10 Reasons Why You Should Be Drinking Organic Coffee

These days it seems that product labels are nearly equivalent to blank pages, an open space where you can write/print practically anything, right?

Take the word natural, for instance. This word is often seen on the labels of foods marketed as healthy or good for you. It implies a lack of man’s intervention, something pure, from the earth.

Yet, this word has no standards or regulations on its use, making it essentially meaningless when it comes to what’s enclosed in the package it’s printed on.

So then, what about the term organic?

Many foods deemed organic seem to cost more than those without this label. What’s the difference?

Can this label be trusted? What does organic mean? Specifically, what does this term mean in relation to coffee?

We’ll dive into these questions and give you all the details in a moment, but as a quick spoiler, organic refers to how a product is farmed or grown, and not only is this label one you can trust when it comes to coffee, this description can have great meaning when it comes to both your health and the health of our planet!

What is Organic Coffee?

The term organic, or more specifically the use or presence of an organic label or seal is regulated (strictly) by the National Organic Program through the USDA.

When you see an organic label, it means the product contains at least 95% organic content.

When you see an organic seal on a coffee label, this means the beans have been produced via a set of regulated methods that “cycle resources, promote ecological balance, and converse biodiversity.”

And, all coffee with organic certification has been grown without the use of “synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering (or modification),” all of which are strictly forbidden.

But, there is a vast difference in how organic coffee is grown compared to conventionally grown java.

You’ll see these differences all throughout the next section, so we’ll avoid being redundant here, but we must state, even overstate, the following: Coffee is one of the most heavily chemically treated crops in all the world. Organically farmed coffee is therefore the only coffee you can drink which is absent of such contamination.

Many folks drink coffee for its exceptional flavor. But these flavors are simply a fringe benefit of a beverage that has the potential to incredibly improve your health.

And, while some of these health benefits may still be present in coffee that hasn’t been grown organically, they are mostly negated by the detriments you’d incur from ingesting the chemical residue, molds, and mycotoxins prevalent in conventionally grown beans.

Both the environment and your health are improved with organically farmed coffee and likewise hindered with conventionally farmed coffee.

Why? Because in organic farming, at each and every step of the planting, growing, and harvesting process, farmers make intentional choices “to support the health of the environment and the consumer.”

So, join me now as we dive into the specifics of that claim…

Organic Coffee is Better for Your Body

Many think organic farming practices only benefit the environment, but this isn’t true. Omitting the use of toxic chemicals also benefits your body in many ways. Not only will you not be consuming chemical residue, the actual coffee beans will boast greater benefits to your health.

So, let’s first examine those health benefits for your body, then we’ll look at how the environment is impacted by such growing practices.

1- Organic Coffee is More Nutritious

Organically grown coffee is not only free of harsh, toxic chemicals, it also contains a higher amount of antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, niacin, B vitamins, and minerals than conventional coffee.

How?

Organically grown coffee utilizes the native plant and animal life of the area to fight pests, provide shade, and nourish the soil.

On conventional coffee plantations, the trees and plants in these regions have been removed, decreasing the quality of the soil. This also causes native birds, insects, and animals to leave, removing waste and compost sources that typically fill the soil with nutrients.Since organic coffee grows in harmony with the environment:

• Decomposing leaves of surrounding plants provide added nutrients to the soil and the coffee cherries
• Waste from birds, insects, and animals in the area enrich the soil, thereby diversifying and increasing the nutrient profile of the coffee
• Shade from surrounding plants cause the coffee cherries to mature at a slower rate, meaning the plants have a greater amount of time to absorb nutrients creating a more dense coffee bean

2- Organic Coffee Promotes Liver Health

While coffee boasts great benefits to your health, especially the health of your liver, conventional coffees can have the opposite effect.

The chemicals used in conventional coffee production include ochratoxin A, aflatoxin A/B1, glyphosate, and heavy metals. Consumption and exposure to these toxins have been linked to liver cancer, non alcoholic fatty liver disease, and they are directly toxic to the liver.

