Why You Shouldn't Skip Your Daily Coffee
Updated: 4 hours ago
I don't know about you, but coffee is my favorite part of the morning. Waking up and brewing a fresh cup of hot coffee. Listening to it brew into my favorite mug. The aroma filling my home. The first sip. Ugh, I'm drooling just thinking about it.
Clearly I have a love affair with coffee, its not something that I would ever want to give up and theres no reason to! Despite the bad rep that coffee has gotten, it actually offers a lot of health benefits like...
Increases energy and can improve memory
It's a natural fat burner
Can improve physical performance
Contains riboflavin (B2), pantothenic acid (B5), magnesium and niacin (B3), manganese, and potassium
Can help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes
Evidence shows it can protect against Alzheimers and Dementia
Reduced risk of Parkinson's disease
Protects the liver
Can aid in fighting depression and make you feel happier (it really is the little things that bring the most joy)
It contains antioxidants so it can lower the risk of cancer, specifically liver and colorectal cancer
May lower the risk of stroke
Because coffee helps fights against many diseases including coronary heart disease and kidney disease, it can simply help you live longer
Reduces melanoma risk by 20%
Encourages digestion
There you have it, fourteen reasons to not give up your daily cup of bliss. There is, however, a right and wrong way to do coffee. Coffee can be a nourishing part of your lifestyle but it is what you make of it!
Don't Over Do It
Drinking excessive amounts of coffee is not good for you or your endocrine system, adrenal system, or nervous system. Keep your coffee intake between 8-12 ounces a day. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.
How You Take Your Coffee Matters
It's important to be aware of what you are putting into your coffee. Adding low quality dairy, refined sugar, and those artificially flavored creamers with chemicals, preservatives, and additives is only going to work against your health, feed disease, and cause massive inflammation in the body.
If your one who needs a splash of milk opt for a plant based milk or organic, grass fed dairy that contains zero preservatives, additives, binders, thickeners, or sugar. You can even take it to the next level and make your own plant based milk. Conventional dairy and those artificially flavored creamers wreck havoc on gut health and cause inflammation.
As for some sweetness, it's time to ditch the refined sugar and artificial flavors/sweeteners altogether and start using sugar made by nature like raw honey or pure maple syrup. The body loves these sugars as they contain essential nutrients, don't spike insulin, and do not cause acidic, inflammatory response in the body.
Now don't get me wrong, I still love going to Starbucks and getting my favorite flavored latte but I keep it to a minimum and make my coffee at home 99% of the time. If you do hit the coffee shop on a regular basis and want healthy options, you can always go with black coffee, whole milk creamer (most plant based ones are highly processed), no added flavor which are always artificial, and a natural sweetener (bring your own honey if need be)!
Go Organic
There are so many different brands of coffee out there and you may be thinking - coffee is coffee it doesn't matter the brand. I used to just go for the cheapest bag of coffee beans until I learned that coffee is one of the most highly sprayed crops with pesticides and other chemicals. We obviously don't want to be drinking chemicals. This is why it is crucial to buy organic coffee. I'll leave the link to my current favorite small brand, eco friendly coffee right below!
Water First
It is in your bodies best interest if you do not drink coffee first thing after rising in the morning. It's important to allow the body to naturally wake up and let the nervous system calm for at least an hour before consuming coffee.
Upon waking in the morning, the nervous system, adrenals, and stress hormones are stimulated. This is a natural occurrence. Drinking coffee first thing will send the nervous system into overdrive, negatively affecting overall health and healthy hormone balance. Wait 1-2 hours before drinking coffee and start the day off with 12-16 ounces of pure, filtered water. The body is also dehydrated after a night's sleep so it's important to drink water first thing.
Add Nourishment
Make your coffee work for your health and wellbeing even more by adding certain high quality supplements like a liquid vitamin D3, liquid ashwagandha, maca powder, liquid CBD, matcha, red reishi mushroom powder, lion's mane mushroom, cacao, organic grass fed ghee, and organic coconut oil. There are many more options, I recommend doing some research to determine which ones you would benefit most from!
Coffee & Gut Health
Coffee can be a gut irritant due to its acidic nature. If drinking coffee upsets your stomach in any way it's you'r body telling you that your gut health needs some attention. While healing the gut it's important to steer clear of coffee and caffeine in general as it will slow down the healing process.
When reintroducing coffee make sure its hot and add a high quality source of fat and carb. Iced beverages are tough on the digestive system as it has to work a lot harder to process, the body loves room temperature and hot drinks. A fat can include organic, grass fed whole fat dairy creamer, ghee, butter, or organic coconut oil. If you're sensitive to dairy opt for ghee or coconut oil. A carb can include raw honey or pure maple syrup. Having both a fat and carb present soothes the gut and allows for better digestion. This is also good for those who are maintaining gut health and living an anti inflammatory lifestyle.
My Daily Coffee Recipe For Gut Health
12 ounces of hot organic coffee
Splash of almond milk (MALK is my go to brand, nothing but water, almonds and pink salt)
1/2 tablespoon local raw organic honey
1/2 tablespoon organic grass fed ghee
Topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon
I use a hand frother to blend
The demonization of coffee isn't due to the coffee plant itself. Side effects like anxiety, nervousness, shakiness, headaches, the crash and burn is a result of how and when we consume the coffee.
Now is always the time to start making healthy changes that benefit health and longevity. We don't have to give up our beloved cup of coffee, we simply need to make it work for our health, not against it ☕
Wishing you a beautiful day 🌿
Much Love,
Bellamy Ryder