Redeeming My Morning Coffee

Aside from those tea drinkers, who doesn't love a fresh, steaming cup of coffee in the morning? Mmm, "the best part of waking up..."  (to quote a jingle from a popular brand).

Until very recently, I was a cream and sugar coffee-drinker.  Then early this year, I booted refined sugar out of my diet, and that's when I started sweetening my coffee with raw honey.  The first two mornings my let's-get-this-day-started potion tasted off... disappointing.  Of course it did, because it was different, and no one likes different.

That third morning, though (and that is all it took), I started to really enjoy it.  Now... I'd never go back to white sugar even if it weren't wickedly unhealthy.

I choose raw honey because it's more nutritious.  The healthy enzymes and nutrients haven't been killed off in the pasteurizing process.  And, I buy it local. 

I don't suffer from allergies, thankfully, but did you know that if you do, ingesting local raw honey on a regular basis can help alleviate your symptoms?  It's important that the honey be local to your region because the bees will be collecting the very pollen you're struggling with and when you consume it in raw honey form, it builds your immunity to it; that is, your body will recognize its presence and not trigger the release of histamine which is what gives you the watery eyes and scratchy throat.  You can read more about that here. 

Nature... it's amazing, isn't it?!  Another reason to stand in awe of the Creator.

And, about that heat (pasteurization) killing all the good stuff, you might be thinking, "doesn't adding it to hot coffee do that, too?"  Here's the thing - I typically don't add the honey until it is a drinkable temperature with hopes that the milder heat will destroy fewer nutrients, if any.  And even if it did, my logic is that coffee-pasteurized honey is still better than white sugar.  That was my thought... so I went in search of some data to back my theory and found this.  (In case you don't want to go read it... it's affirming.)

I also add a tablespoon of coconut oil to it, which tends to pool at the top, as you can see, but I don't mind.  Contrary to what you might think, the first few sips aren't just mouthfuls of pure coconut oil, the coffee slips in beneath it to make it so delicious!

I consider coconut oil to be a super food (and I'm not alone - here and here are just two examples of others who concur).  It reduces inflammation, improves digestion and the absorption of nutrients, boosts energy, supports thyroid function, and on and on...

So, I add a tablespoon to my diet here and there whenever I can; my cup o joe, included.

And that's it.  I don't even need cream anymore!  No more ultra-pasteurized half and half or those nasty little cups of white stuff that doesn't need to be refrigerated, yet "contains milk ingredients."  {shudder} And definitely none of that toxic powdered stuff that deserves a skull and crossbones beneath its ingredients list (I actually drew a skull and crossbones on the canister that's in the office kitchen cupboard... hehe}

Of course, I could use my raw whole milk or skimmed cream (now that I've found a good source and am a faithful user), but who needs it when this is so tasty?  I'll save that for drinking straight, or making cheese and ice cream!

Here's an interesting post I read recently regarding making coffee healthier.  Again, it was mostly affirming.  I love it when that happens.  Of his 6 points, I'm lacking in two: 1) strictly buying organic and 2) eating first.  While I now drink a tall glass of raw milk before consuming my coffee, I can't eat a full breakfast so early.  I have a healthy breakfast about a half hour after my delicious one cup of coffee.  I think the nutrient-dense raw milk is a good first portion.  Don't you?

As for buying organic, I do have to find a reliable source of fair trade, organic coffee beans to bring it up another notch and leave those common grocery store brands where they are.  Run-of-the-mill coffee is heavily sprayed with pesticides and who wants that?!

The search is on. 


       Five-Minute Update...

Well, that was easy.  I like this company, Tropical Traditions, and they have a fair trade, organic coffee called Equal Exchange.  Tada.  Done.  I first found Tropical Traditions when I was sourcing a quality coconut oil, and found so much more on their website!  I'll still see what I can find locally, but I'm glad to know that one of my favorite online resources will come through, if I need it.

        Six-Week Update...

I have discovered that I can obtain that same brand of fair trade, organic coffee from my local food co-op.  Yippee!



So, how do you take your coffee?  Is it a guilty vice that falls in the 20 of the 80/20 rule, or have you boosted it's health-integrity?

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