Organic coffee, on the other hand, free of toxic residue from harsh chemicals, has been shown to improve liver health through its antioxidant and caffeine content.Free of chemicals that counteract the health benefits of coffee, organic varieties have been shown to:

• Reduce inflammation caused by liver disease, preventing any damage from progressing
• Keep fat from building up in the liver
• Reverse damage to proteins and DNA in the liver
• Aid in liver detoxification
• Block cancer-causing compounds
• Slow the growth of scar tissue which can lead to cancer and cirrhosis

3- Organic Coffee is Better For Digestion

One complaint many have with coffee is that this beverage can wreak havoc on their digestion.

Some folks experience acid reflux, GERD, and other digestive issues when enjoying even one cup of coffee.

Oftentimes this is due to the acidity in the brew, but this is also another area where the chemicals used to treat coffee cause problems.

Pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers cause nausea, diarrhea, and they prevent the bacteria within the gut from aiding normal digestive processes.Contrarily, organic coffee is a great source of fiber, aiding in digestive health. And, it stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid as well as a hormone called gastrin. Both of which help your stomach break down food.

A Lifeboost bonus? Not only is all of our coffee organic, it’s also low acid, a double plus for digestive health!

4- Organic Coffee is Better for Your Immune System

Did you know your immune health is closely linked to your digestive health?

This is because 70% of your immune system is housed within the gut.

The toxins present in conventionally grown coffee harm the balance of bacteria within your gut, and this balance can mean the difference between health and disease.Glyphosate alone (a common herbicide) can accumulate within the body and affect your ability to fight off illness as it causes your immune cells to malfunction.

Organic coffee does the opposite, fueling healthy immune responses through its fiber and antioxidant content.

• fiber helps to keep gut bacteria balanced
• antioxidants enhance the abilities of your immune cells and prevent them from degeneration

5- Organic Coffee is Better for Whole Body Health

When choosing organic coffee, without the added chemicals you can know you’re reaping all the rewards coffee has to offer.We mentioned above that organic coffee yields a more nutritious bean, and here’s what you stand to gain from a healthy, chemical-free cup:

• Boosted energy levels
• Improved athletic performance
• Aids in weight management
• Reduced risk of depression
• Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes
• Improved heart health
• Improved cognitive function
• Reduced risk of cancer
• Reduced risk of gout
• Increased longevity due to a reduced risk of death from all causes

Organic Coffee is Better for The Environment

As we mentioned above, your body isn’t the only thing that benefits from organically grown coffee. These methods are much better for the environment as well.

In fact, conventional growing practices are very detrimental to our planet.

6- Organic Coffee Preserves Rainforests

Across the world, it is estimated that 2 billion cups of coffee are consumed each and every day.

After the wow-factor, what does this mean?

This means coffee is considered a cash crop. And, this type of demand creates an extensive need for supply. To produce enough coffee to meet this need, conventional coffee farmers deforest large areas of land so they can produce a lot of coffee quickly.

Conventional coffee farms generally clear large areas of land so they can plant a lot of coffee, growing hybrid varieties best suited for full-sun fast growth.

For each cup of conventionally grown coffee consumed, it is estimated that one square inch of rainforest is destroyed. And, at 2 billion cups consumed daily worldwide, while not all of that is conventionally grown, I think you get the picture.

Organic coffee must be grown sustainably, not only promoting soil fertility and conservation, but actually improving the overall health of our ecosystem without destroying rainforests in the process.

7- Organic Coffee Preserves Soil and Waterways

From everything we’ve shown you thus far, it’s likely obvious now why organic coffee farming practices preserve soil and waterways.

Such eco-friendly practices in farming not only reduce pollution, but they also improve the quality of the soil by promoting biodiversity in the area.

When organically growing coffee, as native plants and wildlife are able to live harmoniously among growing coffee plants, the soil is nutritiously enriched by vegetation as it naturally decomposes, and the waste from animals provides nutrients to the area as well.

Conventional coffee farms cause the opposite, a great amount of soil erosion and degradation as they deforest areas to plant large amounts of coffee in the sun.

Then, aside from removing this native plant life, which robs native wildlife of habitat and home, these practices also destroy soil quality through the use of toxic chemicals.

With rain and wind, these chemicals then run-off into nearby waterways, not only harming marine-life, but all who utilize the water as well.

8- Organic Coffee Promotes Biodiversity

When farming coffee organically, the goal is to work with the environment, not against it.

Organic coffee farming doesn’t clear forests, killing plant life and robbing animal life of their natural, needed, habitats.

