heartburn, stomach upsets, nausea, anxiety, palpitations, etc. Pregnant women should avoid drinking too much green coffee.
In any case, green coffee should only be consumed in the form of extracts or drinks produced by reputed companies. Do not buy raw coffee beans and eat them as this has more risks than benefits.
