Coffee is the third most popular beverage in the United States and worldwide. Coffee pods are among the more popular options within the coffee world due to their convenience and novelty. While coffee pods share many health benefits tied to traditionally brewed coffee, they present a handful of health concerns that are not present in other forms of coffee. Coffee pods contain roughly five times more toxic chemicals than espresso or instant, which can harm the human body. Ready? Let’s answer the ultimate question – are coffee pods good for you?
Let me be clear – coffee pods most definitely pose some health risks. However, this doesn’t mean that you should toss them in a dumpster and set them on fire. Instead, let’s discuss how they interact with our bodies and whether coffee pods are a healthy means to consume coffee.
What Do Coffee Pods Contain?
A handful of coffee pod brands use instant coffee as their primary ingredient. However, this typically results in bad-tasting coffee. Due to the sub-par flavor of instant coffee, most coffee pods contain ground coffee since it yields the best-tasting cup of coffee.
Nespresso, for instance, sources the highest quality beans. They go to great lengths to ensure they’re pulped, fermented, washed, and dried before blending, roasting, and eventually grinding their premium coffees directly into their ready-to-brew capsules.
Coffee pods contain a toxic chemical called Furan, which is harmful to the liver. Furan is an aromatic compound that is toxic, a pollutant, and potentially carcinogenic for humans.
Coffee pods contain far more Furan than coffee powder from traditional coffeemakers. Javier Santos of the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Barcelona states has studied Furan and its presence in coffee. He has found that the levels of Furan in coffee capsules are different from a traditional drip coffeemaker. The higher level of Furan is due to the capsules being hermetically sealed. This prevents the chemical from dissipating with time. This means that the contents will stay fresh for longer.
Researchers have also found that the amount of Furan in each coffee pod falls within a safe range. The presence of Furan will only impact your health if you consume it excessively.
What Are Coffee Pods Made Of?
Coffee pods come in two varieties: soft and hard. Soft pods make traditional drip coffee with a non-pressurized machine, excluding Keurigs. Hard coffee pods are used to make espresso in pump-style machines.
Coffee pods are made of a combination of plastics and aluminum. They take anywhere from 150 to 500 years to break down in landfills, so they aren’t environmentally friendly. Furthermore, the plastic holding the coffee may contain harmful chemicals that may seep into the coffee you consume.
Plastics are next to impossible to avoid. Furthermore, there is a wealth of research regarding the various health concerns associated with plastic and heat. Plastic chemicals such as BPA, BPF, and BPS are known endocrine disruptors contributing to hormonal imbalance, weight gain, and fertility. Take a moment and consider the number of chemicals found in coffee pods.
In addition to the potentially harmful plastics, aluminum components pose several health concerns. Aluminum exposure harms the brain and can lead to depression, anxiety, autoimmune disease, or Alzheimer’s.
Yes – coffee pods are convenient and safe to use. However, shortcuts typically have shortcomings, so opting for pods made from compostable materials or paper is a good idea. To avoid health concerns, you should seek out freshly roasted beans that you can grind and brew with a traditional drip coffeemaker.
How Many Calories Do Coffee Pods Contain?
Nespresso coffee pods are among the most popular options due to their convenience and availability. Due to their popularity, knowing how many calories coffee drinks consume with each cup of Nespresso doesn’t hurt.
Every Nespresso espresso shot contains 0.6 kcal, and every Nespresso lungo pour contains 1 kcal. Adding 100ml of milk will increase your calorie intake by 37kcal for skim milk and 65kcal for whole milk. If you prefer to add sugar to your Nespresso, you’re looking at over 100kcal per serving.
The Dolce Gusto brand is more calorie-dense since most pods feature multiple ingredients to create different kinds of coffee. For example, an Americano pod contains only two calories, and their cappuccino has 80!
The number of calories in your coffee varies on how you take it. Nespresso, by itself, is healthy since it contains almost zero calories. However, additives such as milk and sugar can lead to more calories and make it an unhealthy beverage.
