THE MAC TOOLBOX™

Coffee ☕️

Two things I look for in a cleaner cup of coffee.

Vicky and I travel a lot. And wherever we go, we have a habit of bringing home coffee.

We've brought coffee home from places where the beans are grown on mountainsides, roasted in small shops, and sold by people who know more about coffee than I'll ever know.

I love discovering the different flavors. But I look for one thing whenever possible.

Organic.

I prefer organic because I want to be thoughtful about what goes into my body, including what happens to my coffee before I ever take my first sip.

But there's another part of the coffee story that surprised even me.

How you brew your coffee may matter as much as which beans you buy.

The Farmer, the Cook, and the Coffee Bean

Imagine two neighbors who decide to prepare the healthiest dinner possible.

The first neighbor spends the morning choosing fresh vegetables, carefully raised meat, and the best ingredients he can find.

Then he takes everything home and drops it into a pot of old cooking oil.

The second neighbor buys good ingredients, too. But he also pays attention to how he prepares them.

Both neighbors started with the same intention.

Only one paid attention to the entire process.

Coffee is a little like that.

We can spend good money on excellent beans and never think about what happens between the bag and the cup.

And that brings us to something most coffee drinkers have never heard of.

What's Hiding in Your Coffee?

Coffee contains natural oils, including two compounds called cafestol and kahweol.

They're not pesticides. They're naturally occurring substances found in coffee beans.

But here's the interesting part.

Research has shown that cafestol, in particular, can raise LDL cholesterol when consumed in sufficient amounts.

And different brewing methods leave different amounts of these oils in your cup.

French press coffee, for example, uses a metal screen. It allows more of those natural oils to pass through.

A paper filter captures much of them.

In a large Norwegian observational study involving more than half a million adults, people who drank filtered coffee generally had more favorable mortality outcomes than those who drank unfiltered coffee.

That doesn't prove the filter made them live longer. But combined with what researchers know about coffee oils and cholesterol, it gives us a practical reason to pay attention.

My preferred everyday brewing method is paper-filtered coffee.

That includes traditional drip machines, pour-over coffee, and an AeroPress when used with its paper filter.

I'm not suggesting you throw your French press away. I'm suggesting that if you drink coffee every day, especially if you're watching your LDL cholesterol, a paper filter is a sensible choice.

What About Organic Coffee?

Coffee is an agricultural crop, and like other crops, it can be attacked by insects, fungi, and disease.

Conventional coffee growers may use strong pesticides to protect their coffee plants. Some agricultural pesticides used on coffee can cause serious health problems with sufficient exposure, particularly among workers who handle these pesticides.

But there's an important distinction.

The amount of pesticide a farmworker might encounter isn't necessarily the amount a coffee drinker consumes. But why would I want any of them in my body?

Studies show that roasting and brewing can substantially reduce many pesticide residues.

So why do I still prefer organic?

Because I like the idea of reducing avoidable exposures when I reasonably can, especially if you are like me and coffee makes up a substantial amount of your hydration.

Coffee cannot be certified organic if these strong synthetic pesticides have been used.

And there's one more thing I look for.

The Roast Matters, Too

Coffee contains natural plant compounds called chlorogenic acids, or CGAs. You may have read about it in yesterday's Substack article.

Researchers are studying these compounds for their potential effects on glucose metabolism and other processes involved in metabolic health. These compounds help with what we want from the food we eat: they increase insulin sensitivity. The more CGA in the coffee, the better you will Weigh Less and Age Less.

Generally speaking, lighter roasting preserves more CGAs than dark roasting.

That doesn't mean a light roast will melt away belly fat, but the odds are much better that it will help than with low-CGA coffee. It means the way we roast coffee can change some of its naturally occurring compounds.

I'm always on the lookout for a good organic light-to-medium roast.

The Mac Way to Make a Cleaner Cup

Here's the simple approach I recommend:

1. Choose good beans. I prefer certified organic coffee, ideally from a producer who is transparent about sourcing and quality testing.
2. Consider a light-to-medium roast. It generally retains more chlorogenic acids than darker roasts.
3. Use a paper filter. A drip machine, pour-over brewer, or paper-filtered AeroPress helps remove much of the cholesterol-raising coffee oils.
4. Keep the coffee simple. Avoid sugar, syrup, or sweetened creamer because they can nullify coffee's benefits.
5. Protect your sleep. Enjoy coffee early enough that caffeine doesn't interfere with a good night's rest.

I placed my two big rules in yesterday's Substack article.​

None of this requires giving up something you love.

It simply means learning how to enjoy it a little better.

This Week's Coffee Recommendation

If you are like me and you want nothing but the best, here is what I recommend. Oh, and it's really high in CGAs.

​PURITY PROTECT​

Oh, and here is a great way to brew your coffee. I also like this method because it slows my intake down.

​CHEMIX CLASSIC​

One Last Thought

At 70, I'm not looking for more things to give up.

I'm looking for better ways to enjoy the things I love while giving myself the best opportunity to stay healthy, active, and independent.

I want to keep traveling with Vicky, discovering new places, and bringing home another bag of coffee.

And I want to be around long enough to dance at all eight of my grandchildren's weddings.

Healthier aging is built from decisions we make over and over again.

Sometimes, those decisions are as small as the way we make our morning coffee.

Weigh Less. Age Less. Live Younger, Longer.

Doc Mac

P.S. How do you brew your morning coffee: drip, French press, pour-over, AeroPress, or something else? Hit reply and tell me. I'd love to know.

P.S.S. If you want to Weigh Less · Age Less, talk to us SCHEDULE HERE​

Health note: This email is educational and is not individualized medical advice. Coffee's effects vary with caffeine sensitivity, medications, cholesterol levels, pregnancy status, and other health factors. Some people may benefit from limiting or avoiding caffeine.

I have no affiliation with Amazon.
​