Christen Bensten

be curious

Cold Brew Love

I became a black coffee drinker post babies because I didn’t want to add any sugar or dairy to my diet. After many years I still don’t feel deprived drinking black coffee in the morning and after lunch. Of course when I go to Starbucks for a “treat”, a black coffee iced or hot does not feel very exciting.

It wasn’t until this spring that I discovered the Cold Brew. You have probably seen it popping up everywhere including your grocery store, Whole Foods and of course, Starbucks. And guess what – it tastes better than plain black coffee! It is a treat! I’ve tried a few brands, but find that Starbucks makes the best. Plus, there is no sugar, no dairy and very few calories!

“Cold brew is a different beast entirely. While heat helps extract more caffeine, cold brew is typically brewed as a concentrate, with a higher than normal coffee-to-water ratio of between 1:4 and 1:8, compared with a more typical drip coffee ratio of 1:15 or 1:25.” – cnet

 

You can order a Cold Brew or you can buy the little bottles of Starbucks Cold Brew. I happen to love the bottles more. It is black and I choose the unsweetened even though they do sell a sweetened version.

 

I am a super fan of these 11 oz bottles and have most afternoons. They are 15 calories, 3g carb. I was the girl you would laugh at stacking her arms full of these from the fridge section in Starbucks until I found out I could order them online. Actually, Dear Husband ordered 2 boxes for me! Love that guy.

 

Oprah & Deepak

Sounds amazing already, yea?

Dear Friend, Steph, told me about a 21-day meditation that was available and I jumped in the next morning. It’s a free mobile app from the Chopra Center. Each day you will get a new, 10-minute meditation. Oprah will do an little introduction of how the topic is relevant and then Deepak will guide us in a meditation. It is such a great way to segway into a daily meditation routine. Since starting the program, I have not stopped meditating consistently every morning.

If you have not yet been convinced that meditation is like drinking water in regards to your health, then I’m not sure my little post will convince you either. I’m the poster child for everything self-help (and professional mental health for that matter). I’ve heard meditation explained to me in so many ways throughout the years and they all make perfect sense. But, I think until you hear that one thing that can convince you, YOU, it is essential to your daily life you won’t practice it.

I was convinced for real when I joined group therapy this winter. Our therapist explained meditation in a new way for me. She said it is not clearing the mind that makes meditation an effective therapy, but the act of bringing that wandering mind/thoughts back to your present-self where the healing happens. The more you bring back that wandering mind, with kindness and patience, the more you are healing your very elastic brain. Did you know that the brain can heal itself? It’s this whole thing called neuroplasticity and it’s an amazing discovery. Our brains can literally change and heal. Wow.

Neuroplasticity: The brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Neuroplasticity allows the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment.

 

Whaaaaaaa?

Since hearing about neuroplasticity, I have renewed my sense of hope. Meditation is a way we can make this change happen in our physical brains. I’m all in. 10 minutes a day after my shower.

Oprah and Depak really help make it all accessible. I personally could listen to Oprah read the dictionary.

You can download the free 21-day experience to your phone here.