Hey everyone. This will be a series of the 101 best superfoods out there. The term superfoods gets tossed around all over the place. It is a bit of a marketing tool that can trick people into thinking that they are eating healthy. This series of posts is more concerned about eating real. whole foods and their benefits, as opposed to looking into the latest diet fad. When it comes to eating food, whole foods are your best bet. It is also a good idea to buy local, in season foods as well. This could be from your local farmer's market, or just be knowing which foods grow best during which seasons. Now lets get to today's superfood...
Today's superfood is Coffee. The caffeine buzz that coffee provides not only helps us face the morning, it offers other potential health benefits, too. Without added sugar and toppings, coffee is carb free, cholesterol free, fat free, and almost calorie free, so drink up. Coffee consumption has been linked with lower rates of Parkinson's disease, gallstones, type 2 diabetes, liver cancer, heart arrhythmias, stroke in women, and even Alzheimer's disease. While caffeine may be behind some of these positive effects, researchers point to coffee's anti-inflammatory action, its hefty dose of protective antioxidants and its ability to lessen insulin resistance as potential sources of coffee's health benefits.
You'll find many coffee selections in the grocery store, from whole to ground, mild to full bodied, caffeinated to decaf and instant to flavored. Choose the form and flavor depending on how you plan to prepare it on your taste preference. Store coffee beans or ground coffee in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. If you won't use it within a week or ground coffee within a few days, keep the coffee in the freezer.
Roasted coffee beans are ground and brewed to create the coffee we love. But beware of coffee drinks loaded with sugar, syrups, flavorings and whipped toppings. These can add unnecessary empty calories and fat. Coffee is a natural companion to chocolate in desserts and can add subtle depth in recipes for chili, pasta sauce, and gravy, or in glaze for meats. You can even try adding grass fed butter and MCT oil to make a "Bulletproof" coffee.
So there you have it. I hope you learned something new today. Be sure to be on the lookout for the next post. I thank you for stopping by and I will see you again soon.