The Fat Girl's Guide to Living

“I recently heard that coffee stores fat. Please say it isn’t so! I’m not ready to surrender my morning latte!”

We consulted registered dietitian Joanne Larsen of Ask the Dietitian for the straight scoop on the link between java and fat. “Plain coffee does nothing to store fat,” she says. “What causes people to store fat is eating more calories during a meal or snack than they need in the next 4 – 6 hours.” If you’re worried about fat over-staying its welcome, Larsen emphasizes the tried-and-true “eat less, move more” standard and suggests taking a walk after meals.

We also asked Ms. Larsen to address claims that stress causes us to store fat around the midsection – and coffee’s  potential to increase stress. “Stress doesn’t cause us to store fat around our midsection. Eating more calories than we need plus a lack of exercise to burn those extra calories causes us to store fat from our neck to feet,” she says.

However, Larsen adds, some people overeat in response to stress because eating – especially carbs – brings us comfort. “When we eat, blood pools around our intestines and moves away from our brain, often making us sleepy or more relaxed,” says Larsen. “Exercise is a good stress reliever. Go for a walk instead of eating when stressed.” (Editors’ note: We’d like to add sex to that list, too!) Larsen points out that stress does increase cortisol levels in our bodies, which is related to inflammation in ways scientists are still trying to discern. And while some research has linked caffeine intake and inflammation, the jury’s still out on this issue.

So, can we keep our coffee? All signs point to yes–in moderation. (Editors’ note: Woo hoo!) “Coffee doesn’t exacerbate stress. Caffeine causes our heart to pump harder and our kidneys to filter out more fluid,” she says. “However, people who drink decaffeinated beverages have no less abdominal fat than people who drink caffeinated beverages; otherwise, decaf would be the new miracle diet food.”

Mmmm…chai.

I was introduced to chai – a spiced tea most commonly from India – in my early 20s when I worked at a little bookstore and a few regulars would always come in with their hands still wrapped around a travel mug of steamy, fragrant tea. After being nosy and asking them what was in the cup (it smelled SO good!), I finally went out and picked some up for myself. I’ve been hooked for almost 20 years.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s hard to go wrong with chai (Tazo is another favorite), but Oregon Chai is on my A-list because it comes in a “slightly sweet” option with just 7 grams of sugar vs. the original recipe’s 25 grams, which I find too sweet. And the caffeine in Oregon chais is about 1/3 that of a regular cup of coffee. I also love them because they come in powdered packets that are easy to keep in your bag or in your glove compartment. On more than one chilly road trip I’ve run into a gas station for a cup of hot water, come out and had instant spiced tea to enjoy. Awesome for camping weekends, too, because it’s easy to pack and add to an over-the-fire pan of water.

Did you see the news today? It snowed in south Texas! I don’t live in Texas, but I’m jealous that they got the snow for which I’ve been not-so-patiently waiting. So, in honor of the big snow in the South, I thought today was the perfect occasion to drag out the recipe card for a fantastically decadent drinking chocolate.

What is drinking chocolate? Think ‘hot cocoa taken to a whole new level.’ In its luxurious, rich shadow, regular hot cocoa will seem thin and sort of weak. This recipe can be made with three or four simple ingredients and a little will go a long, long way to satisfying your sweet tooth.

Most of us have powdered hot cocoa mixes hanging out in our pantries — I think I’ve got two boxes stashed away in my kitchen for emergency chocolate fixes. It works in a pinch and even tastes pretty good. But have you looked at the ingredient list for that stuff? Sure, it has your usual suspects: sugar, whey, cocoa, nonfat milk, and sugar. But many of the powdered mixes also contain hydrogenated coconut oil (trans fat alert!), salt (amounts of which you’re unable to control), artificial flavors (such as?), and carrageenan (which has been accused by some of causing intestinal inflammation and possibly inflammatory bowl disease). Not the ingredients I want to build a long-term relationship with. So, if you’re looking for something a little more simple and certainly more tasty, give drinking chocolate a try.

This one’s easy to personalize, too. Add more milk to make it a bit thinner. Omit the peanut butter if it’s not your thing or if you have nut allergies. (If you do, consider adding just a pinch of salt to the recipe.) Try it with dark chocolate, milk chocolate… or any chocolate combination that strikes your fancy!

As written, this recipe makes six to eight small servings (remember – a little goes a long way!). Scale back the recipe to half if you’d like, or you can do what I do and keep any extra covered in the refrigerator for up to a week. Just reheat slowly and re-blend before serving. Perfect for on-demand chocolate therapy!

Peanut Butter Cup Drinking Chocolate
3 cups whole milk
8 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (chocolate chips are okay, too)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Warm 1 1/2 cups of the milk with the chocolate, peanut butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the remaining milk and heat until very warm (do not boil). Using a hand-held immersion blender or a whisk, mix the drinking chocolate until completely smooth. Serve warm.

Yield: 6-8 servings

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