Would You Drink Coffee in Your Kellogg’s All-Bran Cereal?

Depending on where you’re from, you may enjoy typical American foods with a little twist. For instance, Chinese like Oreos - only if they’re stuffed with mango and orange cream. Russians love Lay’s potato chips - especially if they’re dusted with caviar and crab flavors. And when it comes to Spain, Kellogg’s All-Bran cereal is served with hot coffee instead of cold milk. Hmm…

Although your stomach may turn at the thought of pouring your morning cup of Joe into your cereal, many top American companies are tweaking popular products to make them marketable to foreign customers.

Today, getting new flavors for US products just right is becoming more important than ever before. Developing countries like India and China are beginning to demand American convenience foods as they work longer hours, leaving less time at home to cook family meals.

As you might imagine, US snack companies are trying to take a piece of the pie by altering favorite American products with different flavors to suit international markets.

The largest cereal maker in the world, Kellogg Co., is also trying to grow their snack business for international markets. For years, Kellogg marketed their cereals the same way that they did in the US, but they didn’t realize that cereal in Europe was preferred in a cup of coffee instead of floating in cold milk. Now that they’ve made a few necessary changes to their marketing, Kellogg sales are improving overseas, thanks to your morning cup of Joe…

How Does Caffeine Affect Your Kids?

While most parents would frown upon giving a child a cup of coffee, many parents won't bat an eye at giving kids soft drinks that are full of sugar and caffeine. What's the difference?

While there aren't yet specific US guidelines for caffeine intake for kids, Canadian guidelines indicate that preschoolers should have no more than 45 mg of caffeine a day. This is the same amount of caffeine as a 12 ounce soda or four small milk chocolate bars.

But at a deeper level, it's important to understand exactly how caffeine affects kids as a stimulant. An excess of caffeine in children and adults can lead to:

• Nervousness
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Rapid heart rate
• Difficulty concentrating

Monitoring your kids’ caffeine consumption could help them to maintain a healthy weight. Did you know that children who drink one or more 12 ounce soft drinks a day are 60% more likely to be obese? And with childhood obesity comes a long list of health issues, like sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, and even type II diabetes.

Still, this doesn't necessarily point to coffee as the culprit. When assessing how much caffeine your children intake each day, it's important to look at all sources - from coffee to soda to chocolate to energy drinks.

How Much Coffee Do Men Need to Drink to Reduce Their Risk of Prostate Cancer?

Isn’t it fantastic news for men everywhere that drinking coffee can reduce the risk of prostate cancer? Can we all breathe a collective sigh of relief?

Yes, research has confirmed that men who drink coffee on a regular basis, leaded and unleaded, are much less likely to develop a deadly form of prostate cancer, according to a May 2011 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.¹

Harvard researchers analyzed cases of prostate cancer in a group of almost 48,000 men in the US who reported their coffee drinking habits every four years from 1986 to 2008. Overall, the men who drank the most coffee at six or more cups a day were 20% less likely to have any type of prostate cancer. They also had an impressive 60% reduced risk of developing fatal prostate cancer, which often spreads to the bones.

Men who drank 1 to 3 cups of coffee a day had a 30% reduced risk of prostate cancer overall.

Before you get too excited, researchers confirm that the study findings must still be validated. But even so, coffee could become one important factor that may lower the risk of developing the most deadly form of prostate cancer in men worldwide.

Ready for another cup?

Sources:

1. JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst (2011), doi: 10.1093/jnci/djr151

Image Credits:

1. © Hurricanehank | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

The Benefits of Caffeinated Beauty Products

You may be surprised to find that caffeine has more benefits than just perking you up in the morning with your daily cup of Joe. Just like coffee invigorates the body and makes us alert and focused, topical caffeine can help to revive and rejuvenate tired skin to provide a number of beauty benefits:

• Tighten skin and reduce puffiness under the eyes.
• Firm sagging skin, making it a leading ingredient in under eye creams.
• Flush fluid from the skin to reduce cellulite in problem areas.
• Calm inflammation to treat under eye irritation and dark circles.
• Increase circulation to the skin to heal dry, damaged areas and restore moisture.
• Rejuvenate and refresh a tired complexion for anti-aging benefits.

