☕ Coffee, digestion & hydrochloric acid 💩😩

Hi -,

As Autumn beds in, it's great to see so many awesome events in full swing.

We joined the team at the Camino 50k ultramarathon yesterday and handed out some well deserved Exhale coffee at the finish line. It was a stunning run through Epping Forest and last year was one of Al's faves.

In celebration of our partnership with Quirky Campers we're doing a seriously amazing Autumn givaway which ends on Thursday.

It's worth £1,500 and includes a Ooni pizza oven, coffee kit, paddleboard and of course Quirky Camper vouchers  - see the end of this email for more on how to enter.

Enjoy this week's newsletter with a deep dive into organic, how to knock on the doors of life and coffee's affects on your GI tract.

Have a great week!

1. brew ~ 8 min read

Worried about how coffee affects your digestion? Then read on...

I'm so facinated by coffee's affects on gut health I even commissioned an article on it by leading gut-health dietician Sophie Medlin HERE. (said Al, not Kirsty!)

But so far we've mainly talked about the benefits of coffee polyphenols on the gut and how coffee can improve the diversity of your microbiome. 

Imagine my excitement when I found a study publidhed in January 2022 in Nutrients which takes it to the next level! (literally)

It's a scientific review of 194 other studies looking at coffee's affects on the first organis it comes into contact with after drinking it... the gastro-intestinal tract.

The data showed coffee intake stimulates gastric, biliary and pancreatic secretions, all necessary for the digestion of food.

Such as the production of gastrin, a digestive hormone; and hydrochloric acid, present in gastric juice – both of which help break down food in the stomach.

It finally considered coffee and cancer of various stages of the GI tract, reporting 'prominent protective effects' against liver cancer and all other liver diseases. Up to a 50% reduced risk for some! 

It's a great study and a useful read for anyone with issues like IBD or GERD - Al x 

2. move ~ 5 minutes moving!

Have you ever knocked on the doors of life?

Al and I are big advocates of having a dialied in morning routine. His is loooong, complex and exhausting. Mine takes 5 minues and sets me up for the day...

Have you heard of Qigong? And have you ever knocked on the doors of life? If not, it's time to give it a go!

Meet Mark Shayler, the 'Punk of Qigong'. We found him on the MEUS app, where he gives lots of 5 minute Qigong tutorials.

"Knocking on the doors of life" is a routine to warm up your body and MEUS have kindy let us share it with you HERE.

He explains the practice in such a human and funny way that it's genuinely really fun!

Aside from finding him on the MEUS app, he also does 3 x 30 minute sessions a week, live at 8am on his insta, totally free! @theqigang.

If anyone wants to give the MEUS app a go, you can get a 2 week free trial below. We have absolutely no affiliate links, we just use it morning and night and genuinly find it amazing.

3. thrive ~ 3 minute read

Organic food is more expensive — but is it worth the cost?

We’ve teamed up with some incredible partners to bring you the ultimate Autumn Adventures kit, worth over £1500! One lucky winner will receive:
🚐 £350 Quirky Camper Gift Voucher

🌊 A 12’6 Inflatable Touring Paddle Board package (along with all the necessary bits you need!) courtesy of Fatstick’s.

🍕 An Ooni Fyra 12″ Pizza Oven, along with a 10kg bag of Ooni Premium Hardwood Pellets & a box of Ooni Premium Natural Firestarters.

☕️ A years supply of delicious coffee, an Aeropress GO Travel Coffee Maker & Timemore Manual Grinder courtesy of Exhale Coffee.

Our healthy coffees