Coffee. A warm drink. A feeling of being hugged. An energizer.
Coffee. Also a demonized drink. A drink to avoid. Cortisol Spiker.
Two different narratives for the same drink. Or at least that’s what I’ve been seeing on social media and the internet. So with that being said, let’s talk about it.
Over the years, I used to drink coffee excessively to get me through the long days of school/work and because I genuinely enjoyed the coffee creations I had mastered. It was exciting to go to the store and pick out a new type of coffee, harvested beans from a new place, flavoured coffee… Once I realized that my enjoyment was a little bit too much, I slowly started to turn towards decaf for that 2nd or 3rd coffee I wanted. It drastically helped to tone down the coffee addiction.
Something else I became conscious about was how coffee was affecting my health. I felt that I was having afternoon energy crashes, my digestion was off, and overall just felt more tired than feeling good after those coffees. Coffee was affecting my blood sugar, and I was having jitters, and feeling more anxious after drinking my cup. So I started doing my research and not long after, started implementing habits into my coffee routine that helped me enjoy coffee the way I had before.
The start of the transition:
My first step was completely cutting out caffeinated coffee and switching to green tea in the morning and decaf coffee in the afternoon. Now, this was only a temporary step, but it was very much needed to give my body a sort of reset in the mornings, all while still looking forward to my warm drink in the afternoon.
My second step I used some of my background in health and supplements to use tailored supplements to improve my cup of coffee. One of my staple coffee supplements was collagen, which is an abundant protein in the body. Collagen is excellent for the skin, hair & nails; excellent to repair and strengthen the joints, ligaments and muscles. I had been taking collagen for my joints, so adding that into my coffee was a good way to boost my coffee. Some other supplements that people add into their coffee include maca root, mushroom powders, l-glutamine, cinnamon, MCT oil, etc. If you are choosing supplements, make sure they meet your personal health needs!
My third step was to drink at least 1 cup of water and/or electrolytes before drinking a coffee. Coffee is a diuretic (meaning it removes salt/water from the body), and the implications of drinking a diuretic can include dehydration, and mineral and electrolyte loss. You'll be especially prone to dehydration if you toss your other fluids out the window once you have your coffee in hand. Pre-hydrating before that cup of coffee helps to prevent those unwanted symptoms of dehydration.
My fourth step and probably the most important step, eating a meal before drinking my coffee and waiting at least 1 hour after waking up. By keeping myself accountable to eat a meal before my cup of coffee, I’ve noticed better digestion, less jitters and definitely less anxiety than coffee on an empty stomach. As well, by delaying my coffee for at least 1 hour after waking up, it has allowed for my body to adjust without relying on caffeine to provide energy for the day.
Going through that transition and finding habits that align with my routine and personal preferences has been a game changer. Best of all, I still have that warm feeling of comfort when I drink a cup of coffee!
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