Sweet N' Spicy, Burning Coffee

What a title, right?  How appetizing does that sound?  Well, it's actually really good (assuming you enjoy coffee).  I rely on this flavor addition to black coffee to make it enjoyable, but also use it as the flavor basis for my unflavored casein drinks.

There are four things about this that make it good for getting the most of the Slow Carb Diet:

1. Cinnamon
2. Cayenne Pepper
3. Stevia
4. Coffee

As discussed in The Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss, cinnamon is something Tim covers due to how it increases insulin sensitivity.  That's a good thing for helping your body process sugar rather than storing it.  That's a very good thing.  I put in about a teaspoon in a cup of coffee.  Tim really stresses the need for it to be freshly ground/grated as the insulin sensitivity boosting properties are tied to freshness (i.e. oxygenation ruins it).  I tend to use an organic cinnamon in powder form, so I'm not being good enough here, but I often use it on the go, and have a little thing of it, so I can't fresh-grind it often.  When I can, I do.

Cayenne and other hot peppers can also juice your ability to burn (Tim discusses its ability to spike the thermogenic response).  The key with this is to use as much as you can tolerate without going nuts.  I typically put in one shake from a little glass herb container of the stuff I buy at Wholefoods, and I tend to get the organic kind.  Yes, it costs more, but an extra dollar becomes a negligible amount when the entire bottle lasts you several months.

Stevia is a godsend.  It's natural, and very sweet without tasting like a laboratory. Black coffee can be stark and sharp for many folks used to a creamy, sugary cup of Joe.  Stevia makes a big difference, especially when you consider that all other options either are essentially sugar (agave) or chemical (sucralose, aka Splenda, for example).  Tim goes into the negatives of the chemical sweeteners given their impact on lab rats and the potential they have to lower your insulin sensitivity.  Stevia suffers from none of that.  Just note that it tends to be sweeter than sugar ounce for ounce, so if you are a two-scoop-of-sugar person, don't assume you need as much stevia.

Tim also talks at length about the fat burning effects of coffee (caffeinated).  I won't rehash them, but it really does help burn fat/sugar, and is a staple of a smart Cheat Day strategy.  Power it up with these two burn boosters, and throw in the sweetness of stevia, and you've got a delicious and effective weapon on your side.

Hopefully this helps some of you who really feel the need to add milk to your coffee.  Milk isn't allowed on the SCD.  You could add almond milk, but I find it introduces too strong of an almond flavor without really impacting the creaminess of the drink, so it doesn't really achieve what I'd be going for in adding milk or cream.  The cinnamon adds interest to the flavor, and takes quite a bit of the edge off black coffee.  The cayenne is largely unnoticeable, but adds a little dimension to the flavor.  And then the stevia just adds the right sweetness for me.

Of course, if you drink black coffee today, you can skip the stevia, but you should consider adding the other two since they will benefit you.  Enjoy.  enlighten.your.coffee.