Tea Time with Jo|How To Enjoy Coffee without Stressing Your System

Coffee is one of those beverages that people seem to either love or hate. Some people can’t live without it and some people really don’t tolerate its effects very well. Those who do love it, and drink multiple servings a day, run the risk of taxing their adrenals; and most of us don’t need any help doing that already. So how can we enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee that gives us all of the benefits while not stressing our adrenals or causing jitters? Read on to learn some of the ways that you can optimize your brew! 

The Quality of Your Coffee Matters

Cheap, commercially produced coffee, is cheap for a reason. One of the biggest concerns with coffee is the presence of Mycotoxins (mold) which the U.S. does not regulate in the coffee industry. That is why it is important to invest in coffee that is actually going to aid in your health (hello antioxidants!) rather than work against it. While I don’t support any particular brands, it is my understanding that those that value the wellness of their customers, will happily advertise about the testing they perform on their beans. 

If you love coffee but opt for decaf, it is really important to use a brand that doesn’t use a chemical process with solvents to extract the caffeine. Look for a water processed variety instead. It is important to note that a lot of the negative effects individuals experience with caffeine (jitters, anxiety, etc), may actually be more related to the quality of the coffee and how it is enjoyed rather than the caffeine itself. Read on for more…

How You Brew Your Coffee, Also Matters

Cold brew coffees are popping up everywhere including the grocery store. Cold brew refers to the method of brewing coffee in which cold water is poured onto the grinds and allowed to soak for several hours before being strained. In contrast, hot brewing, involves pouring hot water over the grinds and the resulting liquid is consumed right away. So what are the benefits of cold brewing versus regular “hot” brewing? Cold brew allows for the extraction of caffeine and antioxidants without the release of acid. This makes the coffee much easier to digest especially for those with sensitive stomachs or a tendency to heart burn/acid reflux. This is my preferred method for brewing coffee. I usually make a larger batch of cold brew and store it in the fridge. Since the acid is not being released, it can keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. When I am ready to enjoy a cup, I simply pour the amount I want into a pot and heat it up on the stove. If you have an espresso machine with a steamer, you can also use the steam to warm up your coffee. Since the beans/grounds have already been separated by this point, your brew won’t become acidic after heating but you can still enjoy a nice hot cup. If this sounds like too much to do in the morning, you are going to want to continue reading to learn how your coffee routine also makes a difference in how you feel. Hint: Making time for coffee is a game changer!

In Addition…Quantity Matters

There has been lot of debate as to whether or not coffee is “healthy”. Besides caffeine, there are concerns about the nutrient “leaching” that coffee can cause. There have been some studies that suggest drinking an excessive amount of coffee actually causes leaching of Magnesium (a very important mineral that a large part of the population tends to have low levels of) and reduced circulating B vitamins. In order to keep coffee as a beneficial part of one’s lifestyle, it is important to moderate the consumption so that we get all of the benefits without damaging our mineral and vitamin stores. Since “excessive” consumption looks different from person to person, it is important to listen to YOUR body. General recommendations are to keep it to no more than a cup (8oz) per day. 

Optimizing Your Coffee

Do you feel jittery after consuming any amount of coffee? Does it make you feel “wired”? Perhaps you feel ok after having a cup but you find yourself having to have multiple servings a day to sustain your energy? It is possible that you are not optimizing your coffee consumption in order to get the most out of it. We have already discussed purchasing good quality coffee and cold brewing it to preserve its antioxidant benefits, but we can further optimize our coffee by consuming it with healthy fats. 

While it became really trendy to add MCT oil and grass fed butter to coffee, a few years ago, adding fat to a hot caffeinated beverage has been around for hundred of years, if not more. Adding fat to your coffee is one of the best ways to get the most benefits out of your brew. One of the ways it does this is by slowing down the way that caffeine is released in your system. This prevents the harsh rise and fall which can lead to serious energy crashes throughout the day and also mitigates some of those “jitters”. Adding grass fed butter or ghee, and coconut oil or MCT oil (or a combination of both butter and oil) can be a really tasty way to boost the benefits of your cup. Remember that butter and ghee are basically solidified milk so it is almost like adding cream to your coffee. Just make sure to use a frother or blender to really incorporate the fats into a foam. Otherwise, you’ll just have a layer of fat floating on top of your coffee and that may not be appealing. 

Ritual vs Habit

What are you doing when you are drinking your morning cup? Are you slowly making your way to your coffee pot/machine, picking out your favorite mug, and looking forward to sitting down and enjoying your cup quietly and calmly before starting the day? Perhaps, you are rushing to get to work and are quickly and stressfully pouring a cup into a thermos and running out the door. Maybe, you are rushing to leave home so that you have enough time to swing by your favorite coffee shop and then inhale it on your commute. 

The state that your body is in plays a role in how your body metabolizes anything it consumes. When we consume food during a moment of high stress, our bodies can’t divert as much attention into digestion. This can lead to indigestion, bloating and discomfort. Consuming coffee is no different.

When we are in a rush or feeling the pressure of time, we start stressing. Consuming a caffeinated beverage during this time is going to add another layer of “stress” to our bodies because it triggers our adrenals (who area already dealing with the stress we were perceiving to begin with) to produce more adrenaline. This is going to trigger a lot more of the jittery sensations or anxiety some individuals say they experience with coffee. However, it is possible that the stress of the environment is having a much bigger impact than the coffee itself. This can be true even when it is being consumed with a healthy fat that slows the metabolization of caffeine. 

If you ask individuals who really enjoy the ritual of preparing and drinking a cup of coffee, they often see it as more of a relaxing experience and not a stressful, fast paced one. In addition, there is a lot to be said for the benefits of being mindful when preparing something you are about to consume versus just inhaling something someone has mindlessly prepared for you (looking at you barista who spelled my name wrong). 

To Sum Things Up

How our body’s feel in response to coffee may have far less to do with caffeine and more to do with other factors such as quality and stress levels at the time of consumption. Before you write it off because it makes you feel anxious or upsets your digestion, consider trying some of the suggestion above and see how you feel. There are definitely ways to enjoy your favorite brew while also not stressing out your body. 

Enjoy!