Should I stop drinking coffee?!

Picture this: you wake up, roll out of bed, get dressed, and pour yourself a cup of coffee as you scroll on your phone before getting ready to leave for work. You refill your mug as you head out the door and at some point in the afternoon you feel like you need a pick me up so you do a starbucks run for a yummy latte.

These days it feels like everyone is drinking coffee morning, noon, and night. Is it harming our bodies? Many individuals have a hard time functioning without caffeine and others are in denial that caffeine effects them at all. Sooooo we wanted to do some research for ya.

Here's the thing. Drinking coffee on an empty stomach is a recipe for spiking stress hormones and having dysregulated blood sugar. I'm not talking about the stressed feeling you get from being late to an interview - I'm talking about the stress response your body is creating by increasing your levels of cortisol and leaving your body in a flight or fight response mode. Running off stress hormones can work for a season but when the crash finally happens it often results in massive health repercussions. If you are looking to create a life in which your body is healthy and strong with sustainable habits then skipping breakfast and going straight for coffee is not for you. So what can you do? Eat a balanced meal before hand! I'm talking animal protein, carbs, and fat. A good example: 2 pasture raised eggs (protein) with cheese (protein and fat) and a piece of sourdough toast (carbohydrate) with grass-fed butter (fat).

Eating a balanced meal prevents spikes in blood sugar and mitigates your body's stress response. Once you are nourished coffee actually can actually benefit you. Coffee is a known metabolic stimulant and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties! Another thing to take into consideration in your coffee consumption journey is the quality of the beans. If, like us, mitigating stress and toxins for the body is your goal, you will be interested to know that most beans contain mold and excess chemicals from pesticides. That being said, to avoid this it is beneficial to prioritize organic, freshly roasted coffee. This also means the coffee won't be cheap but I think it's a trade off worth considering.

Needless to say - we loooooove coffee - specifically lattes. In our house (Charity and John) our go to lately has been an iced latte with 1/2 caff. organic espresso, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and grass-fed raw milk (skepticle of raw milk? we were too - but it reversed John's lactose intolerance so thats a post for another time).

Welp, thanks for reading :) and you know what they say...more espresso, less depresso...but don't quote me on that

Author: Charity Behage