Coffee, you either love it or hate it. If you love it, you probably can't get enough of it!
So how does coffee affect you and your health? First of all, caffeine affects everyone differently. Some people start trembling after their second coffee and others can have four and still feel fine. If you have trouble falling asleep, stop drinking coffee after noon and limit your intake.
Several studies show that caffeine can improve physical by 11-12% (have your coffee about 30 minutes before your workout), it also acts as a mood booster, a fat burner and even contains some essential nutrients including riboflavin, pantothenic acid, manganese, potassium, magnesium and niacin.
However, putting aside the health benefits, caffeine is still classified as a drug, more specifically a stimulant. Side effects can include irritability, jitters, anxiety, rapid heart rate, muscle twitching, gastrointestinal disturbance and insomnia. As caffeine stimulates the nervous system, if you are already wired, stressed, anxious and leaning towards fight & fight mode, you might want to avoid the caffeine and opt for a decaf latté.
Here are some of our favorite (healthy autumn) coffee recipes and coffee alternatives.
This vegan PSL is made with almond milk and actual pumpkin, so it’s low in calories and fat, but it’s high in fall flavor! Ps, having a hard time finding pumpkin pie spice in European supermarkets, then opt voor gingerbread or speculoos herb mixes!
Find the recipe here.
2. Coffee Smoothie
If you follow me on the gram, you know I love my smoothies! Now if you need a hit, and don't have time to drink your coffee and a smoothie, then just combine them.
Recipe: in a blender add a (frozen) banana, a cup of coffee (freshly brewed or kept overnight in the fridge), a handful of spinach, a spoon of peanut butter and 1 or 2 dates. Blend and enjoy!
3. Shroom Latte
I absolutely love my adaptogenic mushrooms. Every year I wait for Black Friday, to buy my Four Sigmatic mushroom powder in BULK :-) But these days, you can buy mushroom powder in many places from Holland & Barrett, to Verum Drinks and Goldenhour.be just to name a few.
Here are 2 ways to make your perfect shroom latté.
4. Chicory Coffee
One of my favorite coffee alternatives (next to decaf) is chicory coffee. Chicory (Cichorium intybu) is related to the dandelion and is 100% caffeine free and gluten free. It contains a high concentration ofinulin, a powerful prebiotic and soluble fibre.
You can buy Chicory in 2 forms: granules, the roasted roots of the plants and powder, where the roasted roots are ground into a fine powder for an instant drink. Just find a brand you enjoy (you can find them in most bio stores and more & more supermarkets), boil water, add a couple of spoons of Chicory powder and stir with a spoon. Then add some frothed plant based milk, et voila! Feel free to sprinkle some cinnamon on top and enjoy.
Enjoy that pre-workout latté and let us know how you prefer to take your coffee!
Coach Alice