Coffee …. ooh ! That small in the morning like a breeze of fresh air in the urban areas. That taste like absolutely nothing else ! I often wonder if it isn’t t more addictive than caffeine itself.
It make us think faster , seem more organized , and waste less time in the morning ( in theory). There is a lot of studies , how drinking coffee may prevent alzheimer’s disease, several types of cancer and diabetes. It’s a common supplement in fat loss due to its thermogenic effects and hunger suppression, It’s rich in anti-oxidants. Caffeine is propably the safest social drug of it all , and that may be probably one of it’s biggest benefits.
But Hold Your horses just for a second before You ran for a cup of Your blacks , and Let me Explain You why i stopped drinking coffee from a few each, day to less than a few each month.
But First let’s take a look at how caffeine works
Caffeine Kind of Pretends to be adenosine , or at least you brain takes it for one , therefore it gets bound to the adenosine receptor . To put it simply adenosine slows Your brain down and starts to prepare it and your body for a sleep, and caffeine ? It does the complete opposite bounded to the same adenosine receptors and instead increases the nerve cell activity. Talking bout tricky molecules.
You see , I’m a a musician , the creative person one might say , and the most effective time for me to write is at night when everyone else falls asleep , with no impulses from outside world. That time of night allows me to achieve that blissful zen, that deep focus a thing we call THE STATE OF FLOW . It usually lasts for a couple of hours usually in-between 9pm to 3 am. Consuming caffeine makes is really hard not to crash before that time even comes, and when Your body overdrives that tiredness it has really big trouble getting adequate REM sleep amount, making it impossible to be highly effective day in day out .
Remember that a bad quality coffee can be toxic and excessive caffeine consumption can lead to lowering your libido and testosterone levels. It may disruption your sleep patterns, cause general fatigue and simply burn You out. It may cause a state of depression as well . Fast Coffee Oxidizers usually crash down after having a short period of so called “high” times , after which they will reach for a another , and another , and another just to sustain the effect.
It made me realize it’s not exactly the type of boost I’m looking for in my Life. Short temporary state of high performance is far away from optimizing my days in long run. Beware! In My Research I found a way better alternative with much smaller amount of caffeine .
CACAO !
Cocoa Beans contains the alkaloid called theobromine.
You see theobromine is almost the same molecule as caffeine with an extra methyl group (whatever that means). That small difference makes it’s bounding to adenosine receptors much easier to break, so the adenosine can sit back and allow you to get joyfully tired.
Cocoa contains the actual Serotonin ! As well as dopamine, monoamine oxidase, and a variety of flavonoids. These are thought to lower blood pressure, prevent migraine, and contribute to its mood-elevating effects. We are actually one of the very few mammals able to metabolize theobromine .Researchers at Harvard Medical School analyzed 21 studies that involved more than 2,500 participants and found that drinking Cacao is associated with reduced blood pressure, improved blood vessel health and lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and elevating HDL (“good”) cholesterol. A recent randomized, single‐blind, order counterbalanced, crossover design study reported an acute improvement of visual and cognitive function linked to the consumption of cocoa flavanols. Cocoa flavanols improved visual contrast sensitivity and reduced the time required to detect motion direction. In another study the consumption of drinks containing 520 mg or 994 mg cocoa flavonoids , improved cognitive performance in serial subtraction tasks.
You cannot argue with science , Cacao is the bomb.
I can’t stress enough how great cacao is, here are some of its biggest benefits :
– Flavanols increase nitric oxide production , who needs a pre-workout ?
– It boost Your mood and Your brains performance
– It boost my Creativity by putting me in the optimal conditions for composing or writing
–cacao also contains chemicals called MAO-inhibitors. In short, raw Cacao has neurotransmitters AND the chemicals necessary to ensure these neurotransmitters are absorbed into the body and reach the brain. These are found in DMT or ayahuasca
-it contains the actually serotonin , not only its a precursor for the chemical in brain but it contains the actual serotonin !!
– It is a proven cure for depression . Cacao contains the mood improver, anandamide – known as the bliss molecule, which creates a feeling of euphoria
-It’s a source of phenethylamine, which triggers the release of endorphins and pleasurable opium-like neurochemicals
-Cacao contains high amount of anti-oxidants
-It improves insulin sensitivity
-Raw Cocoa can supresses your apetite and improve digestion.
-It’s the highest plant based source of iron #goVegans
-It’s one of the highest and most bioviable sources of magnesium on the planet
-It contains about 1/8th of caffeine comparing to coffee
– Cocoa Flavanols boost brain performance : https://goo.gl/7MNmzK
– TASTE ?! It’s unique flavour is such a soothing experience .
– Several studies implicate a boost of physical performance aswell.
Best ways to consume cocoa
ok seriously
The BULLETPROOF CACAO
It’s something i drink every morning and throughout a day as one of my rituals. All of the ingredients are scientifically proven to improve cognitive plus physical performance , boost immunity , it’s a way different feeling of coffee and damn its a better one .
Here is how to make a BP CACAO :
1. get a Jar…. ! cuz yes , there is always a jar somewhere around , it’s gonna be easier to blend your cacao later on.
2. put a Table spoon of Cacao Powder
3. a spoon of cinnamon – there is unlimited amount of studies proving cinnamon as a cognitive booster , it lowers Your insulin levels as well.
4. a piece of fresh ginger root – ginger is a must in any kitchen , countless health benefits , counted as a top cancer preventing food.
5. a spoon of Coconut oil – MCT contained in a coconut oil are instantly used as a brain fuel , you can read more about it here .
6. a bit of Cayenne Pepper – Capsicine contained in Cayenne are the only proven legal fat burner , plus i just like a bit of spiciness .
7. Pour hot water and blend it all together . Have a good Day !
What about chocolate ?
I stay away from chocolate as much as possible , It’s just highly processed food. Every now and than i may have a piece of extra dark chocolate , but eating chocolate is an extremely easy way to overconsume Your calories. 100g of chocolate contains typically around 550-650 kcal I know , we all love chocolate but stay away from Milk Chocolate, It is the worst of it all , packed with sugars and dairy , very rarely contains anything above 40% of cocoa.
Here are some interesting cocoa studies and resources : https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2014/606575/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4696435/ http://www.marscocoascience.com/
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