Mushroom coffee has been all the rage as of late, and you might be wondering why. After all, they don’t sound like a tasty combination… do they?? 🤨
Well, a lot of people drink at least one cup of coffee every day for an energy boost to start their morning. In fact, recent studies have shown that nearly 3 out of 4 Americans drink coffee every single morning (73%), and 36% of people drink 3-5 cups on the daily. That’s a lot of joe!
Here at Dr. Emil Nutrition, we see that morning me-time for the untapped potential it is. Instead of just sugar and cream, how can we transform your morning coffee to keep your mind sharp and your energy levels up even after the little hit of caffeine wears off?
Adaptogenic mushrooms are linked to tons of benefits (we’ll go over them in more depth in a little bit) – so mixing ground up mushrooms with your coffee beans may prove to be a healthier alternative to syrups and sweeteners. You’ll still get your caffeine fix, plus a whole host of health benefits to go with it.
But if you’re reading this article, you’re interested in one particular benefit over the others: mushroom coffee for weight loss. In this article, we’ll be answering all of your questions on this topic and more, including:
- How does mushroom coffee help with weight loss?
- And what even is mushroom coffee?
- What kind of benefits can you reap with mushroom supplements?
- And how can you get them into your routine without annoying capsules or gross-tasting powders?
Keep reading to have all of your questions answered!
What is Mushroom Coffee?
Lots of different herbs and natural ingredients have been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years with countless proven benefits, and that includes mushrooms. The idea of making mushroom coffee is more recent, but also very good for you!
We’ll start off with some background information about mushroom coffee, because you should at least know some more details before you decide if it’s the right weight loss trick for you!
Mushroom coffee isn’t made from mushrooms you might eat, and it’s certainly not made from psychedelic mushrooms. In a nutshell, mushroom coffee is created by combining ground mushrooms— typically those with medical benefits —and ground coffee beans together.
Many grocery stores and websites are already selling the pre-mixed powder. Some cafes are even beginning to stock it! You can also choose to mix and brew it up yourself as long as you buy the correct kind of mushrooms.
The concept of using mushrooms as medicinal herbs has been around for many years already. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, adaptogenic mushrooms have been used for hundreds of years.
Adaptogenic mushrooms include reishi, lion’s mane, cordyceps, turkey tail, chaga, and more. These are the kinds that people use in mushroom coffee, whether they’re dried, powdered, or pre-extracted.
Apart from their medicinal properties, people have used mushrooms as a substitute for coffee since World War II. This apparently originated in Finland, and the first commercial mushroom coffee brand, Four Sigmatic, also happens to have been founded by Finnish-Americans!
Four Sigmatic was founded in 2012, but mushroom coffee never quite made its way into the mainstream… until now! Tons of people are talking about it, and for good reason.
In terms of how a particular kind of mushroom coffee is made depends on many factors. Sometimes you might prepare it more similarly to tea, by mixing the powder into hot water. Sometimes your mushroom coffee might not have any coffee grounds mixed in.
As you might imagine, mushroom coffee doesn’t taste like an ordinary cup of joe, either— but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing! It will definitely have an earthy taste, which you may enjoy.
You can also choose to add sweeteners or other flavors if you take issue with the taste though, so it is very similar to regular coffee in that way!
One key thing that makes people want to try mushroom coffee as an alternative, though, is how much healthier it can be!
Mushroom Coffee and Weight Loss
It’s important to note that more research is being done on mushroom coffee and its potential health benefits every day. Some studies have shown that it helps yield weight loss results, while others have found no such correlation.
The best way to explore how mushroom coffee helps with weight loss would be to break down what specific attributes the different types of adaptogenic mushrooms have that can assist in the process.
Three adaptogenic mushrooms are the ones most commonly associated with weight loss— cordyceps, reishi, and lion’s mane.
For starters, cordyceps mushrooms boost your energy levels and your metabolism. The latter will help you burn more fat during exercise, and the former will definitely be useful for your workout routine, too!
There’s no one magical remedy for weight loss; you have to be dedicated to the process. That might mean trying mushroom coffee, but it should definitely mean an established workout routine and healthy eating habits. All of these together will yield the best results.
Next, reishi mushrooms can help manage blood sugar levels. With a lower blood sugar, your body will typically store less fat. Some people also believe that reishi mushrooms can help reduce obesity-related inflammation.
Last— but certainly not least —is lion’s mane. These mushrooms also assist in regulating blood sugar levels, but lion’s mane has been found to have cognitive benefits as well! And the lion’s mane benefits don’t stop there – studies have suggested the powerhouse fungi can also:
- Promote digestive health
- Boost immune system
- Protect against chronic diseases
- Even help guard against conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Dieticians have been known to recommend mushroom coffee as a legitimate aid in weight loss. However, it’s important to remember that you can’t expect to see significant results by simply replacing regular coffee with mushroom coffee in your routine.
If you’re looking to lose weight, you also have to develop other healthy habits such as frequent exercise and eating well. Mushroom coffee may very well help you on your weight loss journey, and it has many other unrelated benefits, too!
Other Benefits of Mushroom Coffee
There are plenty of other pros to mushroom coffee, and therefore plenty of other reasons why you might want to try it out apart from weight loss!
