Mold in Coffee - Facts, Myths, and How to Avoid It

1. Mold in Coffee: Facts, Myths, and How to Avoid It Coffee in general is good for your heart, mind, and soul. There’s a reason it’s the most consumed beverage on the planet, even more than water! But there is a dark side to coffee. Even the highest quality coffee beans contain trace amounts of mold. The FDA doesn’t even outlaw mold. The highest quality coffee beans are still allowed to have mold, we knew something needed to change. That’s why we launched Ascent Coffee, coffee that you can drink resting assured that it’s totally mold-free. But before we get into all of that, we’re going to cover what the dangers of drinking coffee with trace amounts of mold really are.

2. By the time you finish this article, you’re never going to want to drink big name-brand coffee again, you’ll know the dangers of mold and mycotoxins and will probably even recognize a couple of symptoms from our list. So let’s get right into it! What Is Mold & Mycotoxins? We all know what mold is, fungi that grow and feed on decaying food, and really all types of organic matter. But not all forms of mold are harmful. Penicillin, the greatest medical advancement of the 20th century, is a mold. But the mold found on coffee is harmful and can infect you with a wide range of mycotoxins. But what are mycotoxins? Mycotoxins are toxins produced by a wide variety of molds, and by the molds that are commonly found on coffee beans, when ingested. Mycotoxins have a wide range of adverse effects on the human body, ranging from general sickness from short-term exposure to cancer from long-term exposure. Let’s take a deeper dive into what effects these mycotoxins have on the human body… Read More : Why You Should Switch To Organic Coffee In 2022 The Effects Of Mold & Mycotoxins On Your Body Aflatoxins are the most poisonous category of mycotoxins. Aflatoxins are commonly found in soil and crops like coffee. With acute mycotoxin poisoning from aflatoxins, you’ll experience kidney & liver damage. Aflatoxins have also been shown to be genotoxic, meaning they can damage DNA and cause cancer in humans. Mycotoxins also inhibit your immune system’s ability to protect you from other toxins and illnesses. This immune suppression coupled with the fact that aflatoxins are genotoxic is a deadly combination. DNA is the code that all of your cells rely on to be told what to do and how to act. When you damage your DNA, you damage your cell’s ability to function on a fundamental level.

3. This genotoxic trait is also what connects mycotoxins with cancer. Mycotoxins typically damage the liver and kidneys, and with extended exposure, could cause liver and/or kidney cancer. Other, less life-threatening symptoms of mycotoxin poisoning are nausea, gastrointestinal issues, and even vomiting in more serious cases. If your coffee beans ever smelled a little off but you drank a few cups anyways and then felt nauseous or got the runs, you likely experienced acute mycotoxin poisoning. If you are experiencing mycotoxin poisoning, don’t panic. Symptoms come on strong but there are things you can do to limit the damage that the toxins will have on your body. When you’re sick from mycotoxin poisoning, avoid alcohol, alcohol exacerbates your liver and digestive system, which is exactly what you don’t want when the mycotoxins are already wreaking havoc on your digestive system and liver. You’ll also want to make sure that you’re up to snuff with all of your vitamins and nutrients. Since mycotoxins damage your immune system, you’re going to need all the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs to help combat any possible additional ailments. Death from mycotoxin poisoning can occur with repeated and long-term exposure when the person suffering from the poisoning is either malnourished or has underlying health issues that can complicate and worsen symptoms. There are two main ways for you to know whether or not your coffee is moldy. Mold on coffee beans will typically look white and powdery. Also, mold has quite a pungent smell. If your coffee beans are missing their typical sweet-smelling aroma and instead smell musty and dusty, chances are they are moldy. So if you see white powder or your coffee beans just smell off, throw them out, they’re mold, and you’re rolling the dice with a very dangerous mold if you choose to drink the coffee regardless. But there are things you can do to limit your possible exposure to mycotoxins. Storing your coffee in a cool & dry place is your best bet.

4. Our bags come with a double safety seal to make sure your coffee beans are always sealed in an airtight container to extend their shelf life. But if you store your coffee beans in a hot and damp environment, that’s exactly what mold needs to thrive. Storing your coffee beans in a cool, dark place will ensure that they will have the maximum shelflife and that you’re at the minimum possible risk for mycotoxin poisoning. Shop Organic Mold-Free Coffee Our Ascent Coffeecomes straight from Guatemala before it’s roasted at our American facilities. Unlike big name-brand coffee, you can count on one hand the steps our beans take from the farm to your cup. Our coffee is certified organic and Grade 1 to ensure that you’re only getting the highest quality, best-tasting beans, every single time. Not to mention that we guarantee the coffee you do receive will be totally mold-free.

