caffeine

To put your mind at ease about enjoying coffee, I’ve lined up some awesome resources for you.

I’m from Seattle, worked as a barista for 4+ years and wake up at 4 AM. Needless to say I am a huge fan of coffee. As a Nutrition Specialist, I LOVE that more and more studies emerge showing the health benefits of coffee.

To stay unbiased, I dug up some studies for you. There’s also some fun facts sure to impress your friends)

(CLICK HERE for Bulletproof Coffee Info)

ALSO  have alternatives to coffee (it may not agree with you) CLICK  to know what to drink  “if not coffee”

Best part is, by the end of reading this blog you will the exactly how to easily enjoy your coffee so you get the most benefits  out of it!  Please scroll through it all.

First some quick facts on what coffee does for your body:

It naturally gets your body to: burn fat, reduce the likelihood of dementia, depression and diabetes. Now let’s hit pause (before you go grab a latte, mocha or your drip coffee with cream) you should never add anything BUT water.  that water should be the best quality (filtered water) . 

DO NOT ADD: 

Milk (any type) Sugar and flavors (ANY type) will block coffee’s awesome powers and create havoc in your body (if not right away, over time)

** Caveat! Bulletproof coffee is healthy and I strongly advise it – CLICK HERE for full video + guide

Okay, now we can move on 🙂 I have pro tips below to stay healthy & cash in on the best stuff!

 Here’s WHY coffee is super healthy and what superpowers it gives you

1. Those beans are chock full of awesome stuff

It’s all thanks to the rich soil they grow in. Think about it – when do you ever look for your beans to come from Cincinatti?  NOPE you want fancy tropical names like Brazil, Costa Rica, Columbia, Jamaica, Indonesia. That’s cause those places have dense rainforests and amazing soil chock full of good stuff that these beans soak up and give to you.

Specifically:

• Magnesium– keeps bones strong, reduces fatigue, reduces risk of osteoporosis, keeps your heart healthy
• Riboflavin– Huge for muscle regeneration and recovery, improves insulin sensitivity AND keeps your gut healthy. Also improves vision and skin health
• Panthothenic acid– produces neurotransmitters, decreases depression and anxiety, boosts muscle recovery, synthesizes neurotransmitters, hormones and fats so you can stay balanced and deal with them all best.
• Potassium– Keeps your nervous system healthy and regulates heart rate
• Polyphenols– Basically micronutrients with antioxidant activity. If you want a healthy gut, less risk of disease, fight off depression and care about looking great- you need to give a damn about these.

Turns out coffee is the #1 SOURCE OF POLYPHENOLS!

ALL this combined keeps you healthy, strong, skyrockets stamina, ups your mental game, keeps you emotionally calibrated PLUS fights off off free radicals so you’re less at risk to get scary diseases like cancer, heart disease and depression

2. Those beans actually make you crush your workouts and make you more attractive

Get stronger, faster, happier and more focused. Hello superhero days:)

Coffee is an “ergogenic aid”. It boosts your “power output”If taken before ANY form of exercise you will be faster, stronger and more focused. (so long as you got enough sleep and stay off your phone during your workout)

I definitely do better when I have coffee before my own workouts

Here’s some sweet ass COFFEE Studies/Science for you!

Increases performance in strength training:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18708685

Increases aerobic – cardio performance http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/2003/08000/Effect_of_Repeated_Caffeine_Ingestion_on_Repeated.15.aspx

PLUS it Decreases Depression

Now this is cool. There’s an awesome study from Harvard proving that coffee drops depression in women. I’m super excited about this:)

Study for you:  https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/coffee-depression-women-ascherio-lucas/

 3. SO here’s how to not screw all this up for yourself

All this kickass stuff is in the coffee BEAN.

There is not many benefits to milk or sugar. We don’t need either in our diets. ( leafy greens can give you all the Vit D, calcium, iron and magnesium you need)

Remember THIS:   Anytime you add milk (any kind- even dairy free) or flavors (any kind- even sugar free) you decrease the awesome powers in the coffee bean.

Just to be extra clear.. Coffee gives you all these amazing benefits, as long as you don’t add milk or sugar.. those two things are like kryptonite to coffee.

THE 5 BEST steps to get the most out of your coffee.

1. Don’t add milk or sugar –

This may be hard for you. Try this.. change your latte or mocha to a “MEZZO” this means you have half the milk, the other half is water. Steamed together it’s still creamy and you’re not pouring as much kryptonite on your coffee.

Sorry, there are no tricks to the sweeteners – simply get rid of them. That means even the sugar free, non fat kinds + any chocolate or caramel sauce. You’re basically crushing superman with a giant rock.

2.  Drink 12 oz or less.

The more water you mix with your coffee the more it’s diluted. Not as much as with milk – but it’s still not as powerful. A smaller cup will greatly reduce the water content

3. Drink espresso, not drip coffee

Espresso means the beans are ground and packed tightly and just a small of water flows through them. Drip is loosely packed ground coffee and a lot of water passes through them. ** also espresso gives you more energy for longer.

Once I switched to ONLY straight espresso, I stopped having those energy crashes

** also OPT for the LIGHTER roast – it has more caffeine!

4. Stick to one, MAYBE 2 awesome cups of coffee a day

When you up the power from your coffee, you simply don’t need as much. Try not to drink coffee after 2 PM, if you’re a normal 9-5 worker.

5. Up your shots

That’s right.. I said it:) If you’re used to 2 cups of double tall lattes (2 shots/drink) – nix the latte and get 4 shots of straight up espresso in just one cup in your AM. I turned my two double short into 4 shots of espresso.

6. GO for the lighter roast– The less a bean is heated, the more caffeine it has. Cool, right!

**7. THIS IS THE GAME CHANGER! Make Bulletproof Coffee

Bulletproof coffee is your coffee enhanced in every great way. By adding two simple ingredients to your morning cup you will burn even MORE fat, skyrocket your brain power & stay full longer. The coolest part is you way more polyphenols out of every cup of Bulletproofed coffee.

CLICK HERE for all the goods on How to and Why you should BULLETPROOF YOUR COFFEE!

(I have it everyday – 5 years and going strong!)

Stick to this list for easy reference on best coffee drinks.  #1 is best. You deserve better than anything  8 or 9 🙂

#1  Double or Triple Espresso. This is just the shots – High quality beans (no drive thru small town stands for you). 2 – 4 shots.If too bitter for you add a small amount of water – 1-2 inches is good.

#2  Short (6 oz) Americano – Pick the amount of shots you want 2-4 shots. This is 1/2 espresso 1/2 hot water

#3 French Press – More densely packed coffee grounds = still some great powers for you

#4  Pour Over – Higher quality coffee with denser packed grounds

#5 Cold Brew – Opt for non flavored and no milk added.

#6  Drip Coffee – less beans more water. Go for a small size on this. More water is not better

#7 Mezzo – 1/2 americano 1/2 steamed milk. Remember milk is kryptonite to healthy coffee beans

#8 Latte – espresso + steamed milk. Not a healthy choice. You are have just killed superman with that milk

#9  Mocha, frappucino … anything else = not good at all. You know better:)

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