Your usual cup of joe is an essential, especially if you’re a busy person that needs that extra kick to get you through the day. Although, if you keep drinking the same brew every single day, it can get boring. So, here are some tips to help you put a yummy (but still healthy) twist to your morning coffee:
Ground Cinnamon
You’ve probably already heard of Starbucks’ Cinnamon Dolce Latte or the more common Cinnamon Spice Coffee. Adding cinnamon to coffee isn’t something people haven’t heard of. However, you probably don’t know how it can be a healthy addition to your morning coffee.
To begin with, cinnamon is a spice that can sweeten your coffee without increasing your sugar intake. However, it does have a woody, slightly spicy flavor, so it might surprise you if you immediately switch to it.
You can start by cutting down half the amount of sugar you usually use, and replace it with cinnamon. If you brew your own coffee, you can also try adding a dash of cinnamon before you brew so the flavor mixes directly in your pot.
Another great benefit to cinnamon is that it can boost the antioxidant properties that coffee already has. According to Health.com, one teaspoon of cinnamon is as potent in antioxidants as half a cup of blueberries (a fruit with one of the highest antioxidant levels in common fruits).
Antioxidants prevent cell damage caused by unstable molecules in your body, and adding cinnamon to your morning coffee may help give you that.
Pure Cocoa Powder
Caffè mocha is basically hot chocolate with an espresso shot. Although, buying it in instant form or from a coffee shop doesn’t guarantee that it’ll pack the same health benefits as making one at home.
Using 90% pure cocoa powder instead of instant (and mostly sweetened) chocolate can give you a whole lot of health benefits.
For starters, cocoa contains polyphenols, which are antioxidants that help with cholesterol, blood sugar, and ultimately reduce risks of heart disease. On top of that, it also contains flavonoids that can help lower blood pressure and improve blood flow.
Another benefit from cocoa’s flavonoids is that it can help with mental health.
An article published in the Psychiatric Times reported that in 13,000 adults, people who ate dark chocolate were 70% less likely to experience symptoms of depression. These effects weren’t seen with milk chocolate, indicating that the benefits weren’t from the pleasure of eating chocolate.
So, if you’re looking for that extra bitter, yet extremely healthy twist for your morning coffee, adding cocoa powder is your best friend.
Raw Honey
Raw honey is known for containing high antioxidants, which — like cocoa powder — can improve risks of heart disease. Although, studies show that high levels of antioxidants were mostly found in dark honey, so keep that in mind next time you’re out for honey shopping.
Meanwhile, honey has also long been believed to be a healthier alternative for sugar. Unfortunately, as much as we want to tell you that it is — it’s not.
According to healthline, two teaspoons of honey contains 12 grams of sugar and 40 calories. Adding it to your coffee can cause you to exceed the 24-gram daily recommended sugar intake, especially if you drink a lot of coffee per day.
So, if you’re trying to reduce your calorie intake, you should skip sweeteners in your coffee.
On the other hand, if you’re just looking for a different taste and experiment on your morning coffee, you can switch sugar with honey.
Its flavor depends on the type of pollen it was made from, so some honey can have stronger taste than others. You can start with light honey until you’ve acquired a taste for it, then work your way to a stronger, darker flavor.
If you don’t know where to buy grade-A, unprocessed, and unfiltered honey, you can check out Larry’s Honey from echostore. They have both light and dark variants.
Lemon
Adding lemon to your coffee can give you a citrusy twist that can help wake you up in the morning. A lot of people in other countries loved lemon coffee, so much that it became a trend when the pandemic started (which was pretty much our dalgona coffee here in the Philippines).
Since it became a trend, people started to highlight the health benefits of adding lemon in their coffee and claimed that:
- It melts fat
- It reduces headaches
- It relieves diarrhea
- It’s great for your skin
Unfortunately, a lot of these claims are far from the truth. An article from healthline has already debunked almost all of them, although they did say that the concoction can still provide some health benefits.
You probably already know that coffee is rich in antioxidants, but so are lemons. Like most citrus fruits, lemons contain large amounts of Vitamin C, which is also known to be a water-soluble antioxidant. Pair that with coffee, and you’ll have a disease-preventing brew every morning.
Maple Syrup
If you’re not a fan of coffee with honey, maple syrup may be a better flavor for you. By the way, we’re talking about real, authentic maple syrup, not imitation syrups that are made of artificial sweeteners and chemicals.
Real maple syrup will give your morning coffee a caramel, vanilla-like flavor. Just make sure you don’t use any more sugar because it already contains quite a lot of sucrose (one tablespoon has 14 grams of sugar).
Just like honey, maple syrup also has classifications: Grade A and Grade B. Grade A maple syrup has three more subclasses: Light Amber, Medium Amber, and Dark Amber. Meanwhile, Grade B is the darkest maple syrup you can get.
Why does the color matter? The darker the syrup, the more maple-y it tastes. Plus, studies found that darker maple syrup has more beneficial antioxidants than lighter classes.
