Introduction
Every time is coffee time, and there is no reason for not taking it anywhere. Many people have embraced coffee, and it is one thing that keep them alert in their activities. According to Sethi, being the second most traded commodity, after petroleum, coffee is a mainstay in the modern diet. Although coffee has become a significant part of people’s daily lives, at home and works, it has a rich heritage, originating from Africa, to become a popular drink for its numerous positive health effects.
The Origin of Coffee
There are many myths about the origin of coffee, but the most believed one is that it originated from Ethiopia, in the famously known coffee forests. It was discovered by a herder named Kaldi from Kaffa (Goodwin). One of his goats had eaten a “shrub” and started to jump in excitement. He then decided to try the red coffee berries himself and felt their energizing effects. Kaldi then rushed back home to his village and broke the news to his wife, who later advised him to share the discovery with the monks.
At the monastery, one of the monks rubbished these berries, calling them the devil’s work and casting them into the fire. Herrera and Lambot report that after a few minutes, the entire convent was filled with an aroma that caught everyone’s attention (11). The monks then removed these roasted seeds from the fire, crushed, and preserved them in an ewer. They tried to taste the powder from the crushed seeds and confirmed the uplifting effects that Kaldi had told them about (Herrera and Lambot 14). For this reason, the monks thought of using the coffee powder to keep them energized and awake during prayers, and this is how coffee was discovered.
The Popularity of Coffee
There are many beverages in the world, including tea, cocoa, coffee, and soya. However, coffee is the most popular of all, and around 450 billion cups are taken each year (Sethi). Many people across the globe have made coffee a mainstay in their diet. For example, over 107 million people aged 18 and above in the United States drink coffee each day (Sethi). For this reason, coffee chains and shops have become as popular as the product they sell. Examples of coffee shops include Starbucks, Caffe Nero, and Costa Brand. One reason for such fame is that they provide good quality and a peaceful environment for drinking coffee. Because of its popularity, over 64% of people aged 18 and over across the world drink coffee on a daily basis (Sethi). Thus, coffee is a very popular beverage both in the United States and globally.
The Positive Health Effects of Coffee
The popularity of coffee is explained by its positive health effects. The first benefit is that it improves a person’s energy level. When people drink coffee, they become more active because of a substance called caffeine found in it. As soon as it is taken, it is absorbed into the bloodstream and travels to the brain, where it blocks adenosine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter (Shah and Kumar 23). The mind becomes hyperactive due to coffee’s stimulant effect, thereby increasing energy level and performance by helping a person stay alert and focused.
The second health benefit is that coffee can help one to lose weight by burning excess fat. Caffeine is one of the ingredients for most commercial fat-burning supplements (Shah and Kumar 27). Its effectiveness in weight management has been approximated to near perfection. The reason is that coffee boosts the body’s metabolic rate by almost 11%, and for obese individuals and lean people, caffeine can increase the fat-burning ability to 29% (Gunnars). This energy enhancement improves the body’s metabolic rate, thereby helping people lose weight by burning excess fat.
Works Cited
Goodwin, Lindsey. “The Origin of Coffee.”The Spruce Eats, 2020. Web.
Gunnars, Kris. “13 Health Benefits of Coffee, Based on Science.”Healthline. 2018. Web.
Herrera, Juan C., and Charles Lambot. “The Coffee Tree—Genetic Diversity and Origin.” The Craft and Science of Coffee, 2017, pp. 1-16.
Sethi, Simran. “A Surprising New Trend In Coffee.”Forbes. 2017. Web.
Shah, Shreya, and Anil Kumar. “Coffee: Constituents and Health Benefits.” Biotechnology Journal International, vol. 24, no. 5, 2020, pp. 22-38.