- Coffee Myths: Where Is the Truth
- Unloading Day Options
- How to Stay Healthy
How often, when we pour ourselves a cup of fragrant coffee, do we think that we are just pampering ourselves? Many people associate their addiction to it with a bad habit. We will tell you how you can use all of its positive virtues to your advantage: make your body slim, your eyes sparkle, your mood wonderful.
Coffee Myths: Where Is the Truth
When something causes contradictory opinions (harsh negatives alternate with delight and admiration), this means that you need to find a golden mean. To understand who a fasting day on coffee is ideal for, and for whom it is contraindicated, it is important to clearly understand the pros and cons of this beverage.
Pros
Putting aside the emotions of coffee lovers, there are still quite a few pros:
- Gives the body a powerful surge of energy, increases physical and mental performance (caffeine is responsible for this).
- Reduces cholesterol levels, improves microcirculation, and strengthens the vascular wall (thanks to vitamins PP, P, and B3, which form when the beans are roasted).
- Regulates the work of the digestive tract (due to chlorogenic acid and tannins).
- Has an antiseptic effect, which is important for preventing fermentation processes and improving the functioning of the normal intestinal microflora (thanks to essential oils).
- Boosts your mood (its unique taste and aroma can relieve depression).
Cons
The negative impact is mainly due to caffeine. And the amount is important here. If 1-2 cups usually have no consequences, then 6-7 will immediately affect your health:
- Regular use can lead to psychological dependence.
- Increases heart rate and blood pressure (short-term).
- Increases the excretion of minerals (calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium).
- Has a strong diuretic effect (risk of dehydration).
If you look closely, many of the negative effects can be useful for losing weight. Moderation is the key. A well-planned coffee fasting day will help you lose up to 1 kg of excess weight. In a month, this is already 3-4 kg, and you don’t have to torment yourself with prolonged starvation. All you need to do is to enjoy the exquisite taste and aroma, along with a few diet foods, once a week.
Unloading Day Options
Weight loss occurs in several areas at once:
- increased metabolism, including lipolysis (fat breakdown);
- decreased absorption of carbohydrates in the intestines (due to chlorogenic acid);
- decreased appetite;
- diuretic effect (getting rid of hidden edema);
- regulation of digestion and intestinal microflora.
It is hard to imagine a more complex weight loss mechanism. That is why recipes for coffee fasts are so popular.
On Green Coffee
This is made from unprocessed green coffee beans. What are its advantages for losing weight?
- less caffeine, which appears during roasting, meaning that you can drink more of it;
- more chlorogenic acid – the main fat-burning substance;
- reduces blood insulin levels, which is important for accelerating metabolic processes (the pounds will disappear even faster).
It has a specific taste. It has a greenish-tart aftertaste, similar to an unripe persimmon. On your fasting day, you can drink no more than three cups, preferably before meals to suppress your appetite even more.
Sample menu:
- breakfast: 150 g of low-fat cottage cheese;
- lunch: tomato salad with herbs;
- dinner: apple.
You should also drink at least 1.5 liters of water. It is also brewed differently. You will need not one teaspoon per cup, but three.
On Black Coffee
You can drink three to five cups for unloading. Drink them without sugar, but be sure to have them with some diet food. Here is a list of foods that will not ruin the effect of weight loss:
- low-fat cottage cheese 100-150 g (this will replenish the calcium lost);
- vegetables: bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, greens (you can make a salad with olive oil);
- apples.
Remember, it is better to avoid sugar, but additional fluids are a must.
On Instant Coffee
For many, the process of brewing ground beans becomes an insurmountable obstacle for such a fasting day. Can you replace it with instant coffee? Yes, especially if it is green coffee. It will retain all of the beneficial properties for weight loss.
Choose a high-quality product. The main thing is the caffeine content. Freeze-dried coffee retains the most. Granulated has a little less. Some cheap brands (basically powdered beverages) contain only surrogate flavor and aroma substitutes and are completely useless.
On Coffee with Chocolate
This recipe will probably be the most popular of all. Chocolate is not only a delicious treat, but also a recognized antidepressant (as confirmed by scientific research).
Only dark, bitter varieties are suitable for unloading. During the day, you can eat 100 g, dividing it into 5 meals. We supplement such a “feast” with a cup of aromatic coffee, of course, without sugar.
Important! You can only drink water three hours after your last meal.
On Coffee with Milk
What are the advantages of this combination? There are plenty:
- it mellows out the bitter taste;
- it enriches the menu with calcium (this is important for preventing osteoporosis with regular use of such fasting days);
- all cells in the body use milk protein as a building material; it is absorbed for a long time and provides a feeling of fullness for longer.
Menu: you can drink five cups at regular intervals. You can add some vegetables and fruits.
On Coffee and Kefir
This combination is less popular than coffee with milk. But in terms of effectiveness, it is even more justified. After all, kefir also enhances the diuretic effect, regulates digestion, and helps the microflora grow. Plus, it is an excellent source of calcium and other essential micronutrients.
Menu: you can drink the beverages separately (1 liter of kefir). There is also an original cocktail recipe: add 1 teaspoon of ground coffee beans and 1/2 tablespoon of cocoa to a glass of kefir (250 ml). This is a protein shake option, which is great for waking up in the morning.
On Coffee and Water
The effectiveness of this recipe is based on its diuretic effect. Suitable for people who are overweight, which is always accompanied by edema. During the day, drink up to 5 cups of coffee and 1.5 liters of water. You can have some cottage cheese (100 g), vegetables, and fruits.
On Coffee and Tea
The menu includes three cups of natural coffee and three cups of green or herbal tea. Do not add sugar. Alternate the beverages every 2-3 hours. You can have some vegetables and fruits (except potatoes, bananas, and grapes). Also drink water. This diet will help you get rid of 2 kg of weight right away.
On Coffee and Apples
This is more of an apple fast, complemented by a pleasant taste and aroma. Apples are a classic diet food.