Cardamom
Adding cardamom to coffee is one of the most popular ways middle-easterns do to spice up their mornings. It gives your coffee a piney, fruity flavor, and leaves your mouth with a cool menthol-like feel.
In fact, cardamom pods were commonly used to treat bad breath in ancient times. These days, chewing gum manufacturers still use it as one of their ingredients.
Aside from giving you a fresh morning breath, cardamom also contains antioxidant and diuretic properties. In one study conducted on newly hypertensive individuals, they found that cardamom increased their antioxidant status by 90% after 12 weeks.
Meanwhile, researchers also believe that the diuretic effect of the spice can help lower blood pressure. Diuretics lower blood pressure by expelling excess water and sodium in your body through urination.
The amount of cardamom you can put in your coffee is totally up to you and how strong you want your coffee. You can start with a teaspoon of crushed cardamom seeds and work your way to more as you get used to the taste.
Coconut Oil
Putting coconut oil into your morning coffee is believed to give you a lot of health benefits. Of course, not all of these claims are true, so let’s stick to research-based facts.
Coconut oil is composed of 80% “good” saturated fat or Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT). MCTs are more difficult to convert into stored fat and are easier to burn off compared to animal fat. For this reason, coconut oil has long been linked to weight loss.
Speaking of weight loss, if you’re following a ketogenic diet, we have great news for you. According to healthline, the MCTs in coconut oil can help you stay in ketosis, as they are rapidly delivered into your liver and converted to ketone bodies.
Moreover, unlike other triglycerides, MCTs are more easily converted to ketones. With the help of MCTs, you can eat slightly more protein and carbs.
So, if you want to try mixing coconut oil into your morning coffee, you can start small and add a tablespoon to your cup. Just make sure your coffee is piping hot, because well… it’s oil, so it won’t mix easily with your coffee, and you’re going to have to stir before you take a sip.
Ground Cayenne or Black Pepper
Pepper may be the least you’d expect to work with coffee, but we’re actually serious about this. If you want that extra kick that will wake up your taste buds in the morning, you should try this brew.
Just add a dash of cayenne pepper into your coffee, or blend it with milk and sugar to tone down the spiciness. The purpose of the pepper is to counterbalance the bitterness of the coffee and add a new dimension to your morning cup.
Of course, just like all our recommendations with houses for rent, we make sure there are added benefits to the choices we give you — even in your morning brew.
Cayenne peppers contain capsaicin, which can help reduce hunger and make you feel full longer. While studies still don’t completely understand how this happens, participants were found to eat 16% less when they drink beverages that contain capsaicin.
Although, if you have Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or are susceptible to acid reflux, you might want to keep this coffee-pepper mix to a minimum. Coffee and spicy food can both cause acid reflux and worsen symptoms of heartburn.
How Much Coffee Is Too Much Coffee?
Here at Crown Asia, we make sure that we’re as transparent to our clients as possible. Be it with our recommendations for a house for rent or something as simple as the risks of too much coffee.
Speaking of, is there really a limit to the amount of coffee you can take daily?
Well, for starters, the FDA in the United States has recommended 400 milligrams of caffeine per day (which is about four or five cups). This amount is considered safe and will not pose any dangerous or adverse effects to your body.
However, there are some conditions that tend to make a person more susceptible to the negative effects of caffeine. In some cases, caffeine can trigger cardiovascular and mental health problems.
One study tested students in Bahrain and found that coffee was their main source of caffeine. Those who consume more than the recommended daily intake reported to be more at risk of five symptoms:
- Headaches
- Spells of panic
- Feeling trapped or caught
- Overthinking or worrying too much
- Feelings of worthlessness
Hence, while there are a lot of positive effects of caffeine, too much of a good thing will eventually become a bad thing. Luckily, there are a lot of alternatives you can drink throughout the day instead of coffee.
Alternative of the Morning Battery: Tea
A cup of coffee (8 oz) typically contains about 94 milligrams of caffeine. Meanwhile, black tea contains 47 to 90 milligrams of caffeine, which is still relatively low compared to your usual brew. So if you’re still looking for that kick, you can rest assured black tea can give it to you.
More than that, black tea also has a lot of health benefits that are similar to coffee. It has a lot of antioxidants that can reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
A study reviewed the evidence of the benefits of black coffee, and they found that it is generally healthy for you. Those who drink three or more cups where found to have better antioxidant status, and a maximum of eight cups can reduce any risk related to overconsumption of caffeine.
So, if you want to slowly transition away from coffee dependence, you can start with black tea and then work your way to other tea variants with less caffeine. Green tea contains 20-45 milligrams, while white tea has 6-60 milligrams per cup.
Drink Your Everyday Cup of Coffee in the Morning in your New Crown Asia Home
We hope you get to try and enjoy all of the recommendations we provided to put a twist in your morning coffee. One thing we won’t put a twist on is your choice of houses for rent or house and lot for sale. You need a home that is sure, secure, and sustainable for your family.
If you’re looking for premium homes outside of the big city, don’t hesitate to contact us through our website or book an appointment with one of our expert real estate agents. See you soon!
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