As you may have gathered by now, I love coffee. I love the smell, the taste, the ritual of drinking it in the morning. I love coffee shops, getting together with friends or a date for hot cup of java. So why bother with a coffee substitute when the real thing tastes so good?
Well, there’s a lot of debate out there about whether or not coffee is healthy for you. Especially in the abundance we Americans (especially New Yorkers ;-)) drink on the daily. Processed mainly through the liver, caffeine has a relatively short half-life. This means it takes about five to seven hours, on average, to eliminate half of it from your body. So if you’re having 2 cups in the morning and one in the afternoon, that’s almost like being (at least mildly) caffeinated round the clock.
Renowned physician Dr. Mark Hyman wrote a detailed article on the ways that caffeine (cumulatively and in excess) could have a negative impact on one’s health:
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The caffeine in coffee increases catecholamines, your stress hormones. The stress response triggers cortisol and increases insulin. Insulin increases inflammation and this makes you feel lousy.
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Habituation to caffeine decreases insulin sensitivity, making it difficult for your cells to respond appropriately to blood sugar. High blood sugar levels lead to arterial deterioration and increased risk of mortality related to cardiovascular disease.
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Unfiltered coffee has the highest amount of beneficial antioxidants yet also leaks the most diterpenes into your system. These diterpenes have been linked to higher levels of triglycerides, LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) and VLDL levels.
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The helpful chlorogenic acids which may delay glucose absorption in the intestine have also been shown to increase homocysteine levels- an indicator for increased risk of cardiovascular disease which tends to be elevated in diabesity.
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The acidity of coffee is associated with digestive discomfort, indigestion, heart burn, GERD and dysbiosis (imbalances in your gut flora).
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Addiction is often an issue with coffee drinkers and makes it really difficult to rely on the body’s natural source of energy. Ask any coffee drinker about how it feels to withdraw from coffee, and you will mistake their story for that of a drug addict’s…
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Associative addictions trend with coffee – who doesn’t immediately think of warm, frothy sweet cream and sugar when they picture coffee? Surely the business of coffee has inspired a culture addicted to the sugary, fatty tastes of what has become more of a meal then a drink…Enter the beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte
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5-HIA, an organic acid and component of the neurotransmitter serotonin (the happy chemical) seen in the urine tends to be elevated in coffee drinkers which means they may be at risk for lower levels of serotonin synthesis in the brain. Serotonin is necessary for normal sleep, bowel function, mood, and energy levels. It is a vicious cycle as caffeine can disrupt sleep and promote anxiety and depression.
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Elevated urinary excretion of important minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium have been noted in coffee drinkers. An imbalance in your electrolyte status can lead to serious systemic complications.
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Constituents in coffee can interfere with normal drug metabolism and detoxification in the liver making it difficult to regulate the normal detoxification process in the liver. Another issue to be aware of with coffee intake is how certain medications such as levothyroxine (thyroid) as well as tricyclic antidepressants are poorly absorbed, making symptoms curiously worse for patients.
Now, I like a caffeine buzz as much as the next person, but I have questioned whether or not my daily coffee consumption is helpful or harmful. Especially when I’ve read information like what Dr. Hyman and other health professionals have said about too much caffeine. I don’t think caffeine is the worst thing I could put in my body, but I certainly file this information under “things that make you go hmmmm.”
So what’s a coffee-lover to do? As I mentioned, I love so much about the coffee drinking experience. Decaf coffee is over-processed and, in my opinion, just gross; and hot tea doesn’t cut the mustard…But I’d love to find something that I could substitute even if just here and there to drink less caffeine over all.
What if there was something out there that tasted like coffee and still gave you the energy boost but without the caffeine crash and the negative effects like insulin resistance, elevated triglycerides, etc??
I know it sounds too good to be true…but I searched high and low and much to my surprise (and excitement!) I found such a product!! Stay tuned, because a writeup and review of this delightful drink will be coming very soon 🙂
Ciao for now!
-E
