At first glance, “coffee” and “weight loss” don’t appear to be words that belong in the same sentence. But whether you love it hot or iced, coffee is about to become your go-to new diet drink.
Inspired by exciting evidence that an ordinary cup of joe might help increase a person's likelihood of an extended life by up to 50 %, former NBC Nightly News and 60 Minutes medical correspondent Bob Arnot, MD, began experimenting with ways to reap the drink’s maximum benefits. The end result: A whole new method to detox, one built around special coffee (both regular and decaf, hot and iced) that boasts the highest doses of disease-and-fat-fighting antioxidants. Up to now, folks testing Dr. Arnot's “coffee cleanse” have been able to treat everything from eczema to type 2 diabetes while shedding up to 50 pounds in 50 days. “Drink coffee my way, and you may trigger unparalleled weight loss while changing your entire life for the better,” Arnot said.
Does coffee assist you to lose weight?
After studies from the National Institutes of Health pointed to antioxidants in coffee (which are called phenols) as answer to the drink's many health advantages, Arnot was interested in which brew options were highest in phenols. He was shocked to find no comprehensive tests existed, so he hired chemists at a Vermont lab to systematically rank hundreds of beans.
“Dark roasting destroys phenols,” Arnot said, adding he and his team took to calling the lightest roasts “lean roasts,” because they explode with slimming compounds. Plus, unlike their dark counterparts, they “are delicious without fattening sugar or cream.” Further down you will find a summary of top-ranked “lean roast” coffees, including options from Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, as well as McDonald's. We’re also sharing a unique version of Arnot's coffee cleanse, which pairs lean roast coffee (a minimum of three cups per day) with nutrient-dense shakes and meals that he says optimize coffee's benefits. But whether you use his detox regimen or otherwise, every cup of high-phenol coffee you sip provides you with a fat-fighting edge.
How High-Phenol Coffee Slims
High-phenol coffee affects your body by providing you…
A faster metabolism. According to an initial Japanese study, phenols result in a short-term burst of faster fat burning capacity. Phenols also boost calorie burn long term by preventing a type of inflammation that not only stalls our thyroids, but could also result in loss of metabolism-boosting muscle. Bonus: Stimulants in a single cup of caffeinated coffee “are shown to increase metabolism by an extra 75-100 calories a day,” Arnot said.
Faster fat burning. Phenols in coffee have been shown to 'abnormal' amounts of insulin, an excellent thing since the hormone blocks fat loss. The less insulin we make, the greater readily fat burns! Phenols have also been proven to decrease the formation of recent fat, Arnot said. Another caffeine bonus: The stimulant helps free fat from fat cells during activity, so the body can easily incinerate it. “It's an extraordinary boost to weight loss!”
Fat and calorie blocking. There are actually a few few different kinds of phenols in coffee. One type, chlorogenic acid, has been shown to decrease our absorption of carbs, so some calories from, say, the bread we enjoy with coffee won't count. Meanwhile, Arnot noted, another phenol called melanoidin decreases absorption of dietary fat – meaning even more calories don't count! He added: “I suspect it's the reason people instinctively take coffee following a rich meal.”
Results From the Coffee Diet Plan
New Jersey mom Marney Rohda, 48, was one of the primary folks to volunteer to test Arnot’s coffee cleanse. Eight weeks later, she was 20 pounds skinnier. “I never drank coffee regularly before. Now I’m hooked!” she said. Then there’s fellow New Jersey mom Gloria Culmone, 47. Upping her coffee intake to 5 high-phenol cups a day, she dropped 15 pounds in A 3 week period. “I’m not sleepy within the afternoons anymore, my cravings for unhealthy foods went away, and maintaining my weight reduction continues to be easy,” she said. “The best coffee can do amazing things.”
The Coffee Cleanse Meal Plan
High-Phenol Coffee: Sip single serving upon rising and unlimited additional cups per day as desired, targeting a minimum of three cups. Enjoy coffee decaf or regular, hot or iced as desired. High phenol coffees include:
- Daktari Kenya Gathugu is really a worthy splurge, as the gathugu bean in the Nyeri region in Kenya “had phenol levels 100 % greater than other very good coffees,” Arnot said.
- Both Dr. Danger Hard Core Extra Light and Intelligentsia’s Frequency Blend (from $14, Amazon) are specialty standouts, as they’ve earned sky-high phenol scores.
- Dunkin’ Donuts Original Blend ($10.48, Amazon), McDonald’s Decaf Medium Roast ($11.28, Amazon), and Lavazza Kilimanjaro ($9.60, Amazon) blew many pricey brands from the water; Eight O’Clock Coffee Columbian Medium ($6.46, Amazon) and Folgers Classic Roast ($6.92, Amazon) also had top-30 scores.
- Veranda Blend Blonde K Cup ($39.52, Amazon) and Green Mountain Coffee Breakfast Blend K Cup ($63.89, Amazon) boast an impressive number of phenols.
Dr. Arnot's Super Smoothie
Besides your everyday cup of joe, supplement your diet with Arnot’s Super Smoothie in the morning or lunch!
Ingredients
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1-4 Tbsp. chia seeds
- 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/2 cup frozen cantaloupe
- 1/2 banana
- 3 cups chopped kale (stems removed)
- 1/2 cup baby spinach
- Wild honey to taste
Coffee Diet for Weight Loss
Snacks (enjoy one to three per day if required to control hunger)
- 1/4 cantaloupe
- 1/2 cup 1 % cottage cheese
- 1 handful raw almonds
- 2 Tbsp. smashed berries, 2 tsp. nut butter and 1 tsp. wild honey on 1 slice of sprouted wheat toast
- 2 oz. nitrate-free deli meat, 1/4 avocado, mustard to taste rolled in a large lettuce leaf
Optional Meals (enjoy one option at lunch and/or dinner otherwise having a smoothie)
- Option 1: 3/4 cup low-fat sprouted granola, 3/4 cup Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup chopped strawberries, dash cinnamon
- Option 2: 1/2 cup warmed teriyaki-flavored tofu; 1/2 cup shelled edamame; chopped cucumber, carrot and cilantro to taste over 3/4 cup brown rice. Drizzle with mixture of 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp. soy sauce, 1/4 tsp. minced garlic and 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
- Option 3: 4 oz. salmon, herbs and lemon; sliced cucumber and red onion with fresh mint, lime juice, salt and a pair of tsp. essential olive oil; 1 cup quinoa or brown rice; 1 tsp. olive oil
- Option 4: 4 oz. tuna or 2 chopped hard-boiled eggs; 1/4 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt; 1/3 cup mix of chopped celery and onion; pinch curry powder in 1 whole-grain pita; 1 apple or any fruit
- Option 5: Summer Cleanse Salad: 3 oz. cooked shrimp or chicken, 3/4 cup berries or any fresh fruit; corn sliced off one ear; 1 Tbsp. sliced toasted almonds; over a large bowl of seasonal greens, red onion, sugar snap peas with 2 Tbsp. vinaigrette
