When working overtime and staying up late, many people will have a cup of instant coffee to refresh themselves. Although it is not as good as freshly ground coffee, it is better than pian and yi.
However, seeing the dense food additives in the ingredient list, everyone must still be insecure.
Don’t worry, this is to answer questions.
How about instant coffee?
Everyone knows the advantages of instant coffee: it is convenient and cheap to refresh oneself. One cup in winter warms hands and heart.
As for shortcomings, they cannot be ignored:
1. Possible trans fats
[Three in One] The vegetable fat powder in coffee may contain trans fat. Pay attention to the nutrition composition table and choose instant coffee without trans fat.
2. Sugar-rich
Almost 80% of a bag (15 g) of instant coffee is sugar.
The limit of sugar added by adults is about 50 g per day. If you drink 2 small bags of instant coffee, half of the share will be lost.
3. It’s not as good as freshly ground coffee.
Whether coffee tastes good or not depends to a large extent on whether the aroma is rich or not.
Fresh ground coffee is better than fresh. Coffee beans are brewed immediately after grinding and then enjoyed by people, thus preserving the aroma of coffee to the greatest extent.
Instant coffee, on the other hand, evaporates the water in the coffee extract, leaving a dry coffee extract, that is, coffee powder.
As the aromatic substances in coffee are easily volatilized by heat, the instant coffee, which has gone through some ordeal, has greatly reduced its taste and aroma.
[Three in One] Is what in Instant Coffee?
The most common instant coffee on the market is the [three-in-one] model: black coffee powder + sugar + creamer (vegetable fat powder) + other food additives.
Take a big boss of instant coffee as an example to help everyone analyze one by one.
In addition to coffee powder, this small bag of [three-in-one] instant coffee also contains:
Fat powder and casein: the main ingredients of coffee companion, which are the main sources of milk fragrance and can also make the taste smooth.
Stabilizers and anti-caking agents: keep the food texture stable, prevent coffee powder from caking, and help prolong the shelf life;
Thickener and emulsifier: create mellow taste;
White granulated sugar and sweetener: increase sweetness;
Edible essence: increase aroma and flavor;
Salt: Enhance flavor, balance astringency of coffee and soften taste.
In fact, businesses have made great efforts to add different ingredients, on the one hand, to cater to the public’s preference for smooth and mellow coffee drinks and sweet milk flavor, and on the other hand, due to the consideration of factors such as the shelf life of products.
As long as it is a regular product added reasonably, there is no need to worry about safety.
As mentioned earlier, what really needs to be paid attention to is the sugar, saturated fat and possible trans fat in [three-in-one] instant coffee.
As for the hot instant [white coffee] sold on a treasure, it is actually a kind of [three-in-one] coffee, but after the coffee is normally roasted, it must be stir-fried with ingredients such as sugar.
Instant white coffee has lower caffeine content and is a coffee drink with heavy milk and sugar. It does not have the legendary effect of “low calorie” and “no excessive internal heat”.
How many bags are appropriate for drinking every day?
At present, the generally accepted health limit for caffeine intake is 400 mg per day. For pregnant or nursing women, this standard has to be halved, that is, 200 mg.
The caffeine content in a small bag of instant coffee (15g) is about 50mg. Considering the health effects of sugar and vegetable fat powder in instant coffee, it is best not to exceed 2-3 cups a day.
If it is freshly ground coffee, the caffeine content is generally higher than that of instant coffee (so the refreshing effect will be better). A cup of Starbucks (large cup, 473 mL) American coffee has more than 200 mg of caffeine.
Is there any healthy instant coffee?
Yes!
It is suggested that you forget the [three-in-one] coffee for the time being and try the combination of instant black coffee powder (or hanging ear coffee) and milk. While drinking smooth milk fragrance, you don’t have to worry about sugar and vegetable fat powder, but also attach protein and calcium in milk.
There are some [fine instant coffee] on the market, only coffee beans are included in the ingredients, and the [low temperature drying] process is adopted to better retain the flavor of the coffee itself.