Café Latte Shakeology: The Surprising Reason Coffee Was Added To Your Shake
Café Latte is the newest Shakeology flavor and it's available right now. When I heard the news I was ecstatic. Not only do I cherish my morning coffee, but I love anything with coffee flavor: mocha ice cream, java chip frappuccinos, even chocolate covered coffee beans!But I didn't see the big picture.
Café Latte Shakeology is not just coffee flavored. The coffee was not added just for flavor - it was added for its HEALTH BENEFITS.
I should have known.
The ingredients in Shakeology are not random. Each is chosen for its nutritional profile to make a dense dose of tasty superfood nutrition.
There are 70+ ingredients in Shakeology, including kale, spinach, chia seed, pomegranate, flax, quinoa, goji berry, green tea, amaranth, wheat grass.
Now coffee is one of those ingredients.
And interestingly (at least to a nutrition geek like me) it is not just the coffee bean, but the whole coffee fruit in the new Shakeology formula.
What is a coffee fruit?
The coffee bean which is lovingly roasted and ground for our morning java grows inside a red fruit known as coffee berry or coffee fruit.
Traditional coffee production doesn't use the berry because, just like any other fruit, it's perishable. Using the whole coffee fruit takes more effort to process than just using the coffee bean.
Recently the coffee berry has come into the spotlight because it contains nutrients that are lost when only the bean inside is used.
By drinking coffee berry instead of traditional bean coffee, you are getting the taste of coffee as well as superfood nutrition.
Here are just a few benefits:
- The coffee fruit cuts diabetes risk.¹
- The coffee fruit provides antioxidants. In fact, they contain more antioxidants than blueberries, raspberries or pomegranates. ²
- The coffee fruit may protect against other chronic diseases like Alzheimer's, heart disease or asthma.³
It's also about the planet.
By using the whole coffee fruit, which is often discarded, Beachbody is minimizing our carbon footprint and increasing sustainable farming.
Back to Café Latte Shakeology. Here are answers to a few questions I had...
Does Café Latte Shakeology have the same superfoods as other flavors?
Yes. Café Latte Shakeology has the same protein blend and superfood profile as Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, and Greenberry.
Does Café Latte Shakeology have more caffeine than other flavors of Shakeology? (I ask excitedly!)
No. The caffeine levels are the same as those in all other Shakeology flavors.
Just FYI, all the Shakeology formulations have low levels of naturally-occurring caffeine. Beachbody uses whole ingredients in the shakes and one of the ingredients is whole leaf, green tea. The chocolate formulas contain natural cocoa (cacao), which also has a low level of naturally-occurring caffeine.
Why drink Shakeology in the first place??
I drink Shakeology every single day, not for the great taste, but for the nutrients it gives my body, plain and simple. Shakeology is a delicious meal-on-the-go packed with protein, superfoods, antioxidants, digestive enzymes, prebiotics, probiotics, adaptogens and phytonutrients. You don't need to know what all those fancy words mean, because here's what those things do for you:
- Help build and repair muscles
- Reduce hunger and food cravings
- Aids digestion
- Promotes healthy skin, hair and nails
- Helps maintain a strong immune system
- Helps increase energy
- Helps decrease inflammation
So try the new Café Latte Shakeology and enjoy the delicious coffee taste, but don't buy it just for the coffee flavor. Drink it to feed your body its most nutritious meal of the day.
As a Team Beachbody Coach, I host fun & active private Facebook groups to support my customers drinking Shakeology and/or working their Beachbody programs. Would you like to join us? Just sign up for a free Team Beachbody membership HERE or CONTACT ME if you are not working with a coach and would like to join my team. I'd love to support you!
Here are some more Shakeology resources for you:
- Tons of Shakeology Recipes
- If you'd like to learn more about Shakeology: Shakeology.com
- Give Shakeology a try for one week: 7 Day Shakeology Sampler
- Commit to your good health with 30 days of Shakeology: Rock my nutrition with Shakeology!
References:
¹According to a 2005 article in "Life Extension Magazine," the coffee berry can help with blood glucose management. The coffee berry contains glucose-6-phosphatase, an enzyme that reduces blood sugar levels and slows down the reaction of glycogen. Coffee consumption in general might reduce the risk of diabetes. Because the coffee berry contains all caffeic acids and other phytochemicals lost during the production of standard bean coffee, the benefits are even higher.
²In an article for The Dermatology Blog, Dr. Jeffrey Benabio explains that coffee berries are rich in antioxidants. In fact, they contain more antioxidants than blueberries, raspberries or pomegranates. Antioxidants can help protect your skin against free radicals that cause aging symptoms, as well as heart disease and inflammatory skin problems.
³Coffee berries are high in plant polyphenols, which may help lower your chances of developing Alzheimer's, heart disease and asthma, according to Dr. Benabio. According to a 2006 study published in "Diabetes," the official journal of the American Diabetes Association, polyphenols can also help lower your cholesterol and inhibit accelerated atherosclerosis.