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Why coffee is an essential prepper item – even if you’re not a regular coffee drinker

By Michelle Simmons // Oct 23, 2018

TAGS: caffeine, coffee, coffee uses, compost, fertilizer, goodfood, green living, Guide, homesteading, how-to, ingredients, off grid, preparedness, prepper, prepper item, Preppers, prepping, survival, survival skills

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Did you know that coffee can save you even when SHTF? In fact, it is one of the best essential prepper items. Here are some reasons why you should stock up on coffee: (h/t to ThePrepperJournal.com.)

• Coffee can be used for barter: Coffee is one of the oldest commodities in the world. Today, it is the second-most traded commodity in the world, second to crude oil, and is cultivated in more than 70 countries by thousands of independent farmers. When SHTF, coffee would also most likely be in high demand.
• Coffee makes filtered water more pleasant to taste: Clean water is often hard to find after a disaster has stricken. It is also a challenge to obtain and make consumable water, and filtered water may not be the most palatable. The quality of water may also even deteriorate, particularly in long-term emergency situations, which makes it even more difficult to consume. Fortunately, you can add coffee to water to make it more pleasant to taste.
• Coffee is a great energy booster: Coffee is a great energy booster, thanks to its caffeine content. Its energy-boosting benefits have been proven by science. Research has shown that it can increase your brain receptor activity to approximately 65 percent, which will keep you alert and help you adapt to emergency situations. It also helps you think clearly, which is important when making the right decision in most situations. This is also a reason why coffee is served to rescue teams during disaster recovery work. Thus, having a stock of coffee is essential in life and death situations. However, drinking coffee should not lead to caffeine addiction and must be taken wisely and only when necessary to overcome daily hardships. For one, a person only needs some basic form of coffee to get by the day. For most healthy adults, drinking up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine, or roughly four cups of brewed coffee, a day appears to be safe. Drinking too much of this can cause a migraine, headache, insomnia, nervousness, irritability, restlessness, frequent urination or inability to control urination, upset stomach, rapid heartbeat, and muscle tremors. You may want to reduce your caffeine intake if you experience any of these side effects.
• Coffee can keep you healthy: Your health is often compromised during emergency situations. During these times, coffee will be a great help as it can keep healthy because of its high antioxidant content. These antioxidants would reduce the rate of oxidation in the body, which in turn, reduces the damages against body cells. Research has also shown that coffee can help prevent diseases, such as heart failure, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, and Parkinson's disease. It also lowers one's risk of contracting cholera, which is a bacterial disease, and dysentery, which causes intestinal inflammation. These diseases are typically caused by drinking contaminated water. Brewing coffee also adds a layer of processing to the reduction of these bacteria in addition to the process of boiling water.
• Coffee can help you save food: Coffee can help you save food by suppressing your appetite. It can make you full even when you haven't eaten yet because it is a natural appetite suppressant. Coffee is particularly essential during long-term emergencies and you are running out of food supply.
• Coffee grounds are good for the soil: Coffee grounds can serve as fertilizers and help enrich the soil, which can help harvest more fruits and vegetables. They can also help attract worms and reduce the concentrations of heavy metals in the soil. (Related: Did you know it could do all that? 12 creative uses for coffee.)

Read more news stories and studies on increasing your chances of survival when SHTF by reading FoodStorage.news.

Sources include:

ThePrepperJournal.com

MayoClinic.org

caffeine coffee coffee uses compost fertilizer goodfood green living Guide homesteading how-to ingredients off grid preparedness prepper prepper item Preppers prepping survival survival skills

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