The Coffee Lover's Diet: Change Your Coffee, Change Your Life

by Bob Arnot

Dr. Bob Arnot, the bestselling author of The Aztec Diet, shows you how to use the power of America’s favorite drink—coffee—to achieve improved health, longevity, mental clarity and weight loss in this unique, groundbreaking wellness guide.

For years, we’ve been told that coffee was bad for our health. But new research reveals that, consumed properly, coffee can be the healthiest, tastiest part of your day. It can sharpen your focus, jumpstart your workout, help you lose weight, and even help fend off disease, from diabetes and liver disease to heart disease and Parkinson’s.

In this revolutionary handbook, Dr. Bob Arnot explains how coffee became a staple of the human diet, and reveals why having a cup is the best thing you can do each day. He also teaches you how to find the best beans from around the world and how to create the best brew and food pairings. The Coffee Lover’s Diet includes a full diet plan with corresponding recipes to ensure you get the full benefits of this miracle bean—in the right amounts and in a variety of ways—as well as tips for putting all of this invaluable information and advice to work to help you shed pounds, gain energy, and make the healthiest choices every day.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Food

381 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 6, 2017

About the author

Dr. Robert Burns Arnot M.D. internal medicine, known worldwide as Bob Arnot, is a journalist, author, and previously a medical and foreign correspondent for NBC and CBS.

Reviews

[Chi – cuddle.thereader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mùa Tết, với mình, còn là mùa thử đủ thứ trà và cafe mới được tặng, nên hôm nay mình quyết định up review một cuốn sách về cafe cho anh em cùng tham khảo.

Mặc dù là một người thích trà hơn cafe, mình vẫn có những lúc sẵn sàng chọn một tách cafe như một sự thay đổi khi tới những quán cafe mới hoặc như một liều thuốc tỉnh táo khi cần tập trung làm việc. Thế nên, mình khá hào hứng khi được tìm hiểu về một trong những loại đồ uống phổ biến nhất thế giới này.

Đọc cuốn này, anh em sẽ được tiếp cận với một lượng thông tin khổng lồ về cà phê, từ những lợi ích cà phê mang lại, cho tới cách pha chế và sử dụng để tối đa tác dụng của cà phê đối với sức khoẻ con người. Phần viết về lợi ích của việc uống cà phê khá hay, khi phân tích được rất nhiều ưu điểm của hạt cà phê chuẩn, trái ngược với những định kiến sai lầm của mọi người về thức uống này. Mỗi loại hạt và cách pha chế khác nhau sẽ đem lại hương vị riêng, không chỉ là một cách khám phá mà còn đem lại tác dụng khác biệt.
Bên cạnh đó, tác giả còn chia sẻ về những chế độ ăn uống với sự kết hợp của cà phê, nhằm nâng cao lợi ích của chúng cũng như giúp chúng ta cải thiện sức khoẻ.

Thế nhưng mình không bị ấn tượng nhiều, vì thật ra những thông tin này có khá nhiều trên mạng, nên mình có cảm giác đang đọc mấy bài về lợi ích và tác hại của cà phê hơn là một cuốn sách.

Một điều nữa là, quá trình đọc cuốn này không khiến mình ưng ý lắm, vì cách viết của tác giả không gợi được sự vui thích khi khám phá những điều mới mẻ cho người đọc, một thứ vô cùng quan trọng với những cuốn sách ngập thông tin như thế này. Mình cảm thấy giọng văn của tác giả khá cứng và thiên về đưa thông tin, không phải cách truyền đạt hấp dẫn thú vị mà mình mong chờ. Mình cho rằng dù chia sẻ bất cứ thông tin gì đi nữa, cách thể hiện cũng rất quan trọng, dù cho bạn có đang chia sẻ về vật lí thiên văn hay về các chế độ ăn uống với cà phê.

Hừm, chung lại thì em nó không phải cuốn sách mình ưng ý lắm, nhưng cũng là một cuốn đáng cân nhắc nếu anh em muốn tìm hiểu kĩ càng về cà phê nha.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Coffee Lover's Diet is an excellent book if you love coffee. I have been a huge fan of coffee ever since I was eight years old. Through out the years, my coffee taste has changed and developed a deep relationship with. Through out the years coffee drinkers have heard nothing but bad rep about coffee, till the past few years. Good news coffee is not bad for you. Who knew.... Well I did LOL.

