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This Sydney Life

~ Mostly Recipes & Musings on Health

This Sydney Life

Tag Archives: Coffee

What’s the Deal with Coffee…?

20 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by Joanna in Health, Nutrition

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Coffee, Coffee and health, Dairy Free Creamer, Health, Paleo

TSL What is the deal with coffee?

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my coffee.

I really love it. I even wrote about how much I love it back in October of last year when I finally successfully reintroduced coffee back into my diet.

After nine e n t i r e months off the black gold, no less…

At the time I was drinking it with my BEST Homemade Dairy-Free Creamer. Now, I have one cup a day with some good quality runny cream. I am a happy girl.

It is sublime!

But, here’s the thing. Coffee affects people in different ways.

Even the very knowledgable Chris Kresser says he considers “coffee to be a gray-area food, and by that I mean that the scientific research suggests that it’s beneficial when it’s well tolerated by the individual, but it’s not always well tolerated.”

And, people are often a little confused about this. So, today we’re looking at just what the deal is with coffee.

I like coffee because it gives me the illusion that I might be awake. (Lewis Black)

The good:

* Coffee is a known stimulant. In the brain, it apparently blocks the function of an inhibitory neurotransmitter (brain hormone) called adenosine. By blocking adenosine, caffeine actually increases activity in the brain and the release of other neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine. This makes us feel more alert.

*Caffeine can boost metabolism

*Coffee contains a pretty reasonable amount of several vitamins and minerals. It is also the biggest source of antioxidants in the standard diet. To be fair, this possibly says more about the state of the standard diet than the health benefits of coffee.

*It smells good. It tastes good. It makes you feel good!

The bad:

*When you consume coffee, your cortisol levels rise, along with other stress hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine. This increase can last anything up to six hours. That’s a lot. These chemicals increase your body’s heart rate, blood pressure and tension levels – that ‘fight or flight’ response. Given the increasingly stressful lives we now lead, increasing ‘fight or flight’ reactions can be a big problem. Excessive cortisol production can lead to a variety of health issues, including an overactive immune system, disrupted sleep, impaired digestion, and depression.

*Coffee contains caffeine, a stimulant that can cause problems in some people and disrupt sleep.

*Drinking coffee on an empty stomach, think first thing in the morning, stimulates hydrochloric acid production. This can be a problem because HCl should only be produced to digest meals. If your body has to make HCl more often in response to regular cups of coffee, it may have difficulty producing enough to deal with a large meal.

TSL Coffee Beans

Black Gold!
(Image from here)

Sarah Ballantyne, my go-to girl on all things autoimmune related, is in agreement with Chris Kresser with regard to individual differences in our ability to deal with coffee. She says, “Those people with autoimmune diseases should take special care with consumption of coffee as their systems are particularly sensitive to irritants and they have a much higher likelihood of an immune response to coffee (because they have a much higher likelihood of gluten intolerance and food sensitivities in general). Overall, coffee gets the “proceed with caution” label.”

So, after a nine-month hiatus from drinking coffee while attempting to heal my poor ailing gut and kick this HS problem to the side-line, I will continue to drink my morning coffee. Because I love it and I don’t seem to experience any particular negative effects from one cup. But, I will limit it to one. And, I’ll keep a weather eye out…

What do you think about coffee?

Holy Alter-Ego, Batman! – The BEST Homemade Dairy-Free Creamer EVER!

03 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by Joanna in Food

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

AIP, Almond Milk, Autoimmune Protocol Reintroduction, Coffee, Coffee Creamer, Cup coffee, Dairy allergy, Dairy Alternative, Dairy Free Creamer, Paleo

TSL Dairy Free Creamer

(Image by TSL)

“Wait!”
“What?” I lowered my cup hastily, wondering if maybe there was a stray hair, or worse, a newly boiled bug inside my cup.
You got to smell it first. It’s the proper way to cup coffee.”
“Cup coffee?”
“Taste it.”
“What? Are you the coffee police or something?”
(Justina Chen, North of Beautiful)

I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here.

