Coffee is a hot topic due to many factors, aside from the obvious – coffee, coffee roasters and cafés are everywhere we look. There are many questions that arise and it is time we took a look at them and some of the facts about those particular questions.

First of all, is coffee good for us? That is a loaded question and with some finesse I hope to carefully break this down in an intelligent way. Yes, coffee CAN be good for many of us, but it will depend on your current health and the quality of coffee you get. Those two points are key. Let me explain further.

Coffee is not just a bean that is grown, cultivated and eventually roasted, bagged under strict standards, which we then see “safely” in our stores or cafés. I am sorry to say, this is not the case, yet it is a wonderful idea in our Perfect World mock-up.

Coffee is usually not grown in the United States. When something is grown outside the States we have very little to no control over how many pesticides are sprayed on coffee crops. Coffee is heavily sprayed, resulting in the drinking of coffee to likely expose any one of us to those terrible pesticides. Pesticides have been associated with many health problems such as prostate cancer and other cancers, Parkinson’s and miscarriages to name a few.

If we choose to drink coffee, maybe drinking organic coffee might be a better choice. It CAN reduce or eliminate the exposure to toxic herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers. Here is where this does not favor most of us: The countries where coffee is produced usually have less control and monitoring for compliance to organic practices and pesticide usage.

Then there is the topic of mycotoxins, coffee and cancers. Mycotoxins are damaging compounds created by molds that grow on coffee beans (and other things). They can cause many health concerns and have. I invite you to research this and see what you find about mold and coffee, but this study in 2003 shows that practically all samples (91.7%) were contaminated with molds and this study shares even more as well as some solutions they feel are applicable. So, is there good news and if so, what can we do? Yes, there is, so read on and get ready for the good news “party”!

There are some companies that do care and do what they can to ensure we are getting pure coffee, as nature intended and how our ancient ancestors were privileged to enjoy it. Here comes our Perfect World scenario.

I am not endorsing any one company. I have only been on this quest myself and because of the immense pain and digestive troubles I can easily experience with coffee. I was curious about this very fact while I was traveling in Europe, and I skeptically tasted my husband’s espresso while sitting on the side of Lake Como. Voila! I was elated. I felt my body tingle with joy. The flavor was exactly how I envisioned a coffee SHOULD HAVE tasted. Three weeks traveling Europe and 21 days of espressos, I was a new woman. I reached out and wrote on social sites asking “what the hell is so different about European coffee?” I had a variety of answers yet the region and approach in ethical standards was definitely an underlying basic.

Arriving back to the USA my world crumbled and I all but gave up until the magical day of trying Dave Asprey’s (founder of The Bulletproof Executive) coffee. I had listened to well enough of his killer and more than life-changing podcasts that I decided to give in and buy the coffee that he is endlessly mentioning and the guests are always raving about. Was I going to fall for the marketing or was this going to live up to the talk? So, I purchased one bag of “regular” Upgraded Coffee. I waited patiently.

Soon enough it arrives and I open the bag and the beans look a tad smaller and the smell is not like that I smelled in Europe. Drats, I am already disappointed! Ok, so maybe I am missing something here. I make it with my Aeropress which is my preference over a French press. I wanted to taste the coffee all by itself, not using his Bulletproof recipe (adding the oils, ghee, etc.) which he raves about. I just make the coffee and actually do not LOVE the flavor. I found it a bit “off” in taste as far as what I was hoping and longing BUT then something happened.

I realized I had never heard him ever say, take my beans and make a “plain” coffee and enjoy it. Never! He and his guests are always raving about the effects and changes from the full recipe – the entire recipe termed Bulletproof Coffee. His recipe is not exactly what I created as I am dairy-free and ghee is questionable unless I use a ghee which is batch tested to be guaranteed free of ALL casein and lactose, such as Pure Indian Foods ghee. People were saying their energy was smooth, they could intermittently fast easier and they leaned out (hell yes!) and more. I even listened to a podcast where he interviewed a well-known musician who converted his bandmates to Bulletproof Coffee over stimulants and they were high as a kite and on point during a performance to thousands like never before.

I made my recipe using his MCT oil and that was it! I was now a believer and feel his coffee is superior. NO tummy aches, no jitters, no crash and no drained effects.

What was so different about a coffee overseen by a Silicon Valley Executive named Dave Asprey? I reached out and asked and here it is straight from Bulletproof Executive:

We have a proprietary set of tests we do on the coffee which include 27 different toxins, including mold toxins and a couple others that limit human performance. We do not release the complete list or the limits we test to, which are far in excess of any government standard, and there are no standards for most of them from governments. We do this because mold toxins cross react with each other and no one regulates exposure to multiple toxins at one time. We pay attention to it.

Not to totally change the subject but as I mentioned earlier your current state of health is also a concern when it comes to your drinking coffee, even at one cup a day. If you have any adrenal or thyroid troubles, you should ask your health care practitioner about your coffee consumption. Coffee can cause some distress to a body with weak adrenals and can confuse your protocol to improving your health, and getting your thyroid under better control. It can cause impact on your adrenals, and can even make you fat and diabetic if you’re in this particular delicate category. It is pretty well known that the adrenals should be addressed before the thyroid or ignoring them!

I hope this helps! I sure love my Bulletproof coffee! Also, if you’re interested in more tips for leaning out and getting fit and improving your health, be sure to check out my eBook page which features my book: Curb Cravings, Feel Good and Get Lean!

From my kitchen to yours,

Tina Turbin

If you have any questions or suggestions just email me at Tina (at) Paleomazing.com.