One of the main reasons why a lot of people are getting into mushroom coffee is the fact that it usually contains much less caffeine. If you’re trying to cut down on your caffeine intake— maybe it makes you jittery or interferes with your sleep schedule —mushroom coffee could be a great way to do so.
The anti-inflammatory properties of many medicinal mushrooms can also make them great for your immune system. Mushrooms that are used in making coffee have been found to help people fight off ulcers, chronic illnesses, and even allergic reactions.
Reishi specifically, one of the mushrooms mentioned above for its weight loss benefits, has the potential to lower blood cholesterol levels and thereby reduce risk of heart disease. Cordyceps, on the other hand, can help with arrhythmia.
Some researchers believe that the presence of antioxidants and amino acids in mushrooms are the reason for the improvements to heart health.
Your heart is one of the most important organs in your body, and so it’s super important to take extra good care of it! If mushroom coffee has the potential to improve upon your heart health, why not give it a try?
And mushroom coffee has more than just physical benefits— a lot of people have found that it improves mental health, too! One of adaptogenic mushrooms’ main positive attributes is their potential to reduce stress. This can help to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders.
Improvement in cognitive function is another potential health benefit of mushroom coffee. Lion’s mane specifically has been found to improve concentration, focus, and memory.
Additionally, lion’s mane is currently being researched further as a potential preventative measure against diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
You should definitely consult with your doctor before deciding whether mushroom coffee may be a good fit for you, especially if you are on medication or have a preexisting health condition. As is always the case when trying something new, there is of course the chance that you could have an adverse reaction.
If you’re having mushroom coffee for the first time, try a small amount at first to make sure you don’t have a sensitivity or allergy to it.
People who are pregnant or breastfeeding should probably avoid drinking mushroom coffee. This is also the case with regular coffee, but it’s not just because of the caffeine— adaptogenic herbs have not been ruled safe for these individuals.
It’s clear that much more research can and will be done into what health benefits come from mushroom coffee, but we know enough about it now to know it has a lot of positive characteristics. There’s certainly enough potential to make it worth a try!
Regular Coffee vs. Mushroom Coffee
If you love coffee and are wondering whether mushroom coffee could be a good alternative for you, take into account some of the differences between the two!
Regular coffee shares a lot of the same benefits as mushroom coffee. They’re both caffeinated, energizing drinks that are fairly low in calories. You can also enjoy mushroom coffee hot or cold, just like drinks you might find at your local Starbucks.
There are definitely some differences, however. Mushroom coffee does of course taste differently, though not unpleasant. If the nutty flavor added by the mushrooms isn’t to your liking, then you can of course add sugar or cream to it just like you would with a regular cup of coffee.
Additionally, mushroom coffee has added benefits for your immune system. This, plus the lessened amount of caffeine, means that mushroom coffee may be the healthier choice!
Dr. Emil’s Mushroom Coffee: What’s the Scoop?
Decided to try mushroom coffee? Well, we have some good news for you! In September we’re launching our very own Mushroom Coffee blend. We’re super excited about this new product, and we hope you are, too!
Our mushroom coffee will contain extract from lion’s mane, which is one of the mushrooms specifically known for its potential to aid in the weight loss process. The recipe also includes chaga, cordyceps, and many other beneficial ingredients!
There’s nothing quite like a warm cup of coffee when the weather cools down. If you’re interested in trying mushroom coffee for yourself, stay tuned on our website so that you can order our brand new blend when it comes out in the very near future!
We included ashwagandha, a plant that grows in the Middle East, India, and Africa. It has been found to help relieve stress, reduce blood sugar, improve muscle strength, increase fertility, and more!
Another natural ingredient we added also adds to the already extensive health benefits of our beverage. Ginseng, a very common plant for both medicinal practices and cuisine in several different parts of Asia, can strengthen the immune system.
Our mushroom coffee blend tastes amazing, even containing no fat, no calories, and no carbs. Several of our ingredients were added to sweeten the pot, literally!
We used Mexican Spray Dried Coffee for our coffee grounds, but included natural caramel flavors and Stevia sweetener to ensure our customers would love the flavor of their mushroom coffee, too.
While we can’t guarantee that mushroom coffee will help everyone on their individual weight loss journey, it certainly can’t hurt! Besides, if its potential in that area isn’t enough to convince you, consider any of the other many health benefits!
That’s it for our overview of mushroom coffee and weight loss.
As you can see, there haven’t been enough studies (yet!) to say conclusively that mushroom coffee = better weight loss outcomes, but we do know a few things for sure. Many adaptogenic mushrooms boast benefits like boosting metabolism and aiding in digestive health (along with plenty of other benefits like supporting cognitive health and giving you valuable antioxidants that reduce inflammation), which can definitely be linked to overall wellness and weight management.
So while we wait for the research to catch up with the benefits traditional medicine has been observing for centuries, there are plenty of reasons to talk to your doctor about starting a supplement with a blend of mushrooms like chaga, cordyceps, lion’s mane, and other powerhouse ‘shrooms.
Wanna get your daily caffeine boost at the same time? Try Dr. Emil’s Mushroom Coffee today! Delicious, easy to drink, and energizing, it’s the perfect way to see if mushroom coffee is the right fit for your weight loss journey. All you have to lose is the lbs!
