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It’s 4:00 PM and you start dreaming about the nearest Starbucks. That’s a great time for a pure indulgence. Let me share with you some of my favorites. My favorite treat is a Cheese Cake. But since I don’t eat any kind of sugar, I developed my “secret recipe” for a fat-free, sugar-free, protein rich, low Glycemic Index cheese cake. Believe it or not…it tastes great. I already gave away my secret recipe in earlier ezine so click here to get my healthy cheese cake. Cheese cake goes well with coffee. Doesn’t it? You’ve been told that coffee is bad for you and you shouldn’t drink too much. The truth, as always, has two sides. Coffee is a stimulant that causes your body to secret adrenaline, increasing your heart rate, and it’s a dehydrating drink. But on the other hand, coffee is a very potent antioxidant. People believe that coffee is a drink that supports weight loss because caffeine, which speeds metabolism, is the most-active ingredient in many "diet pills." The truth is that coffee may even make you gain more weight. Let me explain this paradox. Caffeine breaks down fat, freeing fatty acids which are immediately burned. Conversion of fat to energy is about 30 percent more efficient when caffeine is consumed prior to exercise. Which brings up another Caffeine caveat: The break-down, and the burning, occurs only when you're in action! While the fat is being burned, the glycogen, glucose, and amino acids (blood sugars) are being reserved - so blood sugar levels remain higher for longer. Low blood sugar = hunger; high glucose staves starving. This is why coffee is popular among students and think-tankers. The brain functions exclusively on glucose, and higher blood sugar levels facilitate thinking. So, coffee supports fat burning when you drink it before your workout. Don’t drink coffee while you workout because it’s a dehydrating drink. It’s best to drink only water when you’re working out. When you drink coffee later without working out, the caffeine increases adrenaline secretion and your blood sugar scales up. Higher blood sugar = fat accumulation. This is how caffeine is a two-side sword. It either supports your fat loss goals or goes against you. If you are a coffee lover, I will share with you another secret recipe for a healthy coffee iced shake. Put in a blender a cup of milk, add 1-2 scoops of a vanilla whey protein shake, sweetened with artificial sweetener, add one teaspoon of instant coffee (decaffeinated if you are not working out) and ½ teaspoon of pure cocoa powder (unsweetened). If you taking supplements such as glutamine or creatine, you can add it to your iced-coffee shake. Add a few ice cubes and turn on the blender for 30 seconds. Here you’ve got a protein rich iced coffee chocolate milk shake with the antioxidant benefits of caffeine and cocoa.
Article Source: http://www.bodyformind.com/db
Dov Oshri is the author of the revolutionary Anti-Aging Fitness Program "Change Your Body and Be Admired". He is the chief editor of Body for Mind – a Wellness Lifestyle for Successful People. His cutting edge Anti-Aging Fitness Program can be downloaded for FREE at www.bodyformind.com
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