There’s plenty of people out there who simply can’t get their morning started without a steaming hot cup of coffee to get them on the way. No, drinking coffee in large amounts is definitely not recommendable. Still, when limited, coffee can even be good for your health, especially if it’s an organic blend that will contain plenty of antioxidants.
However, outside factors may affect the overall effects of coffee on your health, and it all depends on what type of coffee maker you own. Below, we’ll cover what type of coffee maker you should avoid and why you should avoid them if you want to stay healthy.
What Is It That Could Make Your Coffee Maker Toxic
With the high heat necessary to brew that perfect coffee cup, there are also some risks, and you should try to avoid this situation as much as you can. To get to the specifics, if the coffee maker has a plastic pot, like many of them do, there is a possibility that, at some point during the heat-up process, some elements of the heated plastic could end up in your morning cup of coffee.
Essentially what happens is that the plastic sheds chemicals when it gets super-heated, which can mix in with your beverage. The most toxic and hazardous chemical that’s released in this process is called BPA, and we’ll get into the details of it in a moment.
For now, you should know that when browsing for a new appliance for your home or office, you should absolutely make sure that it is a BPA-free coffee maker.
What Exactly Is BPA
To explain a bit more about what BPA or Bisphenol A is, we need to get into a bit of chemistry. BPA is an endocrine disruptor. If ingested often, it can significantly mess up your endocrine system. In extreme cases where this goes unnoticed, it leads to some serious problems like infertility or even certain types of cancer.
BPA has been found in various types of plastic used for all sorts of appliances as well as dishes. It can also be contained in the lining of canned foods, which is why you should always avoid heating the food while it’s still in the can.
The reason canned food is still considered safe is that BPA needs to reach a high-temperature point where it will shed into the hot liquid, whether it be some beans or a cup of your favorite coffee.
How Can You Avoid This
So, what can you do to prevent this toxic chemical from entering your system every morning while you’re still just trying to keep your eyes open? Of course, the best and only way to avoid BPA is to stop drinking coffee made in coffee makers that have plastic bowls, it’s that plain and simple. The plastic bowl coffee makers could be a little cheaper, but it definitely pays off not to get one in the long run.
Instead, it would be best if you switched to coffee makers made from either glass or stainless steel, as they impose no such health risks, and in many people’s opinion, make better and tastier coffee.
They certainly won’t get that funky, plasticky taste that newly bought coffee makers with plastic bowls can have. If you’ve ever experienced that – you should know that it was probably toxic.
Is It Still Dangerous If You Stop Now?
Depending on how much coffee you’ve been making in a plastic bowl coffee maker, BPA could have left some effects on your body, but there is also a solid chance that it still hasn’t been able to do any permanent damage. There’s no harm in paying a visit to the doctor just to get checked out, but the most important thing is to cut out using that coffee maker.
Switch to one made of a different (non-plastic) material, and eventually, your body will cleanse. You just need to give it the chance to do so instead of keeping up the habit of a daily dose of BPA to your system.
In Conclusion
Hopefully, you learned something new today, and you’re already planning on changing your coffee maker if you had one with a plastic bowl. If you don’t, maybe you should pay attention to the one in your office or friends’ house and try to convince them to switch over to a BPA-free coffee maker.
Remember, glass and stainless steel coffee makers don’t impose the risk of BPA, but you should still not drink too much coffee, as it loses all of its benefits if you go overboard with the consumption. When everything is said and done, our health is the most important thing. So, stay safe!
