How to Make a Cleaner Coffee

 

You may not want to ditch your morning cup of coffee, but you might be wondering how to make a cleaner coffee. That’s exactly what we’re going to walk through!

 

Coffee and its effects can vary widely depending on the person. For some, it is absolute rocket fuel. It can have incredibly beneficial effects including strong antioxidant-like properties. For others, it simply doesn’t do the body well. It can spike cortisol, cause blood sugar regulation issues and lead to a host of symptoms including angst and jitters. Here’s my take: listen to your body and learn what’s best for you. 

 

Regardless of if you’re a coffee devotee or an occasional drinker, I want to encourage you to make the best cup of coffee you possibly can. That means using high-quality ingredients and making better choices with your equipment. 

 

Let’s get brewing…

 

Cleaner Coffee

There are a million and one coffee choices out there, and I couldn’t possibly vet every single one of them. Here’s what I look for when choosing my coffee: 

 

Certified Organic:

Did you know that hundreds of thousands of pounds of pesticides, herbicide and fungicides are sprayed over conventional coffee beans each year? If you’re buying conventional coffee, you’re likely ingesting small amounts of chemical residue from your coffee each morning. 

 

Certified organic coffee means you don’t need to worry about chemical pesticides and more being sprayed over your coffee beans. 

 

Whole Bean:

I always buy whole-bean coffee for two reasons. The first? It simply makes for a more robust and tasty cup of coffee. This is because ground coffee is much quicker to oxidize and go bad than whole-bean coffee. More importantly? Ground coffee is more likely to have become contaminated with mold, pests, and other unwanted substances. Go for whole-bean coffee in order to maximize flavor and health. 

 

Tested for Mold/Mycotoxins:

Most of us think of buying organic coffee in order to “healthify” our morning cup. But the lesser-known consideration is mold/mycotoxin testing. Even organic coffee beans can grow mold. I believe it’s incredibly important to purchase coffee beans that have been tested for mold in order to know you will not be ingesting mycotoxins, which can wreak havoc on your health. 

 

I know, I know. The next question you’re going to ask is – well, what brand do you drink?! I absolutely love Purity coffee and Kion coffee. I want to stress the fact that these are NOT the only two brands that make high-quality, delicious coffee that hit the three marks discussed above. There are several others, and you should by all means feel great about finding one for yourself! These just happen to be my personal go-to’s. 

 

Cleaner Creamers

Oh, the world of creamers. Y’all, I’m going to be real. This is where the quality of your coffee can go downhill fast. Gums and thickeners. Fake or added sugars. Food colorings and dyes. Artificial flavors. Excitotoxins and more. Can I encourage you to choose super simple and real food options when it comes to your creamer? Here are some of my preferred choices

 

• Keto Brainz Creamer
• MCT oil 
• Full-fat canned coconut milk (with no gums added!)
• Organic, raw, full-fat dairy
• Homemade nut milk 

Similarly to the coffee, this is not a comprehensive list of options. It just happens to be some of my favorites. If you find another creamer that hits all the marks in terms of non-toxic, non-junk, and real food, then that’s fantastic! 

 

Non-toxic Brewing

I’m not going to get into the science of brewing coffee. You could dive deep into different methods, the acidity of the coffee produced by each method, and beyond. For the sake of simplicity and keeping the main thing the main thing, I want to share a couple of thoughts on brewing your coffee:

 

• If possible, stay away from plastic coffee makers. The hot coffee contacts the plastic and allows plastic “forever chemicals” to leach into your coffee. Opt for glass options like a French press or Chemex pour-over, etc. 
• Please don’t use K-cups. K-cups require boiling hot water to pass through an aluminum top and then through a plastic cup. It’s a double recipe for disaster when you consider both heavy metals and plastics are likely leaching into the coffee. Further, the coffee inside of the K-cups is typically pre-ground and of lesser quality. 

I hope you’re inspired to give your morning cup a healthy makeover. Start small and just change out the coffee. Then, move to the creamer and a new method for brewing. Or dive right in and change all of it at once! Whatever feels best and most sustainable for you. 

 

Remember, if you’re a consistent coffee drinker, brewing a better-for-your-body cup of coffee each morning will add up in a positive way. Small, consistent choices to improve health are what make the greatest change over time.

 

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