5. We have stringent quality control processes that ensure you’re health is never in danger. The FDA may allow trace amounts of mold, but we understand that even trace amounts of mold can be extremely dangerous, that’s why you’ll never find mold in our coffee, we value your health more than a slightly higher profit margin. But we realize that as a company we have to lead by example, that’s why all of the coffee farms we’re partnered with in Guatemala are woman-run. We believe in giving back to the community, and we do it by only working with the farms that are forward-thinking and provide workers with a living wage and a safe work environment. Try your own bag of Ascent Coffee today, and you’ll never want to go back. Why You Should Switch To Organic Coffee – The Health Benefits Coffee, organic or not, has been shown to help lessen the effects of depression by helping your brain produce more dopamine hours after you finish your morning cup of joe. Coffee has also been shown to help protect your liver against cirrhosis and fatty liver disease. But organic coffee has these health benefits and more! Organic coffee contains potassium, magnesium B1, B2, B3, and B5, whereas normal coffee doesn’t contain ANY of these minerals & vitamins. Potassium helps you regulate the amount of water stored inside your cells. Without ample amounts of potassium, sodium will pull water out of your cells leaving you dehydrated and feeling as drained as your cells are. Beyond simple water retention, potassium is a key regulator for your circulatory system and helps reinforce muscle stability. Surgeons have a little secret to get rid of nervous shakes, it’s a simple potassium pill! Magnesium is one of the most commonly used elements in the chemical reactions that happen all over our bodies every second of the day. Magnesium is a key ingredient in the creation of ATP. ATP is the energy molecule, literally! All of our cells use ATP to help catalyze important chemical reactions. Magnesium is also a key ingredient in the synaptic cleft.

6. The synaptic cleft is the space between our neurons, our neurons communicate by changing the chemical composition of the molecules in the synaptic cleft. Without magnesium, our neurons would not be able to properly communicate. Vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B5 have a wide range of important functions around our bodies, similar to magnesium. This collection of B vitamins helps keep our brains functioning in tip-top shape. B complex, a collection of different B vitamins, is a common ingredient in nootropics, supplements made specifically to increase brain function. B complex also helps keeps your hair, nails, and skin strong, healthy, moisturized, and blemish- free. All of these critically important vitamins and minerals are included in organic coffee, whereas NONE of these vitamins and minerals are in run-of-the-mill coffee. Read More : Does Pine Pollen Really Increase Testosterone? Why You Should Switch To Organic Coffee – Better For The Planet As we discussed above, organic coffee cannot be grown with harmful chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. This is hugely beneficial for the environment and the fine balance that the ecosystem coffee farms maintain. Measuring out and distributing these harmful chemicals is not an exact science. These chemicals are usually dropped from a plane in liquid form, but this is not incredibly accurate. The liquid being dropped turns into a mist and easily travels away from the farmer’s field. Herbicides are created specifically to kill plant life that’s not the crop being sowed. You can imagine the incredible damage that would cause to nearby ecosystems. Let’s assume that all of the pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides do stay contained to the farmer’s field though, the trouble doesn’t end. Fields don’t exist in a vacuum, these harmful chemicals seep into the soil causing irreparable damage to the soil beneath the crops and the insect life that exists under these crops.

7. Over time and repeated exposure, these chemicals can eventually seep so deep into the soil that it begins to taint the groundwater supplies that exist underneath the soil. Coffee is primarily grown in poor countries in rural villages, rural villages that rely on groundwater wells for their water supply. Now you have men, women, and children drinking water tainted with harmful chemicals. Drinking this tainted water has a myriad of negative effects on the human body that has been well documented with countless cases of illness and even death from this tainted water. Switching to organic coffee beans allows farmers to maintain their livelihood without being forced to cause irreparable damage to their community and their environment. So make a change that benefits far more than just your own life, switch to organic coffee today. Read More : 10 Ways To Boost Your Immune System In 2022 Why You Should Switch To Organic Coffee – The Impact On Rural Farmers Above we discussed the horrible effects of harmful chemicals on the environment, but what about the farmers and workers that have to be surrounded by these chemicals 7 days a week? When a coffee farm isn’t growing organic coffee, the workers are who feel the brunt of the negative effects of the harmful pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. These chemicals are notoriously hard to clean off of your hair, skin, and clothes. That means that these farmers and workers are getting covered in these chemicals and then dragging them home with them to expose the rest of their families to these chemicals every single day. These chemicals make their way into the workers’ beds, into the food they cook and eat, and the water they drink. These are the long-term effects, but in the short-term, these farmers & workers are inhaling these chemicals every time they’re spread across the crops, wreaking havoc on the workers’ lungs. There have been countless scientific studies showing the connection between cancer and long- term exposure to these harsh chemicals.

8. There was an international crisis and recall with a commonly used pesticide as it was linked so heavily to cancer and other destructive illnesses. Over 87 pesticides are banned in the USA alone, there’s a reason for that. These chemicals are dangerous and kill people, that’s the bottom line. When you’re buying organic coffee, the quality of life of these farmworkers drastically increases as they’re no longer exposed to these pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides on a daily basis. But let’s switch to a more lighthearted topic, organic coffee simply tastes better, below, we explain why… Why You Should Switch To Organic Coffee – The Taste When the coffee beans you make your coffee from aren’t constantly doused in harsh chemicals, the taste drastically improves. Make a cup of run-of-the-mill coffee and a cup of organic coffee, drinking one right after the other, you can taste the difference. It’s just common sense. Pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are notoriously hard to remove, so no matter how much cleaning and roasting normal coffee beans go through trace amounts of these harsh chemicals remain, which affect the taste of your coffee. So ditch the chemicals and get coffee that tastes as good as the story behind it. Source Link: https://bit.ly/3Q8g1RO