Whitney Thompson; Plus-size supermodel, spokesperson for NEDA and creator of "Supermodel".

My goal is to encourage and inspire you to celebrate your miraculous, exquisite, and unique body. I want you to resist the negative messages being sold to you by the media. You are beautiful. You are unique. Here, we want to help you remember that.

If I can convey one message to you:
Healthy is Beautiful. Beautiful is not a size, not an age, and not a procedure. Healthy is beautiful."

“Beautiful” is celebrating the characteristics and qualities of your body, while nourishing and exercising
it to be as uniquely healthy and fit as only you can be. We are all created differently and I want you to stop trying to fit into a mold that someone else has defined as "beautiful". No one size will ever be accepted by everyone and it's important to accept that we are all different. I want you to be the best that you can be.

Your comments are welcome here, even if we don't agree. I appreciate all comments as long as they don't hurt others.

Always remember, life is too short to not live like a SuperModel!


Saturday, April 30, 2011

Coffee Conundrum


         I am a complete coffee freak and I mean that in the best way possible. It started as a comfort thing. My mother always drank black coffee and I began drinking it while filming America’s Next Top Model in New York. It somehow made me feel closer to home and it’s been that way ever since. I don’t drink it for the caffeine, but I can drink a whole pot and then some depending on my mood! Regardless of why you drink it, I have a few helpful tips that I’ve picked up on making it the most satisfying part of your morning!
       Many people suffer from a little irritation from their morning coffee. You don’t want your day to begin with tummy troubles, but you also don’t want to cut coffee out of the routine. The good news is that dark-roasted coffee contains a chemical called N-methylpyridium that actually reduces irritating stomach acid. A dark roast can contain twice as much as a light roast so to keep your stomach still, try switching to a French roast or even an espresso. The best choice for irritable tummies is actually a decaffeinated dark-roast, but if you need that caffeine kick, try simply switching to a dark-roast fist.
        Now that you have you caffeine consumption under control, you might want to mix it up a little. Like I said, I only drink black coffee, but that doesn’t mean that I want bland coffee. A trick that I have been doing for years is adding a dash of cinnamon to my coffee grounds before brewing them. It really picks up on the rich flavors in any roast. You can also add other fun spices like orange zest or fresh nutmeg. You don’t have to do it every morning, but it will certainly add a little pizzaz to your morning and keep you from getting in a rut with your daily grind.
        Everyone has a different take on brewing the best cup. From drip machines to French press, I find it hard to brew a bad cup. Nevertheless, you should still know a thing or two about your grinds. Grinding your own coffee is the best way to get the freshest cup. Grinders are pretty inexpensive, but they do take a little more effort in the morning. You can also control the grind size with your own grinder. I recommend a grinder if you, like me, want to switch up the way you brew sometimes. A French press requires a coarse ground coffee because anything smaller will end up in your cup and that is not a good feeling. Espresso requires a fine grind and drip makers take medium sized grounds.
        Despite what you have heard about coffee possibly being bad for you, it is actually packed with the same nutritionally rich compounds that you get from tea, wine, and chocolate. Studies even show a relation in coffee drinking being able to ward off mental decline, certain cancers, and high blood pressure. While I do recommend switching to decaf after lunch, I say raise your cup of Joe in joy and toast to a bold, rich life. Here’s to living like a SuperModel!

5 comments:

  1. @dawncflv I really dislike the taste of coffee and that really sucks because I am one person who would definitely benefit from the caffeine in the morning. Milk is my favorite but it kills my stomach. Maybe I should try a weaker coffee or experiment until I fined a roast that I can actually enjoy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Whitney!! very interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fascinating Blog post..didn't know that that French roast or espresso is better for your tummy. Cheers from Australia

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good to know! I only recently got into cofee. It started with weak lattes and now normal coffee is fine for me :)

    ReplyDelete