Can you eat coffee beans? This question comes in every coffee lover’s mind. Here’s an in-depth overview of it with the benefits of eating it.
What are Coffee Beans?
Coffee beans are seeds (kernels) of bright red or purple cherry fruit that grow on the coffee plant. This plant comes from the ‘Rubiaceae’ family and genus ‘Coffea.’ The English word ‘Coffee’ comes from the Dutch word ‘Koffie.’
There are mainly four types of coffee beans that are commercially cultivated – Robusta, Liberica, Arabica, and Excelsa. Coffee is the second most valuable and traded commodity after crude oil.
According to Ethiopian legends, ‘Kaldi or Khalid’ was the first person to discover the energizing effects of the coffee fruit around 850 AD. But as per the historical evidence, its primary usage was around the 15th Century in ‘Yemen’ plateau.
Before using coffee as a beverage in ancient times, its plant’s fruit was mixed with animal fat to make a protein-filled snack. Dutch was the first, who find a way to transport the coffee from Yemen to Europe, and they established the first European-owned coffee estate in Sri Lanka around 1616.
Can You Eat Coffee Beans?
The answer to can you eat coffee beans is ‘Yes’ you can but only in a limited quantity. Eating Coffee beans will give you high levels of caffeine in comparison to the beverage because it is not diluted. Besides caffeine, catechol is also present in coffee beans. The recommended safe level of caffeine dosage is 400 mg per day for an adult and less than 300 mg caffeine per day for a reproductive-aged woman.
Green or Roasted?
Now the next question – what type of beans you can eat, green or roasted? For that matter, you can have both, but green coffee beans can give you a bitter and unpleasant flavor.
Whereas, roasted coffee beans have equal benefits, in comparison to their beverages. It has a better taste than green coffee seeds. Roasted coffee beans are also available in chocolate and different flavors to counterbalance its bitterness. Roasted seeds are less hard to chew than the green ones.
Benefits of Eating Coffee Beans
Here are some benefits of eating coffee beans with amplified effects-
1. Rich Source of Antioxidants
Coffee beans especially, green or light roasted, are a rich source of antioxidant properties. It helps you to fight against oxidative stress that happens due to free radicals (Harmful Cells). It has phenolic acids, which promote anti-inflammatory properties, that prevent inflammation and cardiovascular disease. Undiluted coffee beans are best to boosts the immune system. It is a natural neuroprotectant because it is rich in chlorogenic acid.
2. Helpful in Weight Loss
Eating unroasted green coffee beans helps in weight loss. It is possible due to a chemical compound- chlorogenic acid, which is present in these raw beans. Green coffee seeds have more chlorogenic acid in comparison to roasted coffee beans. That’s why it is preferable to eat green ones. It is also a rich source of dietary fiber that helps in weight loss.
3. Prevents Diabetes
Eating coffee beans on a regular basis is known to prevent diabetes. Coffee seeds are a great source of chlorogenic acid (CGA), which is an anti-diabetic agent that maintains your body’s insulin level. It is a rich source of Polyphenols, Magnesium, Chromium, and caffeine that is helpful in Type 2 Diabetes. Coffee seeds are a rich source of dietary fiber that controls blood sugar levels.
4. Prevents Heart Disease
The Coffee beans have antioxidant properties that reduce the damage caused to cells by free radicals. The free radicals are one of the main reasons for heart disease.
5. Low in Calorie & High in Fiber
Coffee seeds are less in calories in comparison to brewed coffee. Lower calorie diet leads you to a high quality and healthy life. It also helps in higher physical activity and improves reproductive capacity.
Coffee beans are a rich source of dietary fiber. High dietary fiber intake gives you smooth bowel movement, helps you live longer, and act as detox.
6. Prevents High Blood Pressure
Coffee beans have chlorogenic acid that reduces blood pressure. Its consumption enhances arterial elasticity, thereby lowers blood pressure.
7. More Caffeine
Coffee beans have much more caffeine than brewed coffee. The human body will quickly absorb caffeine by chewing the coffee beans compared to its beverage. This quick absorption is done with the help of the ‘Mucous’ membrane of the mouth. Caffeine is a natural energizer. It has a variety of health benefits like – Improves memory, controls Dopamine level in the body, prevents fatigue, and boosts the metabolism.
8. Offers Anti-aging Benefits
Coffee beans have anti-aging properties that decrease the dryness of the skin. It also helps in the hydration of the skin by chlorogenic acid. Due to its richness in caffeine, it reduces the cellulite on the skin.
Conclusion
Hope you got the answer for can you eat coffee beans? Eating coffee beans gives you more benefits than brewed coffee. But every person has different limits of caffeine tolerance, so be sure to start by taking small amounts of it.