This is an excellent book if you are into coffee or trying to get into coffee but want to do your research. the author Bob Arnot has written this wonderful book that explains coffee and the different types. He also explains on the side effects of coffee, AKA the shakes. In this book there is a lot of great information about coffee and its benefits. It also explains how different brewing methods can change how the coffee taste. excellent book for dieters, coffee drinkers, and both.

[Đọc Gì Hong? · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mình thích cà phê chính vì mùi thơm và hương vị tuyệt vời mà nó mang lại. Mỗi lúc được uống 1 ly cf ngon thì mình luôn nghĩ “sẽ ra sao nếu thế giới này không còn cà phê nữa?” Và mình luôn có câu trl là con người sẽ tìm ra cái mới để thay thế à. :))).

Quyển sách này đối với mình chưa hay lắm. Khá hàn lâm và thuần về khoa học quá. Kiến thức thì có thể bổ sung, khoa học thì đã được kiểm chứng nhưng để tạo ra 1 ly cf thật ngon thật xuất sắc không phải chỉ dựa vào những công thức là có thể làm được nhiều khi phải thật thật là hiểu hạt cf bạn đang cầm trên tay và rót cảm xúc vào từng bước để tạo ra đc 1 giọt cf nữa nhe.

Quyển sách này liệt kê rất nhiều về lợi ích của cf, và ngay cả người đang có chế độ ăn kiêng cũng có thể dùng cf 1 cách khoa học và có một số công thức cf kết hợp khá hay ho. Mà tất nhiên mình chưa dám thử (vì thiếu hạt cf ngon mà tác giả recommended rồi.) :))). Mình nghĩ là những quyển sách về công thức hay cách chế biến mình sẽ ít đọc dần, mình thấy đối với chuyện này thì xem thực hành hoặc thậm chí được thực hành nó sẽ thực tế hơn rất nhiều. Trong sách còn nhiều thuật ngữ chuyên môn và rất khó áp dụng...

[Linda Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this informative and interesting book just in time for National Coffee Lovers Day. I have always been more of a tea person but who doesn't love the smell of fresh brewed coffee on a cold morning? For the past year I've been experimenting with cold brew and this book has given me the boost I needed to learn to brew better coffee and skip the milk and sugar. There will still be days when a latte or a flat white will be what I want, but for now I'm loving appreciating good coffee and all the subtle flavors when they are not masked by cream and sugar.

[Jackie Sunday · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 2012, I decided to give up the several cups of coffee I was drinking with the belief that it wasn’t good for my health. I had brutal headaches with the withdrawal but managed and actually thought I felt much better afterwards. However, I missed a hot cup in the morning along with the benefits of caffeine during the day. It wasn’t easy to pass by a coffee shop with the wonderful smell of the beans. So, I was curious about this book.

To my surprise, Dr. Arnot said drinking coffee has great benefits. “Drinkers were less likely to die from heart diseases, respiratory diseases, strokes, injuries and accidents, diabetes and infections” according to a 2012 report form the National Institutes of Health. The book goes in depth about the benefits and how a really good cup tastes like nuts, chocolate, berries, honey and wonderful things. Unfortunately, he says most of the coffee beans in the US aren’t fresh and as a result, people add sugar and cream with it to make it taste good.

The book has a lot of interesting aspects although he tends to repeat the information. A list of resources is a good addition.

[Hồ Quang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ngoài những thông tin về lợi ích sức khỏe và vài hướng dẫn cách pha cafe thì hầu hết các thông tin đều không có nhiều giá trị hay không phù hợp với thực tế tại VN, chắc là đơn vị phát hành sách muốn nhắm đến những người yêu cafe nhưng lại không quan tâm nhiều đến nội dung cuốn sách.

Ngoài việc tiếp cận nguồn cafe không được đa dạng như tại Mỹ thì các phần công thức kết hợp với chế độ dinh dưỡng cũng chỉ phù hợp với phương Tây. Các lợi ích hay những lưu ý về cafe thì có thể tìm thấy ở bất kỳ đâu trên mạng, không có gì mới mẻ. Không recommend lắm quyển này cho dù là người bình thường hay tín đồ cafe. Mà mình cũng là fan Arabica đã trải nghiệm hầu hết các loại hạt từ Ethi, Kenya...Brazil, Colom...chứ không phải là fan của Robusta truyền thống đi anti về Arabica nhé 😂😂

[Aliasger Talib · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good information on coffee beans, roasting and brewing. skipped the diet recipe part.

