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There are so many other ways to prepare your coffee (and thus, prepare you for your day) that I couldn't just keep them all to myself. Whether you're looking to give your morning workout a boost (yes, we're talking Bulletproof coffee) or supercharge your brain power, these are the coffee recipes every coffee lover needs to try. They'll change your routine for the better, trust.
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Coffee for Getting You Into Beast Mode at the Gym
By now, you've probably heard about the legions of people putting butter in their coffee. Sounds gross, but tastes awesome. That's because you're not putting just any old butter into your coffee -- you're putting grass-fed butter into it. (Yes, you will sound like a smug a-hole when you tell people this, but you'll get over it.)
Dave Asprey coined the term "Bulletproof Coffee," and it all started in Tibet with Yak butter tea. Now, it's evolved into a full-on movement. The healthy fats in grass-fed butter reportedly help your brain function better (you can read about it in more detail here).
Drinking it -- or any other coffee, for that matter -- pre-workout can boost your performance in the gym, as studies show that drinking caffeine before a workout can boost your metabolism. The fat in Bulletproof Coffee, yes, adds extra calories and (healthy) fat to your morning, but it's meant to take the place of your bagel and cream cheese breakfast, helping you to cut back on carbs and feel fuller, longer. Plus, consuming healthy fats before a workout can actually help you burn more fat at the gym.
This coffee addict can go an entire day on just one cup of Bulletproof Coffee (versus the five cups I normally down before lunch). The proof is in the (grass-fed) butter.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
8 ounces filtered water
2 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground, high-quality coffee
1 tablespoon Bulletproof Brain Octane or MCT oil
1-2 tablespoons grass-fed, unsalted butter
Directions:
Brew the coffee, then add all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
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If Friends Are Considering an Intervention About Your Caffeine Addiction, Try This
Dandelion is the new black -- coffee, that is. This trendy beverage looks and tastes almost identical to coffee, but is actually a caffeine-free herbal tea with a bevy of health benefits. People claim it's just as satisfying a pick-me-up as regular coffee, only without the caffeine-withdrawal symptoms. Plus, it comes in instant form: try Dandy Blend. It's made with roasted dandelion, chicory and beet roots, along with barley and rye (note: it's considered gluten-free because the non-water-soluble gluten proteins are left behind in the extraction process), and can be used in both hot and cold water.
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If You Have Urth Café Tastes on a Dunkin' Donuts Budget
Coffee is like wine: Sometimes, you want to savor that expensive bottle, and other times, well, you don't care that the wine isn't up to your normal standards. While adding an egg to that bottle of three buck chuck won't make it taste any better (and is actually a really bad idea), it can improve the taste of coffee that isn't of the greatest quality. It nixes bitterness and acidity, making it easier on your stomach and your taste buds.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups ground coffee
1 egg, lightly beaten
6 1/2 cups cold water
Directions:
Bring six cups of water to a boil in a four-quart saucepan over high heat. Stir together coffee, egg and 1/2 cup of water in a separate bowl to form a paste, then add it to the boiling water. Stir for three minutes. Remove from heat and strain. Serve immediately.
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Coffee to Make You the Smartest Person in Your Office
And you thought putting butter in your coffee was weird. Turns out, mushrooms are good for more than just stuffing with cheese. Four Sigma Foods makes a case for adding these magical fungi to your morning brew. They start with 100 percent Arabica coffee and add extracts of chaga, cordyceps or lion's mane mushrooms (depending on the brew you choose).
Why? Chaga mushrooms help cut the acidity of coffee; cordyceps mushrooms boost the effects of caffeine -- without adding any extra caffeine -- and help support adrenal glands; lion's mane mushrooms boost productivity and boast cognitive-boosting benefits that date back to traditional Chinese medicine. (Who knew that coffee and mushrooms go together like peanut butter and jelly?) And they come in convenient, tasty, instant packets -- you won't taste the mushrooms, promise.