Did you ever think you would be able to have a “healthy” coffee?  Essentially, regular black coffee is not that bad for you…by itself.  It’s when we add all that extra stuff that really makes unhealthy.  Even if you are not using real sugar and some artificial sweetener, those artificial sweeteners are awful for you, even if there are no added calories to them.

Now, you have had heard some negative things about the coffee compounds that are not good for you, but in reality, the benefits of the antioxidants and other nutrients far outweigh any of the bad compounds.

As a matter of fact, here in the U.S., coffee is one of the biggest sources of antioxidants!  However, a lot of that comes from not getting enough antioxidants from vegetables and fruits.  All of us need to really branch out and obtain our antioxidants from a bigger variety of sources like fruit, veggies, beans, spices, various berries, tea and even unsweetened organic cocoa.  Yes, I said chocolate!

Here are a few great tricks on how to really get the most benefit from your coffee and minimize those negative aspects of your morning cup of joe. Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer and author of The Truth About Six Pack Abs gives the following advice:

  1. First things first.  Don’t add any refined sugar or even any artificial sweeteners in those pink and blue packets…you know the ones I’m talking about.  Instead of those sweeteners, use maybe a 1/2 packet of Stevia.  You could also use a small amount of organic maple syrup to sweeten your coffee.  Of course, if you like it black, that is the healthiest way to drink it.Of course, if you’re getting your coffee from a cafe or coffee shop, stay away from those fancy-shmancy coffees that are sweetened and flavored – lattes, frappucinos, etc., because they are simply loaded with extra sugar and artificial sweeteners.  Some of those drinks can have in upwards of 400 calories, and that’s just crazy.  It’s obviously pretty bad for your insulin levels and blood sugar.You can still get yourself a latte or cappucino, but just make sure you ask for it unsweetened, and then you can sweeten it yourself.
  2. Second, artificial creamers.  Not only the liquid, but yes, even the powder kind is full of junk like hydrogenated oils and corn syrup.  What you’ll want to use instead is actually a real, full fat cream.  If you can find it, use organic, grass-fed.An even better idea is using coconut milk/cream.  It’s actually one of the healthiest alternative creamers.  You’ll want to get the “can” as opposed to the carton of coconut milk drink because the cans are much creamier.  Just make sure to shake it really well before you open it, and then store the unused portions in a container in the fridge.
  3. Finally, to get some additional good taste to your coffee and at the same time add healthy antioxidants, simply add cinnamon.  Cinnamon has some excellent qualities to a healthy diet.  It can help control your blood sugar and it really tastes great in coffee.Something else you may want to try would be to add a teaspoon of organic cocoa powder.  It kind of turns it into a cafe-mocha, but without the added sugar.  It not only adds great flavor to your coffee, but again, gives you extra antioxidants for your body.

The last bit of advice is that you buy only organic coffee beans.  Regular, conventional beans are treated heavily with herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides.  As Mike Geary states about organic coffee beans:

Remember that one of the many health risks with these chemicals is that some pesticides can act as “xenoestrogens” in your body, disrupting hormone balance for both men and women.  Chronic xenoestrogen exposure can also be one cause of “stubborn abdominal fat” in both sexes as well as “man boobs” in men… so choose organic as often as you can with most foods, but especially with coffee!

If you love coffee, feel free to share this article below with your coffee-loving friends and family.

For more information on Mike Geary, check out his program here.

 

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Filed under: Healthy Eating Tips

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