[Andrew Luce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the info on polyphenols and how to get them from coffee, but it was pretty repititious and the diet was actually smoothies, with coffee as the reward. The chia smoothies were good.

[Michele Feng · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started drinking my coffee pure black this afternoon. After reading 1/3 way through the book by Dr. Bob Arnot (the same person who authored "The Biology of Success" - Great book! I read it about 4 years ago. I will definitely revisit this book for a re-read) "The Coffee Lover's Bible", so far I learned more about polyphenols (antioxidant) within coffee beans that serves to aid many ailments in the human body, particularly helps with internal medicine diagnosis (i.e. inflammation). One of the prominent polyphenols there is is a compound known as CGA and it helps with diabetes (particularly onset of Type II). CGA is abundant when the roast is lighter as oppose to dark roast. The lighter roast and with the abundance of CGAs limits the manifestation of carcinogens from the process of coffee making from home machines (have you ever bought a home coffee maker and on the instruction manual there often states "from the State of California Law Proposition 65 this product is known to cause cancer"). Cafestol which is a molecule present (it's really coffee's fat from roasted beans and contain cholesterol in minute quantities) in coffee beans helps with cleansing of sugar from the bodily system and prevents the development of diabetes. It was interesting to find out that Cafestol concentration level is greatest in boiled coffee made from French Press or Turkish/Greek coffee, yet only limited from drip coffee with usage of filters. Good to know that my espresso machines falls in the middle so-to-speak because letting free too much of Cafestol can raise LDL cholesterol levels. Back to my drinking coffee black in all of my daily servings. That's because addition of milk can reduce the metabolic mechanism effect of the CGAs of the coffee in the body. In other words, the antioxidant potency level gets significantly reduced. So much to learn about coffee. The art of coffee (the making of it and its cultural flare) is one thing, the science of coffee (the benefits of consuming it) is another! Coffee is really one of life's many magical wonders, superfood, and pleasurable indulgence!

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the premise of the book, and the evidence-backed arguments made for the health benefits of coffee, however there's a huge overreliance on testimonial to pad out the word count that is completely unnecessary.

The first few chapters contain a ton of great information that form the basis of the argument the author makes for a polyphenol-centric diet and using coffee as a ritual to manage snacking habits. However, it quickly gets highly repetitive and less useful as you go on. The recipes provided are handy and tasty as promised, but that was probably the only necessary part in the second half of the book. I don't need to hear about the three people who tried this diet and had great results. As a researcher, the author should know these are meaningless. A more detailed analysis of these studies conducted by the author et al. described in the first chapter would be a much better fit and use of space.

Would love to see an updated version, as research on polyphenols and flavonoids has progressed since the original publication, and I'm not sure some of the conclusions still hold water. Also, were there citations to the study conducted by the author? I must have missed these in the reference section.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if you discovered that one of your favorite drinks–coffee–could actually be good for you? Would this be inspiring? Dr. Bob Arnot has traveled the world in search of the best coffees. He has looked for not only quality, including excellent taste, but for other benefits as well.

Coffee is not all equal. Some is actually quite good for you. Arnot explains and gives evidence that one can enjoy a great-tasting coffee while also receiving health benefits. He talks of his experiences on coffee farms and in labs and offers plenty of charts with ratings. He discusses coffee equipment and water as well.

The book is entertaining and fun to read. As a bonus, the doctor gives readers plenty of delicious-sounding coffee-related recipes. Included are calorie counts. For those who want to take off a little weight, or even if not, this is a great book to check about and learn some surprising things about coffee.

[Joe Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this book. Dr. Arnot starts the book with an explanation of the benefits of coffee, with many recommendation for picking coffees that have greater health benefits. While sometimes repetitive, I did find this very interesting and learned a lot from it. I have ordered some of the type of coffees he recommends and I'm looking forward to trying the lighter roasts.

The second half of the book focuses on a diet plan that revolves around coffee. He gives many recipes, but without measurements. Trying to follow a recipe from an audio book isn't very appealing, and I wish that Audible provided a PDF to accompany the book because I found this half of the book to be much less useful.

