Since when did a “large coffee, double cream” become a treat? A treat, by definition, is something out of the ordinary but there is nothing out of the ordinary about having a cup of coffee when more than “2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed in the world every day.”
What Are Our Cravings Telling Us?
Perhaps it was the ‘double cream” my friend was referring to that made her afternoon coffee such a treat. Had she drank it black (and there is nothing wrong with black coffee), it would have quenched her thirst, warmed her soul and given her that temporary kick to get her through the afternoon.
The fact that at this stage in her life, she wants double cream tells us something. One….she needs a little more fuel than what a black coffee would provide and two…that her body is telling her that she needs fat (cream) more than carbs (sugar).
Fat is a Critical Part of Our Diet
Canada’s Food Guide recommends that we eat 20-35% of our calories as fat because fat is absolutely necessary for our survival. Cream, the most naturally occurring fat there is, provides not only a source of energy but the foundation for hormones, cell repair and brain function. Food is fuel and it comes in the form of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. A “large coffee, double cream” is therefore, fuel; not a treat.
Time to Rethink What Constitutes a Food “Treat”
So, when did a “large coffee, double cream” become a treat? I guess when you can drive up to a window and for a loonie or a toonie get a warm cuppa joe and a smile. It’s the customer service that’s the treat, not the food. In the midst of this obesity epidemic, we must remember that food is not the villain here, but rather our lack of knowledge in knowing the difference between which foods are real and which foods are just a treat.
Our Power Up Mission is simply to educate our customers on the importance of using quality food as fuel. For all your Power Up news make sure you check out Vince’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Also make sure to follow @VincesMarket and #powerupwithvinces, sign up for our Power Up Newsletter and keep an eye out for nutrition tips and tricks from me, our in-house nutrition expert!
To our health & wellbeing,
Shannon, Guest Blogger
