Summary:  We all know by now, that Superfoods are the way to go, however not a lot of us incorporate these super foods in our daily diet. In this post Edit shares her insights on Matcha and how you can add this nutritious super hero into your daily diet.

Start your day with Superfood!

Starting the day with a shot of espresso is one way to wake up. Not mine thou. I don’t like the bitter, sour taste of strong coffee and the immediate hit either. I prefer a gentler way to get in to gear, and I like to keep up my energies instead of a sudden crash or the need for another coffee to keep going.

My solution to a good wake-up ritual is a healthy, tasty Matcha Latte. Unlike steeped black or green tea, Matcha is made of ground, whole tea leaves. When you drink Matcha,  you consume the whole leaf, and that has approximately 10x more nutrients than a regular green tea. If you’re interested about the health benefits of Matcha, click here!)

Easy ways to boost your metabolism

With a faster metabolism you burn more calories. The more calories you burn, the easier it is to control weight. “You have a huge amount of control over your metabolic rate,” says John Berardi, Ph.D., author of The Metabolism Advantage. “You can’t affect how many calories it takes to keep your heart beating, but you can burn an extra 500 to 600 calories a day by exercising properly and eating right.”  I always search for practical ways to add metabolism boosting ingredients to my daily routine. Here is one of them:

Metabolism Boosting Matcha Coconut Latte

In this recipe I use coconut milk to replace cow’s milk. You can also use almond milk, rice milk, cashew milk, oat milk, or just plain hot or cold water. I also add a bit of coconut oil to my Matcha for a richer taste. I deliberately use coconut oil in my meals and beverages because it is an absolute Superfood. Just to name a few benefits, coconut oil is full of medium chain fatty acids such as Caprylic acid, Lauric acid and Capric acid, and it can also help to improve bacteria and gut health by eliminating bad bacteria and Candida (Candida imbalance can result in poor digestion and inflammation). Coconut oil is not only a healthy choice but also, combined with Matcha, it creates a delicious metabolism boosting drink with a gentle but effective caffeine kick.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 tsp Matcha green tea powder
• 250ml  unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
• few drops of vanilla extract
• 50ml hot water
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup or honey (optional)

Instructions:

1. Place the coconut milk in a pan and warm it up over medium heat.
2. Boil the kettle and let it cool for a few minutes. Add the Matcha powder to the bottom of your cup and pour over 50 ml of hot water. Whisk the Matcha with the water. If you’re a regular Matcha drinker, you might want to invest in a (very cute) traditional Matcha whisk. Of course a simple whisk will do the job about the same.
3. Take the coconut milk off the heat and add the maple syrup, vanilla extract and coconut oil. You can use your whisk to froth it up, or just place it all in a blender. Once it is nicely blended,  pour the mixture over the Matcha.

• If you are new to Matcha Green Tea, start with smaller amounts and gradually add more powder to your drink. Matcha tastes fresh, Earthy and has a vibrant, green color.
• You can drink your latte without any sweetener or add honey, maple syrup, or Stevia for healthy options. I drink mine with a beautiful New Zealand honey I recently found on one of the food markets. In case you need a quick snack option, you can also blend in a banana and a scoop of whey protein and make it a Metabolism Boosting Matcha Coconut Smoothie.