COFFEE - 3 Tricks to Make it Super-Healthy
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
Author of best seller: The Truth About Six Pack Abs
Mmm, coffee... almost everybody drinks it... some people have 3-4 cups per day or more.
But most people don't think of it as a "health drink". And it's certainly NOT healthy the way most people make it with loads of added sugar or artificial sweeteners and artificial creamers.
But I'll give you my tips here on how I make a
healthier cup of coffee and what to watch out for...
First, you may have seen debate in the past about how coffee has some compounds in it that could have negative health effects such as some tars or other possibly inflammatory compounds in brewed coffee. But, the good news is that coffee has such
high concentrations of beneficial antioxidants, phenolic nutrients, and other good compounds, that it counteracts the bad compounds. Also, this
article here shows various studies that prove coffee reduces risk of many common diseases.
So what's the best way to make a healthy cup of coffee? Well, here's my 3 most important tricks to maximize the benefits of coffee and minimize the negatives:
1. First of all, you need to AVOID adding any refined sugar or harmful
artificial sweeteners. What I do instead is use either a very small touch of organic maple syrup or a half packet of
natural stevia to just lightly sweeten my coffee. If you like your coffee black with no sweetener at all, that's the healthiest way.
If you're getting your coffee at a coffee shop, make sure to avoid all of those fancy specialty coffees (lattes, frappuccinos, etc) as they are almost ALWAYS loaded with extra sugars or artificial sweeteners. Some of those fancy coffee drinks at Starbucks or other coffee shops can have 300-400 calories in just one coffee! Definitely not good for your body.
2. You also need to AVOID any of those crappy artificial creamers (liquid or powder), which are usually made with corn syrup solids and hydrogenated oils (harmful trans fats). Instead, use a little bit of REAL cream (organic grass-fed if you can find it).
Or, better yet, what I've been using for a while now is
coconut milk/cream as a much healthier creamer alternative. I get this by buying cans of organic coconut milk, and then after opening the can (shake the can well before opening), I store the coconut milk in the fridge in a container. Note that the cans of coconut milk are much creamier and better as a coffee creamer than those cartons of "coconut milk drink" which are just watered down coconut milk.
The thick creamy coconut milk is the healthiest option for coffee creamer because it's loaded with
super healthysaturated fats called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which boost your immune system and your metabolism! Plus, coconut milk in coffee is just plain delicious! It's the best healthy creamer option by far.
3. If you want to load your coffee up with more
healthy antioxidants and good taste, consider trying some added cinnamon to your coffee (
cinnamon can help control blood sugar and has many other health benefits). It's also really tasty in coffee!
I also sometimes like to add a teaspoon of organic cocoa powder (non-sweetened) to my coffee to make my own sort of mocha coffee (but without the loads of sugar in a typical mocha you'd get at the coffee shop). The added cocoa powder also gives you great taste and a good dose of extra healthy antioxidants (and
cocoa is also known for helping to lower blood pressure!)
I personally only drink coffee about 3-4 times per week, because I'm sensitive to caffeine and don't want to get addicted to caffeine like some people are. I see people that drink 3-4 cups per day that get a massive headache if they don't have their daily coffee due to caffeine withdrawal. I choose to avoid this addiction by only drinking it about 3-4 times a week, and I drink various teas most other days, which are much lower in caffeine.
What They Never Told You About Coffee
By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES
Folgers makes it. Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts do too. What am I talking about? Coffee of course! There is nothing better than waking up to a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Coffee wakes you up due to the healthy amount of caffeine found in coffee. However, today there are new ways coffee is being used, and it could just help you fight off the aging process.
Coffee has always been a way to rev our engines in the morning or late afternoon. Did you know there are 150 million coffee drinkers in the US, and they drink an average of 3.1 cups of coffee per day? Also, did you know coffee shops exceed 12 billion in yearly sales? Pretty impressive numbers, for a product which comes from a simple seed!
