Coffee is one of those little pleasures in this world that many people enjoy. It’s estimated by the Harvard School of Public Health that a whopping 54 percent of adults drink a cup of Joe every day. That’s many of your average Americans partaking in a cup of joe in the morning or throughout the day. You can easily brew it at home in a regular coffee maker, grind your own beans for a fancy french press, or have a K-cup system at your disposal. Or, maybe you go out for coffee every day stopping at your local coffee shop or Starbucks to grab your java on your way to work, or before dropping off your kids at school.

However you choose to get your caffeine fix, it’s never been more obvious that a cup of Joe is part of our common culture. You have heard many people say something like, don’t talk to me before I’ve had my morning cup of coffee. They even print the expression on coffee mugs and t-shirts! David Letterman even once said, “if it wasn’t for coffee, I would have no discernible personality whatsoever.” True coffee lovers view it as a necessity. It might seem like a joke, but lots of folks feel that way. Be your own health hero to discover all the ways that coffee can even be beneficial to you.

Coffee May Help Liver Function

Studies have shown that coffee can actually aid liver function by helping lower liver enzyme levels. In the long run, this may prevent diseases and cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver in the later stages of life. Once your liver is damaged it’s hard for the body to detoxify itself. Thus keeping your liver healthy should be a top priority of yours, and coffee is one of the best ways to do this. It’s recommended that you should not exceed 2-3 cups a day. Those aren’t “venti” sizes either, a true cup of coffee is only around 6 ounces. That’s considered a small cup of coffee, not a large.

Coffee May Lower the Risk of Diabetes

Coffee drinkers for life have a less chance of getting Type 2 Diabetes, which usually comes on as a person ages. This is mainly due to an unhealthy lifestyle through eating the wrong foods. The coffee can help reverse the damage that is done by too much sugar and fatty foods. Keep in mind though you can’t load up your coffee with cream and sugar. Drink it black for the best benefits. The Harvard School of Public Health and The University of Australia both have well known studies on coffee in relation to Type 2 Diabetes. The latter compiled a list of 18 different studies to find out this fact between 1966 to 1999, with around 500,000 participants and a 7 percent reduction in getting Diabetes, versus the non-coffee drinkers.

Coffee May Improve Mental Health and Clarity

Coffee has been shown to improve mental health functioning and clarity. This can also include boosting a depressed mood, and improving mental focus. However, sometimes too much coffee can make you jittery or anxious, so sticking to the recommended amount of caffeine can help.

Coffee Can Keep You Regular

Coffee can help keep your regular in the mornings. It can stimulate the bowels causing your colon to contract, which will help you “go” much easier. Although coffee is a diuretic which can dehydrate you if you overdo it in large quantities. That is over 500-600 mg per day, which an average cup of coffee has only 95 mg of caffeine. The Mayo Clinic has a great chart outlining exactly the caffeine content in many common beverage including coffee drinks. Looking at that chart will help you figure out how much caffeine you are getting per day in reality, so you can be your own health hero, and lower your caffeine intake if you need to.

Coffee is Chock Full of Antioxidants

Antioxidants are able to help fortify the body to prevent damage from free radicals in the environment. We get them from a variety of foods that are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Coffee does contain antioxidants including hydrocinnamic acids and polyphenols. Those antioxidants can even prevent stress from affecting the body. Some say there are even more antioxidants in coffee beans than in regular foods. So starting your day with a black cup of joe and a healthy breakfast can be highly beneficial to your health. Dr. Nandi has some terrific breakfast recipes to try, such as his Parsnip and Potato Pancakes with Fried Eggs or his Blueberry Rice Flour Pancakes.

Do your body a favor, and don’t feel too guilty about your love of coffee. From a whole body perspective drinking your daily joe can do you a whole cuppa good!