How To Create Super Nutritional Coffee
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It’s no secret that coffee is what drives most people like the gasoline that fuels our cars. We’re not sleeping enough and too busy, so what better way to pry us out of a cold lifeless state other than a nice cup of joe. Coffee is a drink that is made by roasted coffee beans and then grinding them into a powder-like substance. Normally hot water is poured over these ground-up beans and outcomes the delicious nectar that we call coffee. Coffee is made in a thousand different ways, I mean listen to the people at Starbucks order their mocha latte with soy milk and half a pack of Splenda and two sugars, but with only a half-inch of foam. It can get pretty specific.
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There are also thousands of different flavors and roasting processes. Coffee is ever-changing and evolving, while also staying true to itself as a staple beverage.
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Okay, now that the background info has been laid out, here is the purpose of this article. Coffee alone doesn’t provide a lot of nutritional value besides its caffeine content. People add lots of sugar and milk to theirs to increase the flavor, but nutritionally that’s not helping anyone. So we’re going to discuss some ways to make your coffee more nutritious and even enhance the effects that it provides.
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Add Some Fats
Yes, add some fats, you read that right. There are many who add a little bit of fat with their milk or cream, but I’m talking about real fats. Two of the main ones I’ll mention are butter (preferably grass-fed) and coconut oil (or MCT oils). These are both saturated fats, which receive quite the bad rep. However, they are actually beneficial when consumed in normal amounts (too much of anything is bad).
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Butter
Butter in coffee may sound disgusting, but if you get the no salt added kind it’s not that bad. I was skeptical at first, but began to actually enjoy the added flavor, especially when frothed. The point of the grass-fed butter is to include essential fatty acids that aren’t present in all butters or margarine. This fatty acid is called an omega-3 fatty acid. There are two different omega fatty acids ( 3&6). We consume way too much omega-6 in the forms of vegetable oil or canola oil, and we need to work towards fixing that ratio. Grass-fed butter is one thing that contains these fatty acids.
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Coconut Oil
Coconut oil or MCT oil is obtained from the meat of a coconut. It is a saturated fat, but it’s chemical makeup actually makes it very healthy. Since it is a saturated fat, people believed that it would increase your bad cholesterol. However, coconut oil tends to increase your good cholesterol (HDL). This is because half of the saturated fat is considered “lauric acid”, which aids in the production of HDL. Since it is from a fruit, it also contains many antioxidants and other compounds that improve health markers.
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Extra Benefits
The extra benefits of adding these fats also comes in the form of satiety. This means keeping your appetite at bay when trying to cut back on cravings and calories. If you don’t believe me just try it with your morning coffee instead of jumping right into breakfast.
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The reason it suppresses appetite is because fats take longer to digest than proteins and carbs, so your body will be preoccupied breaking down fats to feel hungry.
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Collagen
Collagen is a supplement that has grown recently on the market. Mainly because it has many benefits on many different things. It is made from various amino acids and proteins that make up connective tissue. Usually, this is derived from animal connective tissue such as cows and chickens and even fish. This usually comes in the form of a powder and is great for joints, skin, hair, gut, and nails. It is an all-around healing food that is good for your entire body inside and out.
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Being a powder, and usually flavorless, it can easily be added to your coffee in the mornings. This takes a normal cup of coffee and makes it a super nutritious snack to have in the mornings. It’s high in protein so it will help stave off hunger cravings, while also nourishing your body inside and out. One that mixes very well is Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides. This brand of collagen is flavorless and mixes to a point that you don’t even know it’s in your coffee.
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Protein Powder
The majority of people just don’t like a nice cup of black coffee. So they need to add a bunch of sugar and syrups to get the flavors they want. Let’s be honest, most people enjoy their coffee more like a dessert. It’s common knowledge that this is not nutritious in the slightest and you would be better off just drinking the plain cup of joe.
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A solution to this would be to find a protein powder that you actually like and add it to your coffee. You could really customize this to fit your preference of flavor. For example, you could buy some Dymatize Natural Vanilla Protein and add a scoop to your coffee. If you throw it in the blender for a second or two, it’ll create some foam and you’ll have a vanilla latte without the regret. So instead of a plain cup of coffee or one full of sugar, you now have a high protein beverage that tastes like dessert. You could play around with recipes like this and create whatever fun coffee concoctions you’d like, all by just getting some protein powder.
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Shrooms
So this next addition is going to sound a little weird. You can add mushrooms to your coffee to increase the nutritional value, and the already existent effects of the coffee.
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Recently, different supplements featuring mushrooms have been on the rise in popularity, however these aren’t the ones that make the wall melt. These are various mushrooms that fall in a category called adaptogens. Basically they are homeopathic ways to enhances various systems in the body. Examples of these mushrooms are reishi, lion’s mane, and shitake. Each one of these provides various benefits, but what these companies have begun to do is make different supplements with them. One of which is a mushroom coffee mix!
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Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee is the brand that is paving the way for mushrooms as a beverage. Their mixes are an instant coffee that you just mix with hot water (they also sell a variety of other products). However, I mix the packet with an already made cup of coffee and let me tell you, it packs a punch! The mushroom coffee has a nootropic effect, which basically means that it enhances your focus and mental acuity. Coffee is itself a nootropic but combined with the mushrooms, it’s a force to be reckoned with if you’re needing to focus or be productive.
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Some of the mushrooms they use provide other nutritional benefits such as antioxidants and other properties that help the body from the inside and out.
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To Close
There are many ways to spruce up your morning coffee. Whether you choose to add some fats, collagen, protein, or mushrooms; it is still going to be more nutritious than a plain cup of black coffee. You can experiment with different combos or just say to heck with it and mix it all together for one mega cup of coffee. I’m sure it would taste great and you’d be seeing sounds after having drunk it!
- by Blake Conner