The reintroduction stage of my autoimmune protocol adventure has finally arrived. That means I have started reintroducing foods that have previously been excluded. This is managed in a very systematic way – one food at a time, starting with things that are least likely to cause a problem (or that I miss the most!). I’m keeping a food journal and recording any unusual symptoms or changes in mood. Honestly? – it’s actually proving to be more work that strict AIP!

By far the BEST thing I have been able to reintroduce into my diet is coffee! I have missed my coffee like you wouldn’t believe. More than red wine, even. Truly.

And, when I say coffee, I mean the real deal. No Starbucks for this girl, thank you very much! We are serious about our coffee down here in this corner of the world. And, Casa TSL is no exception to this regional ‘passionate about our coffee’ rule.

Wanna’ know just how serious we are?

Here’s a pic’ of our particular brand of coffee machine here at Casa TSL…

TSL Image of Bezerra coffee machine

The Bezerra Galatea Domus
We are THIS serious about coffee around here!
(Image from here)

My beloved Bezerra machine has been pretty neglected since February. Nine entire months! She has only seen action when LM fires her up over the weekend for his espresso(s).

…and, I sit on the couch, with my nose in the air, to get my caffeine fix vicariously.

To me, the smell of fresh-made coffee is one of the greatest inventions. (Hugh Jackman)

The thing is, despite the fact that I adore my coffee, I can’t drink it black. Just can’t. And, before you say anything, I know this makes me a pseudo-coffee aficionado. I know purists drink their coffee black. Just not me.

So, what’s a flat white drinker to do?

flat white
noun
a type of coffee made with espresso and hot steamed milk, but without the froth characteristic of a cappuccino.

For a while there, before I started my autoimmune protocol adventure, I was drinking a long black with a healthy dollop of organic cream (raw if I could get it). YUM! And, occasionally, I had the odd bulletproof coffee.

But, any dairy is still off the menu here at my place. And, it may remain that way for a wee while. I’ve got a bad feeling about dairy. So…

…I tried coffee with almond milk. Meh. Too watery. And, there was the curdle factor.

…I tried coffee with coconut milk. Ughh. Too coconutt-y.

And then, lying in bed one night, wondering just how I was going to manage being a coffee-free ‘Chief Barista’ during my parents’ recent visit to Sydney, I had a small epiphany. As you do.

What if I combined the almond milk and the coconut milk to make a dairy-free coffee creamer?

So, I did. And I played around with the formula a little – tweaking it by adding a little maple syrup and vanilla for sweetness and balance. And the results were AMAZING! So amazing that I can honestly say that if I end up being off dairy forever, I can happily drink coffee with my special TSL Coffee Creamer. It’s THAT good!

I can’t express how happy that makes me. It’s quite difficult to limit myself to one cup a day!

And, here’s the recipe. Just for you.

The BEST Homemade Dairy-Free Creamer EVER

  • Servings: depends on how you like your coffee (makes about 2 1/2 cups)
  • Time: Less than 10 minutes
  • Difficulty: ridiculously easy
  • Print

TSL Dairy Free Creamer

Ingredients:

1 x cup Almond Milk (here’s my recipe for awesome almond milk)
1 x cup coconut milk
1 x teaspoon vanilla essence
1 x Tablespoon maple syrup

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients into a large jar. Secure the lid and shake vigorously.

2. Pop in the fridge just like normal milk. It will last about 5 days. If your creamer separates, just give it a shake before pouring.

That’s it. Simples!

E N J O Y !

