For the Love of Coffee

For the Love of Coffee

For the Love of Coffee

I love coffee. There is nothing better than the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting through the house, especially during cold winter mornings. It gives me that much needed energy boost early in the day. I love it so much that sometimes I add an espresso shot in my protein shake just to give me that caffeine kick.

Coffee in moderation and in the right way is an excellent beverage to help you kick start your day. I strictly avoid coffee on an empty stomach at it makes me jittery and somewhat anxious. Instead i add a shot either to my protein shake or have a mug full along with my regular dose of nuts and seeds. I use almond milk in place of dairy. Cold coffee with chilled almond milk and some agave syrup instead of refined sugar with a bit of sprinkled raw cacao. tastes divine. Coffee did not impact my skin in any way but if you are acne prone then it might trigger breakouts as it has an impact on your hormones.  I also feel the key is moderation.

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At this point I would like to introduce my former personal trainer Stephen McKirgan. I trained with Stephen for 3 years at Equinox in London. Stephen has worked with some of the best minds in the world of health and fitness. He works to create an environment where health, wellbeing and balance are the key to greater performance and better life. Stephen’s knowledge on food and nutrition is unparalleled and I felt he would be the best person to talk about the pros and cons of coffee.

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Stephen McKirgan: Coffee is the most widely consumed beverage in the world, tied second place with tea after water. This makes caffeine the most consumed type of stimulant (or psychoactive drug) worldwide. Improved verbal memory and improved reaction times are the most commonly observed benefits of a fresh cup of coffee. It also has thermogenic effect and aids fat loss-with appetite suppression, increase in metabolic rate, higher energy levels and increased mobilisation of fatty acids for fuel during exercise. All these factors combine to give you a little extra oomph in your quest for a bikini ready body.
Freshly ground organic coffee (not instant as it contains preservatives) or coffee beans contain abundant antioxidants, way more than the mighty green tea, dark chocolate and in some studies ,even fruits and vegetables!( Note: this doesn’t mean you stop eating your vegetables). To get the most bang for your buck make it an espresso, and drink it quickly: the oxidation process in coffee happens all too quickly. If the cream turns white, it is too late, so consume soon after pouring to get the maximum benefits.

sk-coffeeCaffeine also stops the body from slowing down at a cellular level and thus has anti-ageing properties. This does not mean that it is the elusive elixir of life. Drink in moderation for maximum benefits.
Coffee consumption is associated with an overall decreased risk of certain types of cancer specifically; oral, oesophageal, pharyngeal, breast (in post-menopausal women) and in theory, by improving metabolism, liver, colon, and aggressive prostate cancer.
The benefits you gain from consuming coffee comes down to how your liver metabolises caffeine. If you are a slow metaboliser; you are roughly four times slower than someone who is a fast metaboliser, and that’s where you start to lose the benefits.

To conclude, coffee gets a lot of bad press, but like everything else in life, coffee in moderation and in the right way is an excellent beverage to help you kick-start your day and even has quite a few health benefits.

What’s your coffee story? Write to me below or using #stayrealstayyou on Instagram @shagunkhanna

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