Have you ever wondered… can you eat coffee grounds?
While waking up in the morning and pouring a cup of coffee might be the most natural thing in the world, some people are finding themselves eating some of the brewed coffee grounds along with their coffee.
Coffee grounds are quickly becoming a resource that we are beginning to see the potential in as a part of our diets, and consuming the grounds directly can give us all of the benefits of drinking coffee, in a much more concentrated form.
Though some people may turn their noses up at eating the grounds, we are now learning that they are actually packed with lots of nutrients that are good for our health. Here, Jiale Coffee takes you through all the ways consuming used coffee grounds can affect you.
The History Of Consuming Ground Coffee
You might initially turn your nose up at eating the cold, wet grounds after you’ve brewed your coffee, but people have been doing it for centuries.
In fact, before we started drinking coffee as a beverage, coffee beans were traditionally eaten in order to consume the caffeine from within the bean.
The effect of coffee was first discovered when a goat herder in Ethiopia realized how energetic his goats became after they ate coffee beans. It goes without saying that we followed the goats example!
So… Is Eating Coffee Grounds Bad For You?
Eating coffee gives you the same energy boost as drinking it, and as the coffee bean is the seed of the coffee plant fruit, there’s no harm in eating the grounds.
The only processes the beans have been put through is the shelling, drying, and roasting processes that give us the hard, brown coffee beans that we rely upon so much today.
While eating the grounds may not be the first idea we have, once we’ve brewed our morning cup of coffee, there certainly isn’t anything wrong with it.
Coffee Grounds Are Full Of Antioxidants
One of the biggest reasons for consuming your used coffee grounds is that they are packed full of antioxidants. These are small compounds that are able to prevent all sorts of damage to your body, when present in high enough concentrations.
Most of the foods we eat contain antioxidants to some effect, but coffee grounds tend to be very high in them. Of the antioxidants found in coffee grounds, the main group that are present are phenolic compounds.
These antioxidants are very good at preventing conditions such as inflammation and can prevent diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Coffee Grounds Are Loaded With Fiber
In order to maintain our digestive health, we must ensure that our diets are full of fiber. Fiber can be found abundantly in bread and vegetables, and ensures that we stay healthy and regular.
While brewed coffee has no fiber, the coffee grounds themselves are actually packed full of the stuff. In fact, just thirty coffee beans provide almost ten percent of your daily recommended fiber intake.
Fiber doesn’t only help to fill your intestines, so that you can stay regular, but it can also help you to feel full throughout the day.
If you are trying to control your hunger, or you’re on a diet, then you may consider consuming coffee grounds as part of your weight management program. You can even make a diet-friendly dessert with them.
Coffee Grounds Contain More Concentrated Caffeine
We drink coffee because of that burst of energy that caffeine provides us with first thing in the morning. As the coffee grounds are brewed into a beverage, the caffeine is transferred from the grounds into the water.
It goes without saying that eating coffee grounds directly allows us to access a higher concentration of caffeine quickly and easily, which can help us to feel this energy burst quicker and more efficiently.
While this may sound great, it’s important to understand what this level of overstimulation can cause. If you are prone to feeling jittery when you have too much coffee, then eating the grounds will likely amplify that effect.
In addition, the laxative effect that coffee can have will be even stronger when you eat the grounds. It is for these reasons that experts recommend that you consume coffee this way in moderation.
So, Can You Eat Coffee Grounds?
While eating coffee beans is perfectly safe, it’s suggested that you only do this in moderation, due to the amplified effect of the caffeine that you’ll be getting.
The benefit of eating your used coffee grounds is that you’ll produce less waste overall, but this benefit has to be weighed against the overall health benefits.