If I asked for a cup of coffee, someone would search for the double meaning. (Mae West)

The One About Kiwiana, Shane Hansen & Coffee

04 Friday May 2012

Posted by Joanna in Culture

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

All Blacks, Art, Buzzy Bee, Coffee, Colour, culture, Design, Kiwi, Kiwiana, Maori, New Zealand, Peter Jackson, Pop art, Shane HAnsen, Shopping, Travel, Wellington

There are some things Kiwis do really well. The most obvious one – to most of the western world, at least – is produce pretty great rugby players. I’m talking about you Dan, Richie, Mils, Piri and the rest. Kiwis are not too shabby at yachting, either. New Zealand has won the America’s Cup a couple of times. Thanks to Peter Jackson and his team in Wellington, New Zealand is building a reputation for movie-making (think the Lord of the Rings trilogy). I could go on (I’m a Kiwi, after all) but, I want to talk about something else. I want to talk about Kiwiana.

Kiwiana: [ˌkiːwɪˈɑːnə] pl n collectable objects and ornaments relating to the history or popular culture of New Zealand

New Zealand has a long history of producing collectable objects – from souvenirs to fine art that reflects popular local culture. One of the best examples I can think of is the Buzzy Bee™.

The original Buzzy Bee™

The Buzzy Bee™ is New Zealand’s most famous children’s toy. This brightly coloured, wooden pull-along toy has been handed down from generation to generation and is now regarded as a major New Zealand icon. There would be few New Zealanders that don’t remember playing with this charming little toy in their youth. I certainly had one.

‘Buzz‘ by Shane Hansen
acrylic, wood gel, glass paint, foil, lacquer and wax on hoop pine plywood
(Image sourced from here)

Shane Hanson is an artist who captures the Kiwiana spirit for me – albeit at a pretty high-end. In his own words, his creations “spring from a world of bold colours and optimistic clarity, a pop-art invitation to a feel-good New Zealand celebration“. Shane is of Māori, Chinese, Danish and Scottish descent, which is reflected in his art as he navigates his way on a journey of cultural discovery. I reckon’ he also has a great sense of humour.

Check out some of his work:

‘Pania, Boy & Friendly Rua‘ by Shane Hansen
limited edition screen prints on 70s wallpaper
(Image sourced from here)

‘Me & Chuck‘ by Shane Hansen
acrylic & lacquer on custom wood
(Image sourced from here)

‘Mad Cow Series – Denise‘ by Shane Hansen
Limited Edition giclee print on archival card
(Image sourced from here)

Now, we’re getting to the real reason I wanted to introduce you to Shane Hansen and his Kiwiana-oriented art… LM and I are pretty serious about our coffee here in our wee corner of the world. We have a pretty fab’ coffee machine (a spiffy Bezzarra Domus Galatea, which almost requires a pilot’s licence to drive it, just in case you’re interested). We’ve been known to take our coffee machine on holiday with us. Truly.  I am simply not worth talking to until I’ve had my first caffeine injection of the day.

So, imagine an object that combines the pop-culture of Kiwiana with my love of good-quality coffee…? Here it is, the oh-so-very-gorgeous Harikoa Vibiemme Coffee Machine!

Harikoa Vibiemme Coffee Machine
Limited edition of 3 only
(Image sourced from here)

Shane Hansen has teamed up with Valente Machinery and launched this series of limited edition Vibiemme Domobar Super espresso machines. These beauties combine the best in Italian coffee machines with the best of Kiwiana.  The artwork expresses the love of home, love of lifestyle, love of beautiful things and of course, the love of coffee. Each machine in this edition of three, is signed by the artist and numbered. If you’re a coffee freak and an art lover, then this baby has your name written all over it!

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, harikoa means ecstasy, to be uplifted, euphoric. Exactly how one should feel after a great coffee!

It’s a steal at NZ$5,500 + P&P! (That’s about US$4,430 or GBP2,737 not including the postage!) <gasp!>

Should you decide you just have to have one of these wee things of beauty, can I suggest you hot-foot it to my favourite source of all thing Kiwiana online – cleverbastards.co.nz.  They’ll look after you. Of that, I have no doubt!

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