Due to the negative impact on the body, many people decide to give up coffee and drink healthier drinks. One of them is chicory. Others are deciding to combine these drinks and make coffee safer. The mixture of coffee and chicory has an unusual chocolate-caramel taste. Chicory reduces the dangerous effects of caffeine, makes the drink softer and helps improve health.
Benefits and harms
Of course, drinking chicory itself is much healthier than drinking coffee with chicory, but this mix also contains many useful properties.
The main component of chicory is inulin. This is fiber that has a positive effect on the intestines. The drink is a prevention of dysbacteriosis.
Pregnant women are advised to replace coffee with chicory. This will reduce the possible heaviness in the stomach and help avoid constipation, heartburn and other difficulties. It is recommended to drink chicory for hypertension.
The root is rich in the following vitamins and minerals: calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, E, C, PP, B vitamins.
The drink also helps relieve inflammation. Many people also drink when losing weight, but it is not a fact that in combination with coffee the maximum effect will be achieved.
Coffee with chicory has few contraindications. Allergy sufferers may especially suffer from the drink. It is also important to study all side effects. For example, it is dangerous to drink the drink for people with allergies to birch pollen, ascorbic acid, citrus fruits and currants.
Battle of drinks - comparing characteristics
Good coffee enchants with its rich taste and unsurpassed aroma. Of course, chicory is inferior to it in terms of taste, but it takes revenge due to its beneficial properties.
A substitute is necessary for people who try to consume only healthy natural products in order to be healthy and full of vitality. Which drink is better: natural or instant coffee, chicory? Let's analyze the general characteristics.
Natural option
Strong coffee gives the body the necessary jolt, excites the nervous and autonomic systems, and speeds up the functioning of all internal organs. The benefits are clear - a person gets the opportunity to quickly restore performance, increase concentration and slightly raise blood pressure.
Abuse of the drink leads to heart problems, deterioration of metabolic processes and diseases of the digestive system. There is a risk of dehydration, weakened immunity and premature aging. Such harm is difficult to ignore, so coffee lovers are forced to reduce the frequency and volume of consumption of their favorite drink and look for a suitable substitute.
Maximum benefit is achievable:
- You can safely drink coffee in small quantities (1-2 cups) in the first half of the day.
- Workers in hazardous industries and smokers need to drink coffee for medicinal purposes - the drink removes toxins and halves the risk of malignant tumors in the lungs and liver.
- The grain drink has a low calorie content and provides significant benefits in complex diets by reducing appetite and increasing the need for drinking water.
- Weakly brewed coffee with milk gently tones the psyche, increases resistance to depression and alleviates chronic fatigue.
- The drink allows asthenic people with stable low blood pressure to be more energetic.
Soluble
Instant coffee raises blood pressure and “wakes up” the body not as intensely as grain coffee, but often causes significant harm to the digestive system. The negative attitude towards instant drinks is due to the dishonesty of many manufacturers. However, high-quality products are significantly healthier than bean coffee, since they have a smaller “impact effect”.
The taste properties of the instant product are slightly inferior to the natural one. The lower intensity of the effect allows you to drink it in large quantities, but you need to carefully study the composition of such a drink, because it may contain harmful flavors and colorings to enhance the taste characteristics.
Logical benefits of a soluble product:
- It is permissible to drink 3-4 cups of instant drink per day without fear of causing any particular harm to health.
- The drink can be drunk in the afternoon (even at night) - many use it as a remedy to counteract insomnia (due to slight depression of the psyche, inhibition of emotional processes). But this is all purely individual.
- Drinking instant coffee with milk is a great way to regulate blood pressure throughout the day. Light brewing allows you to keep the body in good shape without overstimulating the nervous system.
- The calorie content of a drink is easily calculated - people watching their weight can easily calculate the maximum permissible amount of drink.
Even when choosing from grain and instant coffee, it is difficult to clearly decide which drink is better. The choice depends on the state of health and the real need for artificial vigor - all varieties of the product have specific benefits and certain harms.
Chicory
Is the special coffee taste not as important to you as the tonic effect? Chicory will be an excellent alternative! Coffee, at the same time, is a medicine and a poison, and chicory can be 100% classified as a medicinal plant with minimal side effects.
Recipes for drinks with chicory help out people who cannot afford to drink coffee, but need a boost of energy. Coffee is not recommended for people with stomach or heart problems, a weakened nervous system or high blood pressure. But if coffee is contraindicated for hypertension, chicory root, on the contrary, is useful. It has the property of reducing blood pressure, promoting vasodilation.
Often blood pressure increases after stress or sleep problems. Consumption of chicory has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, improving sleep and preventing nervous tension.
This useful plant is suitable for almost everyone - even pregnant and breastfeeding women, in the absence of contraindications and the approval of a doctor, can enjoy a healthy drink with chicory.
The undeniable benefits of chicory:
- You can drink 2-5 cups a day without any harm to health.
- Chicory has a gentle effect on the body, normalizing the functioning of internal organs and improving regeneration at the cellular level.
