Going out for coffee may be hazardous to your health, as you can see from the photo, courtesy of FoodBabe.com. This proves that trendy and tasty do not equal healthy, even in a world where organic and gluten-free are the fastest growing food market niches.
So many of us are avoiding dairy and soymilk is a poor choice if you value your thyroid health, but we want something to put in coffee. For me, Almond milk does not cut it and has too much almond flavor, and coconut creamer is not rich enough, and often has added ingredients like carageenan that may be a concern.
Carrageenan is a seaweed extract that is used in the natural food industry to thicken foods and beverages. Degraded carrageenan has been shown to cause cancer in lab animals. It seems to be destructive to the digestive tract. Undegraded carrageenan may not cause cancer, but it is still linked to leaky gut and damage to the gut lining. So, it may compromise your immune system.
The other dilemma is how to get more good fats in your diet, like butter, especially if you are cutting down on bread and grains.
Bullet-proof coffee or tea solves both problems! Add a pat of butter (or coconut oil) and swirl your coffee or tea in a Bullet or blender to mix and emulsify the fat. Now you have the creamy texture of coffee or tea with milk or half and half, without the concerns about dairy reactions. If you are super-sensitive to dairy, you can use ghee, which is butter that has been heated to remove all the milk solids an leave just the fat, known as clarified butter in French cooking.
Coffee is a herb, like tea, and has antioxidants. For most people, in moderate amounts, coffee is safe to drink. It is dehydrating, so be sure to increase your water intake and don't substitute coffee for water! For even more antioxidants, add an organic green tea bag to your fresh hot brew.
So, now you can have rich coffee, without milk or oream, and get more butter in your diet. Butter has natural A and D and with all the concerns about Vitamin D, butter is a natural source. Notice that Nature always pairs Vitamin D with Vitamin A, as in fish oil. And butter is a great fat for hair and skin.
Let me know how you like Bullet-Proof Coffee. There is even a new coffee shop in Culver City called Bullet Proof Coffee, so butter as an alternative is spreading and maybe we will see it at Starbucks. Always choose organic butter or a grass-fed butter like Kerrygold from Ireland to avoid hormones and pesticides.
Have a great week!