Not a coffee addict! But yes, I love sipping a cup of strong coffee as a gloomy day unfolds. Have you ever noticed that the coffee you drink has other ingredients added to it? If so you must have come across chicory for sure!
Chicory - is the root of a plant belonging to the family of dandelion, widely used as an additive to coffee. Coffee naturally has a bitter taste. So the common additive added to smoothen the taste is Chicory. It has been labeled as an adulterant for a while, as manufacturers use more than the permissible limits to reduce the overall production cost as it is cheaper than coffee. Health-conscious people are more likely to choose the "100% coffee Brew" on their Beverage aisle due to the fact that chicory has negative effects.
So is it truly that bad? Actually the answer is "no". Chicory is low in calories, it takes the spotlight when it comes to its inulin content. Inulin is a type of resistant starch which is usually not digested by the human gut but is fermented in the colon. Due to this property, it is used as a prebiotic. it helps in texture modification during the making of coffee powder. It also has potential future prospects as a fat replacer and natural sweetener. It is also known for its micronutrient profile containing a considerable amount of essential minerals and phytochemicals. So yes!!!! Chicory has a place in good books of a nutritionist but still what has to be considered is the dose.
Usually, instant coffee powders use a 60:40 ratio of coffee and chicory. That is, for a teaspoon of powder less than 2.5 g of chicory is been consumed which is a very minimal quantity. Even with 4 teaspoons of coffee per day, it is just 10 g.
The bottom line, there is no harm in drinking coffee that contains chichory nor is there any significant health benefit when consumed. So maybe next time you should stop digging deep into chicory and instead enjoy your cup of coffee (always in moderation)
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