Is Coffee a Good Thing?

When clients come to see me, one of the most common concerns is, will I take their coffee away?

The answer is mixed, but unless there is a really good reason, then I will not. Often it is more about how you drink your coffee or when!

I am a coffee drinker, so I understand your reluctance to remove coffee from your daily routine. I have moved from cow's milk to soy and I also enjoy a long black.

But is coffee good for you?

Coffee is a stimulant that can increase the production of gastric acid and gastrin release, which increases hydrochloric acid (HCL) production. Which you might consider a good thing!

But this stimulus can also increase anxiety for some and caffiene can affect your sleep, especially if you have it late at night.

Good gut function relies on a healthy environment. This requires a good level of stomach acid (HC) which helps with the break-down of nutrients. It also helps to have a functioning gut lining, healthy mucosa and a good balance in your microbiome.

Most people complain that coffee, first thing in the morning, sends them straight to the bathroom!

This is because of gastric emptying.

The research can be conflicting, but it seems, that if you have a solid meal before having your morning cup of coffee you will slow the gastric emptying. This is positive because if you empty your gastric contents first thing in the morning before food, you also remove all the gastric juices, and these are required to digest your food. You don't want to do this to your gut.

So, my recommendation is to always eat something before you take your morning coffee.

Does coffee have any benefits?

Yes, it does. It contains some B vitamins along with manganese, potassium and magnesium. It is also full of antioxidants.

It can provide energy and improve mental fatigue. It may help protect you from diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's and dementia, Parkinson and some cancers. It may help with depression although too many coffees can have the opposite effect on mood.

Although coffee can increase blood pressure and therefore cardiovascular risk, it can lower the risk of stroke. If you suffer from high blood pressure, then perhaps coffee is not the drink for you otherwise it has some benefits to longevity.

Overall, coffee does have many benefits, but it also depends on how you drink it and how much you consume. If you are a person that has more than 4 cups per day, especially with cow's milk, then I would suggest some changes.

You also must factor in where you are getting your caffeine. If it is from a coffee shop, then a medium or large beverage will dose between 2-4 servings of caffeine per drink. If you have a couple of these daily, then the amount of caffeine starts to add up.

Then you must consider if you are adding milk and sugar. What type of milk? That is a whole other conversation! But sugar! Sugar is prohibited along with any other artificial sweetener.

So, if you are having 1-2 cups of black coffee a day on a full stomach after food then the benefits most likely outweigh the negatives.

You may also carry genetics that alter the way your body metabolizes caffeine, and this also needs to be taken into consideration.

So how do you take your coffee?