Few people in the world do not enjoy a morning cup of coffee to start their day. After all, coffee can provide a nice fix of caffeine, can be filling, and, when brewed correctly, is a delicious beverage served either hot or cold. Considering how common it is to see someone with a cup of coffee in their hand, it is no surprise that people are becoming more curious about what it has to offer.
Coffee has become a staple of the modern breakfast and has seen use over several centuries of cultivation. However, many are turning to coffee to manage their weight through coffee-based diets.
The coffee diet is a relatively new concept that has gained a fair bit of traction. Its popularity likely has to do with the fact that it combines a beloved beverage with weight loss. This coffee diet is still fairly early on in its lifespan, so learning a little more about what is involved is in everyone's best interest.
Knowing what is involved in the coffee diet and how it works is paramount to ensuring that you do not waste any time on a flawed process. Once you finish this article, you should have all the information you need to successfully take advantage of the coffee diet.
What is the Coffee Diet?
The coffee diet was brought to public attention by Dr. Bob Arnot, who wrote a book entitled The Coffee Lover's Diet. Dr. Arnot's book claimed that the repeated consumption of coffee offers metabolic advantages conducive to weight management. Dr. Arnot's claim was inspired by his time on Ikaria, an island in Greece primarily populated by older adults in good health. Ikaria has a large supply of coffee, making it a commonly enjoyed beverage on the island. However, Dr. Arnot's work is not as simple as just down an endless supply of coffee to lose weight. You will need to consider certain details when employing the coffee diet.
The main plan involves drinking a minimum of 3 cups of light-roast coffee a day. Light roasts are considered the ideal by Dr. Arnot due to the polyphenol antioxidants found in them. These polyphenol antioxidants are known for reducing inflammation and damage from free radicals. However, there is some evidence to suggest that they can help with weight loss as well, making them valuable to the principles of the coffee diet.
He also suggests that the roast be whole-bean and be brewed using filtered water. While the minimum is 3 cups, Dr. Arnot's work claims that you can enjoy as many cups of coffee a day as you please. The only real caveat is that he urges you to avoid adding sugar or cream to your coffee, as these substances add empty nutrients to the coffee that could interfere with the metabolic enhancements.
As for the food you consume on the coffee diet, there are a few more limits when compared to the coffee. Dr. Arnot's book suggests that your meals and snacks are low in calories and fat, and you should instead opt for fiber foods. This also means avoiding processed foods at all costs. He also suggests that you substitute one meal with a green smoothie every day to maximize nutrition and minimize calories. According to Dr. Arnot, you should limit your food intake to 1,500 calories a day.
Despite the relative youth of Dr. Arnot's concept, it has seen some use by those looking to shed some extra pounds. There have been more than a few reports of people successfully losing weight while taking advantage of the coffee diet. However, understanding the background of the coffee diet and what restrictions it has will only take you so far. You are probably wondering what benefits the coffee diet truly has to offer.
What Benefits Does the Coffee Diet Offer?
The coffee diet might sound like a wonderful new tool for weight loss that allows you to up your coffee intake. However, whether it can truly offer beneficial enhancements to your metabolism remains in question. After all, it is one thing to claim that coffee can help you lose weight and another entirely to prove it.
Fortunately, there actually is evidence suggesting that coffee can improve the power of human metabolism and enable you to manage your weight. Primarily due to the caffeine content found within the average cup of coffee. However, there are two significant benefits offered by coffee that make it a useful dietary tool.
The first major benefit of coffee on your dietary habits has to do with it being an appetite suppressant. Dr. Arnot asserted the appetite suppressant properties of coffee in his book, but scientific evidence has since begun to support the concept to a certain extent.
Some research suggests that consuming coffee before a meal can limit how much food you eat. One particular study took 33 people who were either at a healthy weight or were overweight. The study consisted of 3 sessions in which the candidates were served breakfast with a different beverage depending on their group.
- 1st Group: The first group was given a glass of water with their food.
- 2nd Group: The second group was given a cup of coffee that contained 2.7 mg of caffeine per pound of bodyweight of the drinker.
- 3rd Group: The third group was given a cup of coffee with half the caffeine content of the second group's coffee.
When the overweight candidates consumed 6 ounces (200 ml) of coffee, they consumed less food than when drinking water or half-caffeinated coffee. This study provided demonstrable proof that the consumption of coffee was able to mitigate the consumption of food. This lends credence to the coffee diet's claim that it can limit the amount you are able and willing to eat after having a cup of coffee. However, there is another major benefit the coffee diet has to offer.