Instead, when coffee is grown organically, the presence of these plants provides nutrients to the soil, and shade for small ground animals, birds, and other plants.

Then, as these plants attract specific insect species, this provides food for migrating and native birds (and larger insects).

One study evaluating organic coffee farming and insect populations found the diversity of soil insects, earthworms, and above ground insects was significantly greater on such farms.

9- Organic Coffee Combats Climate Change

As we mentioned above, synthetic pesticides and fossil-fuel based fertilizers are frequently used in conventional coffee farming practices. And, the production of these chemicals uses enormous amounts of energy, meaning they have a very large carbon footprint.

Since organic farming omits the use of these entirely, it has a much lower carbon footprint. Much, much lower to be exact:

• One study spanning 40 years found that organic farms used 45% less energy than conventional farms.
• Yet another study found that simply omitting the use of nitrogen fertilizers alone could lower global greenhouse gas emissions by 20%.
• Some pesticides used in conventional farming methods have been shown to increase nitrous oxide emissions by 700-800%.

Some of these studies have covered conventional farming at large, meaning they may not be specific to coffee farming. But, to put the overall connection and significance of this into perspective, consider this: coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the entire world, second only to water.

And, large (conventional) coffee farms account for anywhere between 40-80% of all greenhouse gas emissions.

So, again, growing coffee organically omits the use of any such chemicals, significantly reducing coffee’s carbon footprint.

10- Organic Coffee Cares for the Lives of Farmers

One complaint about organic products, including coffee, is that these tend to come with a higher price tag.

But, a quick look at why these products cost a bit more quickly negates any such complaint.

Conventional coffee farming practices not only harm our planet and our health, they also reduce the profits made by those farming the coffee.

Conventional methods often include multiple hands in the profit pot, so to speak. And, the more levels in the production ladder, the less money is left for those actually farming the coffee.

Organic coffee farms are generally much smaller, meaning fewer middle men. And, these plantations are also often able to grow other profitable crops amongst coffee plants, providing shade, biodiversity, and greater profit.

Lifeboost farmers, specifically, are paid a fair wage, ensuring a better life within communities that are often impoverished. Along this same line, this is also why we choose to support organizations that work within the communities where our farmers live, building schools and enhancing the lives of all living there.

But, unfortunately cost is the least worry here when it comes to conventional coffee farming.

Coffee farmers, as well as the communities where such coffee is grown, are exposed to high levels of chemicals. For the farmers, the exposure is intense during application. But, these communities also suffer through residue in the air and water.

Exposure to these chemicals has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, many types of cancer, liver disease, and more.

Even fatigue, weakness, and sinus infections have been prevalent in those exposed to the application of such chemicals.

Organic coffee farmers and the communities where this coffee is grown are never exposed to chemicals as they plant, care for, and harvest coffee cherries. So, not only is the coffee clean, the health of organic farmers isn’t compromised.

The Lifeboost Difference

All Lifeboost coffee is organically grown, period.

Even prior to receiving USDA organic certification, a sometimes lengthy and costly process from application and inspection to officially being certified, our farming practices have been the same from the beginning.

No deforestation, no pesticides, no fertilizers, no herbicides…only specialty, single origin, low acid, Arabica coffee coffee sustainably grown on small plantations at high elevations in the shade amidst the natural plant and wildlife of the area.

Our bottom line?

We care about our farmers and the land/communities where they live and work. We care about your health. We care about our health. We care about the health of our planet, from the land to the water, the air and all plant and animal life.This is why Lifeboost coffee is always:

• Sustainably grown
• Elevation grown
• Grown amidst natural flora and fauna, preserving and promoting biodiversity
• Shade grown
• Free of molds, mycotoxins, and heavy metals

And, because we not only want to reap the healthy benefits of coffee for our bodies, but desire to preserve our planet as well, Lifeboost also:

• Supports the Rainforest Trust, an organization preserving critical habitats, protecting ecosystems all across the globe, including the exact areas where our coffee is grown
• Uses EcoCart, an extra measure helping to offset our carbon footprint in shipping
• Adopts endangered species, saving critically endangered wildlife while educating others about the problems such animals face
• Partners with Project Alianza, an organization building schools in the communities where our coffee farmers live

Check out Lifeboost Coffee Medium Roast.

Medical Disclaimer
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Neither Dr. Charles Livingston nor the publisher of this content takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.

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