Sunday, June 26, 2011

Why should I give up coffee?

In my practice, I commonly recommend patients discontinue drinking coffee as it can negate the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment. On a regular basis, patients ask the questions "Why is coffee bad for me? Do I really need to give it up?" So, I thought it would be helpful to have a complete list of the reasons I recommend a coffee-free diet, aside from its interactions with homeopathic remedies.

Fatigue
I know, this is the main reason that people drink coffee: to help you wake up in the morning, get over that late afternoon slump, or to stay up while working late at night. Yes, coffee is a very short term remedy for fatigue, but in the end, it only makes it worse. Coffee is a central nervous system stimulant which overstimulates the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline and cortisol, both stress hormones. This is what is responsible for that initial euphoric feeling with a cup of coffee, when you have a heightened sense of mental clarity, alertness and more energy. Unfortunately, this affect is short lasting and leads to a crash in energy, and eventually adrenal depletion, fatigue and caffeine dependence and addiction. Your adrenal glands stop being able to produce normal levels of these stress hormones, as caffeine has worn them out. Coffee blocks the absorption of iron, which can contribute to iron deficiency anemia, also resulting in fatigue.

Anxiety/Panic/Depression/Sleep disorders
Because coffee stimulates an excess release of stress hormones and interferes with our brain chemistry, it contributes to states of anxiety, panic, depression and insomnia. Coffee inhibits adenosine, which is one of our calming neurotransmitters, thus blocking our body's ability for natural stress reduction and relaxation. Coffee depletes the body of vitamin B6, a nutrient needed for the production of serotonin. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and anxiety. Coffee also decreases vitamin D absorption, which has been linked to mood disorders and depression.

Coronary Artery Disease/Hypertension
Coffee intake has been linked to elevated homocysteine levels, which contributes to coronary artery disease. Elevated levels of cortisol due to coffee intake lead to constriction of blood vessels and can be a contributing factor to hypertension.

Osteoporosis/Bone Health
Coffee has been shown to decrease the absorption of both calcium and vitamin D, both necessary for optimal bone health. Coffee actually leaches calcium from the our bones, contributing to loss of bone density and osteoporosis.

Gastrointestinal Disorders
Coffee is acidic, and contains numerous chemicals that are irritating to the lining of the digestive tract. Over time, coffee consumption can contribute to many gastrointestinal conditions including gastritis, GERD, and irritable bowel syndrome. Because of coffee's irritant effect on the gastrointestinal tract, it decreases the absorption of many essential vitamins and minerals.

Dehydration
Coffee is a diuretic that causes frequent urination. This depletes the body of important nutrients and electrolytes including magnesium, potassium and calcium.

Dental health
Not only does coffee stain your teeth a yellowish brown color, it also increases dental caries (cavities).

So, those are a few reasons to motivate you to give up coffee and improve your health!

Coffee Alternative
If you are considering giving up coffee, the best coffee alternative I have found is Dandy Blend. This is a caffeine-free, gluten-free coffee alternative that contains water soluble extracts of roasted dandelion root, chicory and beets, and grains barley and rye. It surprisingly tastes like coffee without the bitterness and acidity. Substituting Dandy Blend for coffee helps with avoiding headaches and other coffee withdrawal symptoms. Dandelion, one of the main ingredients in this blend, is a wonderful botanical for digestion and nutrient absorption, liver functionality, skin health, weight loss and hormone balancing. I recommend Dandy Blend as part of a detoxification program and/or for every day use. Check out Dandy Blend's website:
http://www.dandyblend.com/ for more info or for a store locator near you. In Portland, you can buy Dandy Blend at Peoples Food Co-op in SE, or the Alberta Co-op in NE.

Some recipe ideas using Dandy Blend:

Straight up:
1 tsp Dandy Blend dissolved in 8 ounces hot water. I recommend using 1 Tbsp for a fuller flavored cup.
*you can also dissolve Dandy Blend in cold water and serve over ice for a refreshing iced-coffee alternative.

Dandy Latte:
1 Tbsp Dandy Blend
12 ounces steamed or warmed dairy alternative-almond milk or hemp milk
1 tsp honey
Stir all ingredients together and enjoy!

