I was sitting in a coffeeshop a few days ago when I overheard these two girls talking about how they had to go get coffee somewhere else because that place had weird coffee with mushrooms in it. I started laughing to myself and thought " they are seriously missing out!"
Then a few days later I had another conversation with someone who had heard that coffee was bad for you and wanted to know if that was true.
I wanted to share my thoughts since there is so many opinions about this bean.
First I want to say that if you react to negatively to coffee (jittery feeling, acid reflux, etc.) then you should listen to your body/doctor regardless of what I say below. Wellness is NOT a one size fits all model and it is important to do what feels right to you.
Coffee prepared correctly can be a source of antioxidants, help prevent the 2 diabetes, be a natural source for energy, and prevent liver disease.
For me there are a few non-negotiables when it comes to coffee
It must be organic. Coffee is one of the highest sprayed crops- this means most conventional coffee is loaded with pesticides. Pesticides can have a number of ill effects on the body including overworked liver (hello acne!), leaky gut (bloat and upset belly anyone?), and inability to lose weight (pesticides are stored in our fat cells!).
If I don’t know the source of the (nut)milk, I drink it black. Coffee often gets a bad rep for being loaded with sugar, but it’s all in the way we prepare it. Coffee creamers (and even plain nut milk) normally has a 10 ingredient list and sugar is almost always a part of it. Being mindful of the milk you’re choosing will help keep a coffee a healthy habit instead of turning it into a sugary treat.
Keeping Coffee a Healthy Habit: My Tips
Buy organic coffee - My go to is Four Sigmatic. They pair organic, fair trade coffee with medicinal mushrooms. We are all really busy so when I find a product that does double health duty I am all about it! Four Sigmatic uses medicinal mushrooms like lions mane (brain health), cordyceps (natural energy source), chaga (immune booster + skin health savior) in conjunction with their coffee. They have instant packs (I love these when I’m traveling) and ground coffee. The mushrooms help to avoid caffeine crashes, withdrawal headaches, and all of the unpleasant side effects you might experience. I hate drinking coffee that isn’t laced with ‘shrooms. There’s a 10% savings code at the end of the article!
Skip the store bought creamers. Like I said up top creamers are usually loaded with nasties that would make drinking coffee a disaster. Before I started making creamer for Hungry Hippie I was using Nutpods. They are not the worst option, but they do use fillers and gums. You can also purchase my homemade creamer here.
I recently started paying attention to how the way I prepared my coffee made me feel and I started gravitating towards the French Press. I felt like it was less acidic, richer, and I didn’t have the added expense of organic unbleached paper filters ( the standard coffee filters are bleach!) I bought this one from Amazon and it came with a wooden spoon, a sponge, and extra filters!
I limit my coffee intake to the mornings only since caffeine has a 6 hour half life (if you have a cup of Joe at 8AM you’ll still have 50% of that caffeine in you at 2PM, 25% at 8PM).
I make sure to keep my water intake up since caffeine is a natural diuretic and may cause loss of fluids. I shoot for 2 full Swell bottles per day in addition to tea.
I add BulletProof Brain Octane to my coffee. This is a higher power MCT ( Medium Chain Triglyceride) Oil that metabolizes into ketone (fat) energy. When you burn through fat energy you have longer periods of stamina without a crash. The opposite is true for sugar. This also helps reduce cravings, and increase your fat burn.
I reach for natural sweeteners instead of packets or sugar or even Stevia. Cinnamon and Vanilla Extract are on the top of my list, but also reach for Cacao and Pumpkin Spice too!
So in my opinion I think in moderation, coffee does have a place for those who enjoy it, can tolerate it, and don’t have any adverse effects from it.
If you have any questions about coffee, vegan food, or wellness in general feel free to reach out!
P.S. That code to save on Four Sigmatic is kaleismykarma