I love coffee. I don’t drink it everyday but when I do, nothing is better. I was curious about the perfect french press technique and I found this video from the 2007 World Barista Champion, James Hoffmann.
Coffee gets unjust blame for health problems but in reality is just the seed of a plant. How can this be harmful? Yes it can be over-roasted potentially creating problematic enzyme destruction and protein denaturation (especially in decaffeinated beans). But if you are going with a high quality product you needn’t worry. Bask in the pleasure that your cup of coffee is helping your liver ward off cirrhosis, cleaning gallstones out of your gallbladder, reducing your risk for parkinson’s, ridding your teeth of dental cavities, reducing your colon cancer risk, treating headaches, and boosting your mood.
Enjoy your coffee black, don’t steep for more then 4 minutes, and avoid unfresh drip coffee. Avoid any sugar and dairy products as well (this includes artificial dairy!). Coffee will begin to acidify after 10 minutes so drink it quick while it is alkaline and always make fresh coffee. And skip the Starbucks blended drinks – all the processing destroys any health benefits of the coffee itself and it’s about the health equivalent of eating a Mcdonald’s hamburger.
Maitake Mushrooms
Maitake mushrooms used to be incredibly rare, so rare that people were said to have danced when they found them. Hence the name maitake, which means “dancing.” These mushrooms, along with many others, contain natural sugars that stimulate natural cancer-fighting NK and T cells. However, it is important to know that cooking these mushrooms, or any vegetables or meats, kills their healthy enzymes and dilutes the cancer-fighting qualities. In other words, eat these mushrooms in a fresh salad, not on cooked pizza. Broccoli
Broccoli or other cruciferous vegetables contain sulforaphane, which boosts the body’s natural cancer-fighting properties. It mobilizes special enzymes in the body to neutralize cancer-causing agents before they can affect cells. Eating raw broccoli is the best way to get the most sulforaphane, and according to whatsfordinner, scientists have recently discovered that broccoli sprouts (baby broccoli) have much higher levels of sulforaphane then mature broccoli sprouts. Tomato and Tomato Products
Lycopene, one of the most powerful antioxidants, is found mainly in tomatoes. The antioxidant stimulates the production of a phase II detoxification enzyme that neutralizes carcinogens and allows them to be excreted from the body. Turning tomatoes into sauce only increases the lycopene concentration, which is welcome news for those who love to eat pasta and ketchup.
Avoid Trans fats (and intersterified fat – the new one) are possibly the worst thing you can put in your body. These denatured fats are more like plastic than food. The consumption of trans fats increases the risk of coronary heart disease by raising levels of “bad” vLDL cholesterol and lowering levels of “good” HDL cholesterol. Health authorities worldwide recommend that consumption of trans fat be reduced to trace amounts. Trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils are more harmful than naturally occurring oils.
