How The Fast 800 shakes can help to curb your caffeine habits

Coffee culture has well and truly boomed over the past five years; our taste buds crave it and it’s now one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. Why is it that we love our coffee so much? And should we be giving up caffeine?

What was once just a caffeine hit to get you through the day, coffee is now a cultural phenomenon that has embedded deep ritualistic habits in many countries around the world. However, the health implications of enjoying multiple cups of the liquid gold each day may be detrimental long-term, affecting sleep, stress responses and even your digestion. 1

Why do we enjoy coffee?

The smell – There are over 1000 aromatic compounds found in roasted coffee beans that cover almost every “attractive” scent.2 So, there’s a little something for everyone to love.

The taste – A 2012 study found that those who are more sensitive to bitterness are actually the ones that enjoy the taste of coffee the most.3 With complex tasting notes from different roasts, there’s a lot to stimulate our taste buds.

The experience – There are plenty of little moments that have made this small drink so mighty. A quiet moment to yourself, a catch up with friends, the bustling cafe – all things that simply make us happy.

Giving up caffeine?

So should you be putting down that cup of coffee? Absolutely not. Multiple human studies have shown that you get a wide range of benefits from drinking coffee. A recent review found that regular coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing liver, prostate and colon cancer, as well as type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s and heart disease.4

Despite the benefits as well as the ever-growing love for coffee, it’s important to be wary of your overall caffeine consumption. Anxiety5, sleep deficiency6 and raised blood pressure7 are just a few of the signs associated with regular, elevated caffeine intake. If you enjoy a daily coffee (as many of The Fast 800 team do, too), try to stick to one to two caffeinated cups per day. If that sounds tricky, try these alternatives:

Iced Cappuccino

Serves: 1   Number of calories: 254

Ingredients

50g The Fast 800 Coffee Shakes Powder
200ml unsweetened almond milk
½ tsp cacao powder
ice

Method

  1. Blitz milk, shakes powder and ice until smooth.
  2. Serve immediately and sprinkle over cacao.

Coffee culture – the new normal

With coffee shops lining high streets and popping up on suburban corners in most towns, it’s never been easier to access barista-made caffeinated beverages. However, this is not such good news for those following a fasting approach with their diet. Unless you’re choosing espressos, long blacks or cold brews, the typical café latte contains about 250 calories. Although delicious, these calories could otherwise account for an entire meal on a fasting day and may therefore leave your stomach grumbling.

Make the change

The Fast 800 coffee shake enables you to still experience the pleasure of coffee, but with the nutrition you need to keep your body fuelled, nurtured and happy. The shakes are perfect to grab and go, so you can continue to maintain your social lifestyle amongst the coffee culture we all know and love. With the bonus of being caffeine-free, you can also enjoy The Fast 800 coffee shake at any time of the day and know that your sleep will be unaffected and you won’t be contributing to your daily caffeine load.

We’re here to support you in your quest to cut down on caffeine and take a different approach to your daily coffee. Give the shakes a go, or try one of our new recipes and let us know how you’re conquering the caffeine!

Cinnamon Protein Latte

Serves: 1   Calories per serve: 246

Ingredients

50g The Fast 800 Coffee Shakes Powder
200ml unsweetened almond milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Method

  1. In a small pot over medium heat, whisk milk, shakes powder and vanilla together for 4-5 minutes or until desired temperature is reached.
  2. Serve in a mug and sprinkle over cinnamon.
Cinnamon Latte

References

Temple JL, Bernard C, Lipshultz SE, Czachor JD, Westphal JA, Mestre MA. The Safety of Ingested Caffeine: A Comprehensive Review. Front Psychiatry. 2017;8:80. Published 2017 May 26. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00080

Ong, J., Hwang, L., Zhong, V.W. et al. Understanding the role of bitter taste perception in coffee, tea and alcohol consumption through Mendelian randomization. Sci Rep 8, 16414 (2018).

Michael Mosley (2019) The Fast 800. How to combine rapid weight loss and intermittent fasting for long-term health, 1st edn., London : Short Books: 265.

Jessica E. Smith, Andrew D. Lawrence, Ana Diukova, Richard G. Wise, Peter J. Rogers, Storm in a coffee cup: caffeine modifies brain activation to social signals of threat, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Volume 7, Issue 7, October 2012, Pages 831–840, https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsr058

Hilo L., Sabbah H., Hadari R., Kovatz S., Weinberg U., Dolev S., Dagan Y., Shenkman L. The effects of coffee consumption on sleep and melatonin secretion. Sleep Med. 2002;3:271–273. doi: 10.1016/S1389-9457(02)00015-1.

Riksen NP, Rongen GA, Smits P. Acute and long‐term cardiovascular effects of coffee: implications for coronary heart disease. Pharmacol Ther 2009; 121: 185–191.

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