It's no wonder that the latest skin care products and spa treatments on the market feature caffeine and coffee as leading ingredients. On top of tightening and refreshing aging skin, coffee is chock-full of antioxidants that will neutralize outside free radical damage to prevent premature wrinkles from forming.

The leading ingredient in coffee, caffeine, will also benefit the skin as an antioxidant, a diuretic, and a vasoconstrictor. Using caffeinated beauty products may even go so far as to potentially protect against sun damage to reduce the risk of skin cancer, as shown in some animal studies.

The good news for those who are caffeine sensitive is that using coffee as a beauty ingredient isn't addictive in the least. Only trace amounts of coffee are absorbed into the skin, which won't lead to dependence on coffee.

Coffee Shop Manners: What Does Your Barista Really Think?

Perhaps you’re already on a first name basis with your barista. If so, this may not be the post for you. For the rest of us that hop from coffee shop to coffee shop to get our favorite drinks, it's time to have an honest conversation about common courtesy when ordering from a barista at a local café.

Baristas have spoken up to tell the public that they are tired of the lack of manners from customers listening to music or talking on cell phones when placing orders at a café.

Some coffee houses in England have gone so far as to put up signs refusing to serve customers if they are on a cell phone when placing their order. While many coffee houses may intend for this warning to be a gentle reminder, it just goes to show how many people are truly clueless when it comes to ordering their favorite coffee.

Baristas reveal that it’s hard to get an order correct if a customer is talking on their cell phone when ordering. Baristas are passionate about their jobs and the service that they provide to customers; if they have a difficulty communicating with a customer, then it's much easier to get an order wrong and bring down the quality of service as a result.

Given the fact that people have become desensitized to technology today, it only makes sense that cell phone and laptop use has become commonplace in coffee houses around the world. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean that manners have gone out of style…

How Caffeine Can Impact Your Fitness

Yes, believe it or not, one does have something to do with the other. There are several important ways that drinking a cup of Joe can impact your next workout, for the better…

1. Improve your breathing. Drinking caffeinated coffee before a workout can reduce the instance of asthma symptoms caused by exercise, according to a report released from the Indiana University at Bloomington. If you drink 2 cups of coffee an hour before you run or jog, it will work just as well as using an inhaler to open restricted airways.
2. Reduce sore muscles. If you suffer from chronic muscle cramps each time that you workout, coffee could provide the relief that you are looking for, according to research from the University of Georgia in Athens. Study participants who drank the equivalent of 2 cups of coffee a day after working out their quads from doing exercises like squats experienced 48% less pain in their legs within just an hour. Scientists have discovered that caffeine blocks receptors in the body that release a chemical known as adenosine, which causes sore muscles.
3. Workout stronger for longer. Perking up with coffee before a workout could help to improve your stamina. For the best results, drink coffee and eat a snack high in carbs to keep your energy levels stable the next time you exercise.

Can You Have Coffee on a Gluten-free Diet?

For many people, gluten intolerance is not just a passing trend, no matter how many new gluten-free diet products are hitting the market today. According to the National Institutes of Health, up to 10% of all people may suffer from gluten sensitivity in some form or another.

One out of every 133 Americans, or 3 million people, has a more serious form of gluten intolerance called celiac disease. 97% of Americans are estimated to have celiac disease yet remain undiagnosed.

If you have taken the plunge into a gluten-free way of life, you may be wondering if you have to say goodbye to some of your old favorites, including coffee. The great news for those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance is that coffee is naturally gluten-free! Hooray!

If you are on a strict gluten-free diet and are concerned about the potential for cross-contamination, it is recommended to purchase whole coffee beans and grind them at home before brewing. Consequently, purchasing fresh, whole coffee beans and grinding before brewing is the best way to enjoy your coffee because it will provide the freshest flavor. Win-win!

Last but not least, popular coffee creamers like Coffee Mate are advertised to be gluten-free in both powder and liquid forms. Excellent news for anyone on a gluten-free diet…