By Derek Henry, Holistic Health Coach for Healing the Body
Coffee. When you can’t shake that desire to quaff back the black stuff, you will come up with all kinds of reasons to justify its existence. In reality, coffee is not a health promoting habit, and as such, we don’t endorse its consumption unless you are in a very good state of health (and even then, only in moderation). However, part of becoming healthy is improving your habits, and this healthy coffee recipe does just that, without sacrificing the taste.
Purpose
The purpose of this healthy coffee recipe is to negate the harmful effects of coffee and improve the overall experience without dramatically affecting the taste.
The main components that make the conventional coffee habit hard on the body is the chemical use (coffee is a heavily treated crop), natural acidity (between 5 and 6 typically on the pH scale), and caffeine content. In addition to that, the dairy and sugar products that are often added as well, makes this habit hard on the digestive system, hormones, and skeletal/muscular system.
In order to clean up these problems the coffee needs to be organic, brewed with highly alkaline and well mineralized water, and be paired with an adaptogenic herb that helps offset the negative affects of caffeine on the adrenal system. In addition, if dairy or sugar is chosen, cleaner and more healthier versions need to be utilized.
Equipment Required
- Coffee maker or french press
Ingredients
- Organic, fair trade coffee
- Spring water (optimal) or filtered water with an alkalinizing water system (to bring the pH of the water up to 8.5 or higher)
- Up to a 1/4 tsp of ground reishi extract or dropper of reishi tincture (to help offset negative effects of caffeine on adrenals)
- Optional: 1/8 tsp of cinnamon (to help balance blood sugar spikes)
- Optional: 1 tsp of grass fed butter or coconut oil.
If you add anything to your coffee, consider the following alternatives:
- Sprouted almond, coconut, or hemp milk
- Liquid stevia or coconut sugar
Directions
- Make coffee as normal, and add reishi, cinnamon (if desired), and healthier additions.
Consumption
- Coffee consumption should be regulated according to your adrenal and digestive health. If either is compromised, reduce your coffee consumption considerably and consider using the guidelines in this recipe only.
- To help make this an even better habit, consume a tall glass of spring or alkalinized water just prior to coffee consumption, and do the same after, to avoid the dehydration that comes with caffeine consumption.
*Image of “coffee“ via Shutterstock
