I used to blog a recipe every week and very often I would share my latest concoctions for homemade products. Over the last eleven years some of them have been successful and others fell by the wayside. My latest has been very successful for me. I am not a doctor so I can't promote anything medically but only how it works for me.
I have written several times about my cancer journey. It is now almost seventeen years that I have been cancer free. I had surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. With treatment comes side effects for some people. Although this is probably too much information, one of mine was gut problems when I ate certain foods. I have identified most of those foods, and I have very few issues anymore. I have either eliminated that food or find a way to tolerate it. One of those foods is coffee. I really like my coffee and definitely didn't want to stop drinking it. I find if I drink it with a piece of toast or some type of carbohydrate, my stomach stays calm. The carbs work but the best thing I do is put 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda in the cup of hot coffee. It takes down the acid, and I can tolerate the coffee. I can slightly taste the baking soda depending on the strength of the coffee, but it is worth it. Taking too much baking soda isn't good for anyone. It cuts the stomach acid too much and interferes with digestion, but this small amount is fine for me. It is good to have an alkaline body but we need acid in our stomach for digestion. As with life, it's a balance.
Before I knew better, I got a Keurig coffee machine. I tried to use the biodegradable K-cups but sometimes I don't. I do empty the used coffee out and put the plastic cups in with the recyclables. Whether that is helpful, I don't know. Most of the time I use my Aero Press. An Aero Press is basically a portable French press. It can make a cup of coffee as quickly as a Keurig. I actually run water through the Keurig and pour the hot water over the grounds. I just put my 1/8 t. of baking soda in the cup, put grounds in the Aero Press with the hot water and press it through.
Recently I added another step to the process. We all know studies that have shown the health benefits of Cacao. If you haven't heard of them there are tons of testimonials on the internet. It has almost no caffeine and is so good for a person. All I did was buy Cacao Nibs. They are crushed cocoa beans. I put a couple cups on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and roast them at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. They smell like brownies baking. When they cool, I grind them in a coffee bean grinder and then put them in a jar. I drink my first cup of coffee plain and black but if I have another cup I add some ground roasted cacao beans to the coffee grounds. As with anything, it takes some getting used to. It has a hint of chocolate. I generally don't like flavored coffee, but I am liking this subtle flavor.
If you like coffee and chocolate, this is perfect. Some people can drink coffee all day long without any side effects. I'm not one of those people, but this method makes it possible for me to drink a cup or two each morning.