Dandy Bliss:
1 Tbsp Dandy Blend
1/2 cup Coconut Bliss Ice Cream (original or vanilla flavor)
1/2 cup water
1 cup ice
Blend all ingredients in the blender and enjoy!

I recommend trying to give up coffee for 2 weeks and notice how differently you feel. Just eliminating coffee and caffeine from your diet can drastically improve how you feel physically, mentally and emotionally.



12 comments:

  1. Coffee is also associated with heart arythmias, extra or missed beats. For persons who experience these disturbing extra bumps, missed beats, or even racing heart beats - one of the first things you want to do is to stop drinking coffee - even decaffinated coffee. Coffee seems like a simple beverage - but coffee contains many chemical compounds, many of which we are still not sure how they affect the body. These could be the source of the heart rythm problems that many coffee driners expeience. Most of those events are not critical, but one in 1000 can be fatal.

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  2. A nice wee plug for dandy blend there, eh!? Fucker.

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  3. what about decaf?

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  4. I love Dandy Blend!

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  5. Which study? Do you have a link? The most recent review, in 2002, concluded that there is basically no ill effect on bone calcium from caffeine consumption:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu... has done dozens if not hundreds of studies about bones and calcium. You're probably referencing one study and butchering the results.

    Please, fitness authors worldwide, please cite your sources. You're actually harming naive people that believes you!

    Coffee actually increases Vitamin D levels and increases HDL (good cholesterol) among other things. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22905922

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    1. Coffee has more than caffeine in it.

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  6. Anything consumed in substantial quantities will likely have ill effects; results will vary dependent on body chemistry, diet, life style, etc.
    That said, I will speak from personal experience:
    When I started drinking coffee 10 years ago I noticed intermittent discomfort in my leg muscles and joints. That feeling seemed to correlate with coffee consumption; symptoms went away after 2-3 weeks and I gave it little thought. 10 years later I decide to quit coffee and after 4 days my leg muscles and joints began giving me great discomfort in the same areas as before. Being of analytical nature, I drank some coffee and the symptoms were gone within an hour or so. Drank coffee at a slightly reduced volume for 2 weeks and repeated the scenario... symptoms returned. Again reduced coffee intake for 2 weeks and repeated scenario... symptoms returned again... In all instances coffee calmed the discomfort.
    My described discomfort felt like my muscles and joints were being leached; hard to describe, but that was the feeling (this was before searching the internet).
    So there's my story for what it's worth.
    I did give up coffee, but I had to taper off a bit at a time.
    ----------------------------------------------------
    On a side note: I feel less stressed, diet is easier to maintain and my mind is much clearer.
    Hope this helps someone out there.
    -
    Todd W.

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    1. This is exactly why I'm readin gup on this. I've also been having achy joints and muscles, and when I have strong coffee I feel this progrsesive weakening in my legs... almost like leaching. Going to try quitting coffee and see if it helps. Thanks for sharing this story, Todd W.

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  7. Todd W. - My coffee drinking experience has been very similar to yours. I drank coffee heavily for at least 5 years. When I say heavily, I mean espresso roast coffee for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was my diet. I worked long hours and drank lots of coffee to support that. Until it all came crashing down. I suffered from insomnia(of course) and anxiety attacks, then chronic fatigue and adrenal fatigue. The coffee stopped pepping me up and started making fall asleep. My teeth were rotting out of my head and I have always eaten a healthy, mostly organic vegetarian diet. I had a hard time getting out of bed after waking because my joints and muscles were so stiff and achy. I also suffered from arthritis and gout. I was in my 20's and felt like I was in my 80's! I don't care what studies say about coffee being beneficial to our health. My body tells a different story.

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  8. artikel obat penyumbatan pembuluh darah menjelaskan tentang Apa yang terjadi jika pembuluh darah tersumbat? Arteri adalah pembuluh darah yang membawa darah kaya oksigen ke seluruh tubuh Anda. Arteri membawa darah mulai dari kepala, otak sampai ke ujung jari kaki anda. Arteri yang sehat memiliki dinding bagian dalam halus berguna untuk mengalirkan darah dengan mudah. apa yang akan terjadi bila terdapat penyempitan pembuluh darah yang disebabkan oleh plak arteri?

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  9. There are so many studies showing healthful properties of coffee. Couldn't you consume it in moderation to get the benefits and minimize any side effects?

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