There have been assertions that caffeine consumption can enhance human metabolism and speed up the dissemination of calories. This idea has been a staple of the coffee diet's claim to fame since it first came about. The interesting thing is that the consumption of coffee does seem to be linked to a boost in metabolic processes. A review conducted on over 600 people linked caffeine intake to reduced body mass index and fat mass. The review showed that a doubled caffeine intake reduced the subjects' BMI and fat mass by anywhere between 17% to 28%.
Another, more condensed study examined the effects of coffee in 12 adults who were given supplements that contained both caffeine and polyphenols or a placebo. The subjects given the proper supplement demonstrated a greater ability to burn fat and calories. Those given the placebo showed no increase whatsoever and remained dependent on their natural metabolisms.
All this information suggests that the coffee diet has merit as a weight management technique. Being able to suppress your appetite and enhance your metabolism can prove extremely valuable in weight management endeavors. However, you might yet need to consider the issues that might arise from subscribing to Dr. Arnot's coffee diet.
What Risks Does the Coffee Diet Have?
Diets like the coffee diet proposed by Dr. Arnot offer many beneficial effects. However, one key aspect that many overlook is that they often have their fair share of drawbacks. The unfortunate fact is that, despite its uses, the coffee diet is no exception and has its issues. It is essential to remember that caffeine is a powerful substance that is unhealthy in excess. Too much caffeine can result in severe health complications that could be lethal if not appropriately addressed. Perhaps one of the most significant is elevated blood pressure.
An observational study was conducted to assess the correlation between coffee consumption and blood pressure. The study evaluated over 1,100 coffee drinkers and measured their blood pressure. The study found that those who drank three or more cups of coffee a day had significantly higher blood pressure when compared to more moderate coffee consumption. Given that the coffee diet requires a 3-cup minimum to reap the benefits, this diet is risky for those predisposed to high blood pressure and even those who are not.
Additionally, caffeine is a diuretic. Diuretics cause you to excrete fluids more regularly than a normal, healthy body would. Excessive consumption of coffee can lead to you going to the bathroom more frequently than you had before. This is a serious issue since the expulsion of fluids causes you to purge electrolytes like potassium.
Losing too many electrolytes can cause you to develop other health issues and leave you vulnerable. A healthy supply of electrolytes is important to maintaining a healthy body. So, overconsumption of diuretics would cause you to lose electrolytes before you could properly replenish them.
Even if you feel the coffee intake is worth the weight loss, there is still another major flaw in the diet. Typically, any diet plan that requires you to drastically reduce your daily calorie intake will only lead to a more rapid regain. When you actively restrict your body's caloric intake, your body undergoes several changes to compensate for the lack of nutrients. This results in your body storing more fat in the long-term when calories are consumed more regularly. This slows your metabolism and ends up undoing the metabolic enhancement the caffeine initially induced.
The research found that 80% of low-calorie diet users will regain weight after their first month off the diet. This makes low-calorie diets unsustainable for long-term weight loss and can damage your metabolic rate more than it helps. It is important to manage your caffeine intake to keep it within healthy levels if you want to avoid developing any health conditions or a deterioration of your metabolic rate.
The coffee diet is, in essence, a decent way to lose weight in the short term and offer a quick boost to your metabolism. However, the effects will not last long enough for it to be a permanent dietary habit or a long-term weight management program. That being said, if you are determined to use the coffee diet, you will likely want to find a coffee that is ideal for weight loss.
Keep it All Natural
Dr. Arnot's coffee diet has reached a level of fame that is rare for the newer dietary concepts, due in no small part to the global love of coffee. While the coffee diet does seem to have some benefits for weight management, it is far from perfect. In an ideal scenario, you would do well to use the coffee diet as a stopgap measure for weight loss rather than subscribing to it for a long time.
Otherwise, you might find yourself suffering from some fairly adverse side effects. You should also consult with your primary care physician before making a radical change to your diet. Making sure you have no health issues that might cause an adverse reaction when coffee is introduced to your system at these levels is critical. However, the odds of you having an issue with coffee is slim. This means the only question is where to find a decent light-roast coffee for your time on the coffee diet.
We at Bella All Natural believe in treating any condition with the most natural products. Our stance is no different when it comes to your coffee intake. Our Skinny Iced Coffee is the perfect companion for anyone trying out the coffee diet. While the coffee diet primarily focuses on the natural effects of normal coffee to enhance your metabolism and reduce appetite, our product is specially designed for that purpose.
Our recipe allows you to make an iced coffee created with the primary intention of burning fat and allowing you to manage your weight as effectively as possible. When combined with the coffee diet, you will be able to double down on its benefits. So, if you want to slim down, visit our website to order a jar. And always remember to keep it All Natural!
Have you ever given the coffee diet a try before? If so, how did it go? Were the results what you were hoping for? Be sure to leave all your thoughts and stories in the comments section down below! We'd love to hear what you think!
