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CORN COFFEE IS THE HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE.
by Rita T. Dela Cruz

The majority of Filipinos are coffee drinkers. The growing number of coffee shops in almost every corner of the metro has become the most evident indication that the coffee industry is a thriving business. Whether it’s a form of social activity or simply a favorite pastime, drinking coffee has become an inevitable trend.

With the popularity of coffee as a beverage comes the cautious effort to lessen the caffeine intake especially among health-conscious consumers. Hence, introducing alternative drinks that will let people enjoy drinking coffee without worrying too much caffeine intake.

“Corn coffee looks and tastes like your good ol’ caffeinated coffee, but it is healthier to drink. Perhaps a distinction comes with the aroma since corn coffee comes from ground, roasted corn,” explained Mr. Chito Rodriguez of the Institute of Plant Breeding-University of the Philippines Los Baños (IPB-UPLB) in a seminar talk organized by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR).

In the presentation titled, “Corn Coffee: Health and Economic Benefits,” Rodriguez underscored the “dark side of caffeine” one common of which is panic attacks. “Caffeine intake triggers the fight-or-flight mechanism in our bodies. When the fight attack mode wears off, a panic attack starts. We get nervous, jittery, sweaty, and shaky. Caffeine is also addictive so once we get into the habit of getting our caffeine fix, our body begins to crave the boost that we get from it. If we fail to get the dose of caffeine that our body has adapted to, we become irritable, tired, and even depressed,” Rodriguez explained.

Given the side effects of caffeine, he advised trying coffee corn instead.

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Audience during the seminar
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Roasted corn coffee packed by IPB

Mr. Chito Rodriguez of IPB-UPLB, resource speaker during the corn coffee seminar
The healthful benefit
Essentially, the healthful benefits came from corn which is packed with vital nutrients that provide energy, growth, and development, and regulate bodily functions.

“Although some of these may have been reduced after roasting and grinding the corn, the essential nutrients are still there. Every 100 gram of corn coffee contains carbohydrates, fiber, ash, protein, and antioxidants,” explained Rodriguez.

In a taste test conducted after the seminar, Mr. Patrick Lesaca, one of the participants and a coffee enthusiast, revealed that “corn coffee does look like your regular cup of coffee, except that it smells roasted corn.”

“Clearly, a great distinction comes with the health value of corn coffee. The dark liquid you are drinking is caffeine-free and is healthier,” Rodriguez added.

Aside from the nutritive value, Rodriguez enumerated some of the healthful benefits one can get from drinking corn coffee. “It can control diabetes, prevent cardiovascular disease, lower hypertension, reduce cholesterol level, minimize the risk of colon cancer, and prevent neural-tube defects in infants,” he reported.

The economic benefit
Corn coffee is not new. In fact, people in the province have been boiling their roasted, ground corn as an alternative to coffee.

Article source: https://bar.gov.ph/index.php/test-archive/164-june-2012-issue/958-corn-coffee-is-the-healthy-alternative

Corn coffee is the healthy alternative by Rita T. dela Cruz Majority of Filipinos are coffee drinkers. The growing number of coffee shops in almost every corner of the metro has become the most...

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