- The benefits of the plant in dietetics are undeniable - it removes cholesterol, improves metabolic processes, helps stabilize appetite and normalizes body weight.
- Chicory is especially beneficial for diabetics - the plant reduces sugar levels thanks to the substance “inulin” it contains.
The beneficial properties of chicory can lead to harm if they conflict with a certain disease. Doctors recommend drinking soluble chicory with extreme caution for asthma and bronchitis (allergic reactions are possible); people with “bad blood vessels” (varicose veins, thrombosis) can suffer serious harm. No one is giving a complete ban on drinking the drink, but it is important to weigh the real benefits against the potential harm.
Chicory coffee recipe
It will take about 7 minutes to prepare the drink. Adding chicory doesn't take much time. There is practically no manipulation with it.
Let's look at the recipe using a drip coffee maker. First, you need to set it up so that you can add water to the filter yourself. Place 1 tablespoon of coffee, ½ salt and chicory to taste in the brewing basket.
You can do without salt, but it will remove unnecessary bitterness. The water should be brought to a boil. Then add a little cold water to soften the coffee and chicory, as well as ½ cup of water into the filter. When the water starts dripping you need to add the other half.
Coffee with chicory should be served immediately, hot. Sugar is added to the cup, according to personal preference.
How is chicory used in cooking, folk medicine, and cosmetology?
Unlike other weeds, chicory is used in cooking. Its stems are used to make salads, but only in small quantities. Chicory is suitable for making salads.
Important: The main use of chicory is to make a drink from its rhizome. A large number of people drink chicory drink instead of coffee. It is even called “coffee that grows under your feet.”
- Confectioners use chicory to make sweet syrups that are used to soak cakes and sweet pastries.
- It is also known about the use of chicory in folk medicine. Chicory has a beneficial effect on the skin. If there is a small wound or cut on the skin, lotions from a decoction of this plant will help to remove it faster.
- You can also make your facial skin clean and beautiful with the help of chicory decoctions. Chicory contains substances that will help dry and remove pimples and blackheads.
- Even an infusion of chicory root is added to the bath for babies if there are allergic rashes, dermatitis, and urticaria on the skin of babies.
Uses of chicory
Coffee with chicory and milk
First you need to mix chicory and dry coffee. The proportion is 1 to 3, that is, for 1 serving of chicory there are 3 coffees. It is poured with boiling water and placed on the stove. After a few minutes, the liquid is removed and infused in a hot place.
A glass of heated milk is served separately with the finished drink. The drink can be decorated with whipped cream and sugar.
More: What is Bavarian coffee?
Chicory cappuccino
Chicory brewed without coffee in a Turk may not be to your liking. That's why many people prefer a cappuccino recipe that uses a healthy alternative instead of coffee as a base. The recipe will also be relevant for children who do not want to drink coffee.
Chicory cappuccino is sweet and soft, with a pleasant aroma. The recipe will require a blender and will take about 15 minutes to prepare.
Place sugar - 50 g, chicory powder - 50 g, cold water - 50 g and cardamom - 5 g into the blender. The order of the components should not be changed. You need to beat for about 3 minutes. You should have the consistency of condensed milk, with fluffy foam. Place 2 teaspoons of this mixture in a coffee cup.
Excursion into history
According to legend, coffee beans were stored in the royal storerooms of Suleiman the Magnificent. The invigorating elixir was the privilege of crowned heads, but one day the Sultan noticed that his guards were drinking coffee. He initially accused them of theft, but an investigation revealed a different composition of the broth. The guards were preparing an infusion of chicory, which Suleiman liked. There is also an unconfirmed version that the idea of brewing a coffee drink belongs to the Dutch.
- This is interesting: The history of the origin and spread of coffee
Historians have revealed another interesting fact regarding the blockade of Britain by Napoleon in the early 19th century. Due to the ban on the import of goods, the French were deprived of their favorite products, including coffee, the cost of which increased several times. Buyers preferred only natural grains, not wanting to spend money on ground surrogate.
Traders found a way out using a paste from the rhizome of the plant and special molds in which it hardened. After drying, the workpieces could not be distinguished from coffee beans in appearance. The mixture was marketed for a long time as a natural product because no one could tell the difference. The healing properties of the root were described in the works of Dioscorides and Theophrastus; Avicenna used the plant to treat joints and improve digestion. The first mention of chicory infusion in Rus' dates back to 1800, and a plant for the production of soluble raw materials on a natural basis was opened in the second half of the 19th century by an enterprising Frenchman.
- Don't miss: What instant coffee is actually made from
The idea belonged to Alphonse Peru, who decided to simplify the process of preparing the aromatic drink. There was no longer any need to grind and brew grains - just add the thick paste to a cup and add hot water. However, the appearance of the concentrate was so unsightly that the French preferred to spend a little more time getting their usual coffee. Over time, the formula of the composition and the processing of raw materials changed, thanks to which the product gained popularity.