Those numbers are impressive, but what is even more impressive is the effect coffee has on the body. Coffee has been shown to prevent strokes, heart disease, type 2 Diabetes, and helps to prevent the onset of Parkinson’s disease. The reason: coffee is full of phenolic nutrients which are antioxidants that help fight off oxidative stress and damage to cells in the body.
So what are phenolic nutrients?
Phenolic nutrients are antioxidants found in certain foods which can help reverse damage created by free radicals in the body. Oxidative stress and damage is a common reaction in the body due to metabolic processes. This can lead to inflammation, degenerative(s) disease, and can lead to heart disease. Oh yeah and one more: aging.
We want to clean up and rid our bodies of free radicals from oxidative stress. But how?
Coffee to the rescue.
Coffee has high levels of phenolic acid. One cup of coffee has 350 milligrams of phenolic nutrients, and 12% of the coffee bean itself is full of chlorogenic acids! Out of all foods tested, adults get more antioxidants from coffee than from other phenolic-rich foods. But what if you do not like coffee?
No problem! We have the answer for you!
Coffee comes from a berry, and this berry is undergoing research to determine its effectiveness in the body. One study has found that 1g of coffeeberry has the same ratio of phenolic nutrients as one cup of coffee. Do not like the caffeine rush from coffee? Coffeeberry only has 1.5% of the daily caffeine intake recommended. Much lower than a cup of coffee!
Not only do you get the same benefit from a single coffeeberry as a full cup of coffee, you get less caffeine, which will put you at ease. Not only can caffeine clear your mind and wake you up in the morning, it can also lead to increased blood pressure and heart rate.
Caffeine is a stimulant in the body. Drinking coffee stimulates our fight or flight system to release a hormone called adrenaline. Extra levels of adrenaline lead to the brain closing blood vessels. This raises the amount of dopamine in the body, which helps us stay alert and ready to go. Having too much caffeine can be a drain, since it causes us to stay awake.
One more thing: coffee can help prevent Diabetes!
I know, crazy to think that drinking coffee decreases your risk for developing Diabetes, especially type 2 Diabetes. The reason: minerals found in coffee help to regulate insulin.
Coffee has two minerals shown to help regulate insulin levels and help shuttle blood sugar into the cells. In type 2 Diabetes, the body becomes resistant to insulin, limiting the amount of sugar from the bloodstream we can use as energy. Magnesium and chromium found in coffee can help insulin do its job: shuttle sugar into the working cells!
Caffeine found in coffee can be a useful tool in the fight against Diabetes. Research done by Wedick et al. has found caffeine to be effective in fighting the development of Diabetes. Through research, they determined caffeine to have an effect on a hormone found in fat cells. Adiponectin decreases, helping the body to regulate insulin more effectively.
Guess what? You do not have to drink just regular coffee! You can get the same benefits from drinking de-caffeinated coffee.
WOW, who could imagine coffee can have such tremendous effects on the body! How can coffee help slow the aging process?
When the body is exposed to high levels of oxidative stress, this speeds up the aging process. Oxidative stress can lead to damage of our DNA, protein, and lipids in the body. Once again, here comes coffee to the rescue!
Coffee and coffeeberries have higher levels of phenolic nutrients, which can help reduce the effects oxidative stress has on the body. By reducing the high concentration of free radicals, you are saving the cells of the body from aging. This slows the aging process considerably.
Coffee is amazing! Coffee contains high levels of phenolic nutrients, which are another class of antioxidants that the body uses to slow the aging process. These antioxidants also help reduce the chance of heart attacks, stroke, and your chance of developing type 2 Diabetes. The Coffeeberry is a little powerhouse of nutrition, carrying the same level of phenolic acid in a small amount, compared to levels you would find in one cup of coffee! Amazing little fruit!
Next time you reach for your next cup of coffee, know you are making a wise decision for the health of your body. If you are not a coffee fan, find a product containing Coffeeberry to raise your antioxidant levels, helping to prevent diseases and the aging process.