Dr. Arnot's narration, while enthusiastic about the material, at time sounded like he was slurring his words.

[Jeffrey Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serendipity found this book while browsing my local library shelves, and I'm glad I found it. The author waxes eloquent, on the verge of infomercial, about the benefits of particular types of coffee--but the evidence he amasses is convincing. He has made me more of a coffee aficionado, and certainly heightened my appreciation of lighter roasts. And I will try the more expensive higher-altitude coffees for a while, to see if they really lower my cholesterol etc.!
Some photos of coffee plants and various roasts would illustrate his points better; and the recipes seem very very specific.
I would recommend this book for anyone who purports (or hopes) to be an expert on coffee.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you cut out the actual diet portion of this book, it would be a solid 4 star read for me. The information about the benefits of coffee and how to choose beans and brewing methods was very interesting. However, the diet was essentially recommending that people use coffee and chia seeds to feel energetic and full without actually consuming a sufficient amount of food. As a Registered Dietitian, I would not recommend following Phase I of his diet at all.

[Gerald Kinro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all about coffee. Discusses coffee's health benefits because of its polyphenol content. Which varieties contain the most polyphenol and the brewing methods that utilize it. He describes coffee as the "new red wine." There other works that go beyond this one in the discussion of coffee, but what makes this one unique is the medical viewpoint of the author.

[Elaine Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

It wasn't a bad book, pretty well written, just not what I expected. I thought the word Diet in the title was misleading. Arnot seems to show off about his exotic coffee-drinking history, making my home-brewed Folgers (and by extension, me) feel so "less than." Some will like the book. It wasn't my cup of coffee.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book would be great for dieters, coffee drinkers, and people who are both, but seeing as I only read it for the information on coffee, and I read it in audiobook format, I wasn't psyched about the book, but it wasn't terrible.

[Lew Lion · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very interesting learning more about specialty coffee and especially the health benefits. Some of the information became a bit redundant however I was able to power through it and finally get to the actual "diet" part of the book.

[Thanh Phương · Rating 4 out of 5]

Là quyển sách hoàn chỉnh nhất về cafe mà tôi từng đọc, ở thời điểm hiện tại 07.2021. Niềm khao khát "mở tiệm cafe của riêng mình" đã được xây nền móng với những viên gạch kiến thức rất chắc này. Rất hữu ích và Tiếp thêm hy vọng cho ước mơ.

[David Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would have had a higher rating if there wasn't a sales pitch feel to it. With that said, a lot of the information was useful and I do feel like I learned some ways to find better and even healthier coffee.

[Hana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wish there were more recipes for different ways to change up your coffee.

[Bradgirl5 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very informative on the types of coffee available. The recipes seem really delicious too.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The discussion about coffee is interesting. The diet part less so.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three for the beneficial information and recipes. Found that it was somewhat repetitive.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent read
Some factual research
Some interesting recipes

I’d have liked to have seen photos

Snack ideas too

[John Prescott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very pretentious and it’s not all about coffee. It’s more of a recipe book for elixirs.

[Kelley Prendiville · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good intro to coffee types and preparations. Don't care for the diet as it's very carb heavy.

[Elyamus · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone that wants to know a great deal about coffee; sourcing great beans, terroirs, roasting and grinding styles, equipments, brewing techniques , the chemistry and health benefits of coffee etc

[Sanford Chee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Go for light roast, African beans (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda etc) from good grower & roaster.
Polyphenols antioxidants found in coffee (also found in fruits, veggies, tea & whole grains) if not destroyed by heavy roasting =>go for light roast
Pair coffee w/ healthy meals for healthy diet.
Have black coffee w/o sugar in morning 1hr bf workout.

'Is coffee good or bad for you?' -ST 8 Feb 2023
https://www.straitstimes.com/life/the...

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Coffee vs tea
https://www.healthxchange.sg/food-nut...

[Rachel Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fascinating book, I have been drinking coffee basically all my life (I started when I was 6 years old). I had heard all the same things on coffee until a few years ago; and now what coffee drinks have always known is found truth: coffee is healthy for you!
Though the author can sound a bit pompous at times; when talking about going to a professional coffee roaster or asking for coffee grown in high altitudes (sorry but I honestly just enjoy coffee, beans from different locations do taste better than others; but I’m not going to Starbucks sounding like coffee snob)