EP 53 – Eat This: Coffee – The good, the bad and the best of

Is that morning cup of joe, rocket fuel or java your morning or afternoon lifeblood? Coffee is a complex and yet simple one to take a deep dive into. With coffee shops on every corner, a menu a mile long with all the extras like whip, frap, foam, one or two pumps of flavour and toppings, buying a coffee can not only break the bank, but almost put your pancreas into a sugar coma if you’re not careful. There are coffees from Ethiopia to Indonesia, Guatemala and Honduras and then across the valley to Panama. And they all taste different. Then there’s how to make a great cup of coffee further to steering your car into the drive thru lane and you bellow your order into a speaker, order your double-double as you head to work or on the way home. Now you can preorder with an app, gaining stars and freebies and welcoming the marketing of the latest seasonal treat.

Some people love and would never live without coffee, and others (like me) don’t handle it well. But why? What genetics are at play here? Because I can tell you, there are plenty of days when I wish I drank coffee and gained the uplifting effects that I see so many rely on to get through the day.

What I don’t like is the crash. The crash that I’ve tracked in so many of my clients, the upset to their sleep patterns. Studies have said that caffeine in coffee can lead to miscarriages. Then other studies say nope, it’s not the coffee. As usual the ongoing head spin of what exactly is healthy continues. The Bulletproof craze of butter coffee, MCT oil and coconut oil being blended earned a massive following and I think really started the craze of drinking coffee for performance and health. There is so much to it.

So as always, let’s get into it. On this episode of EAT THIS with Lianne, let’s talk coffee – the ugly, the good and maybe even the best.

I used to think that coffee was like a crutch for most people. I would see it scrawled across food diary after food diary. I would always strongly recommend and gently push my clients to give it up for a while to see if they felt better. Each and every time they did, they would feel better. They’d sleep better and their energy was more balanced. While they missed the ritual, they didn’t miss the need for it to make it through the day. As with everything, I keep an open mind, and after my mentor and family doctor started singing coffee’s praises for all it does for us, I thought it warranted a deeper look. Maybe it was time that I changed my approach.

This week I welcomed back Dr. Davis Brockenshire. He’s a Functional Medicine expert who has graced the airwaves of EAT THIS a couple of times. He himself is a connoisseur of fine wine and, so it would seem, coffee. He has a way with words and influence. He’s a great teacher, known well in my circles as one of the greats in functional medicine, and we are so lucky to have him back on again. Listen in to the episode to get his take.

I have somehow felt more grown up now that I can tolerate a half-caf coffee. Since starting a new job and while learning all the new things, I’ve relied on having a coffee once a day after lunch to keep my mind alert. I get it. It makes a difference. But I don’t ‘need’ it when I’m not at work, for instance, so I’m not in that place with it. I’d like to get the benefits of it as Dr. B shared, and as I know that my liver – in the perimenopausal state that I’m in – needs a helping hand. Black coffee might be good for me. And for you too.

As I delve into something new for myself, I also go a layer deeper and find the tastiest and best option. I’ve always done that with my favourite things, like oysters. I feel that I’m a good shucker and know the difference between the regions and tastes. I tried to dabble in a similar way with tequila… We didn’t get along that well but it was fun while it lasted. I’ve looked for the cleanest and best scotch to drink, and I’ve done similar with chocolate (we talked about that in episode 49). I’ve dabbled with wine, more when I could drink it. So next up: coffee. I brought some back from a local roaster in Australia on my last trip and I wish I’d gone for the BIG bag of it. It was a sad day when I got the bottom of that small bag. So, now I’m trying local roasters and seeing what’s what. I came across a great site that is my kind of site to dig into. The difference in beans, the way to make the best cup, and how NOT to buy ground coffee if you’re after the best cup you can make.

Do you have a favourite blend? Or only buy from a particular region or area? Please share and help me find a great tasting coffee – both decaf and full caf so I can make my own mix. Right now I’m using a French press and that’s working, but with what I’ve learned, I might just need to upgrade. Or once I’ve finished checking out Java Presse’s site, I might not.

I do love hearing your thoughts and feedback, so leave me a comment or get in touch through social media. I’ve been slower lately but I will get back to you! Also, check out my Take This line of supplements and enjoy the new $10 flat rate shipping rate to Canada, $8 to the US and around $14 worldwide. We worked hard to figure this out because shipping is silly, and I don’t want it to stop you from getting the liver support from the Glutathione or NAC, or the immune support from my Sunshine D3+K2 liposome spray or Bio Boost probiotic.

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