Many people have heard of the antioxidant benefits of coffee, but there are drawbacks to coffee as well including:
1) Coffee's acidic nature can reduce a person's Vitamin C and mineral reserves.
2) Coffee's stimulating nature can:
-encourage cortisol dysregulation
-develop a function debt where your body becomes addicted
-prevent your body from properly relaxing
What is not widely shared is the negative effect of the caffeine in all coffee (decaf, too still has some caffeine in it) as a stimulant that leads to blood sugar imbalances.When a cup of caffeinated beverage is ingested, the adrenal glands are stimulated to release stress hormones, like cortisol. This has the effect of throwing off the blood sugar leading to both a hypoglycemic state before a meal and a slight insulin-resistance after a meal. This means you may be cranky with others or light-headed when you're hungry and rather than burning the glucose, you are more likely to store it as fat after a meal.
Even small amounts of regular caffeine can establish a "function debt" in the body meaning that your body becomes reliant on the stimulant rather than functioning on its own to help you feel enlivened.
Furthermore, caffeinated beverages give your body the signal that it should be "up" rather than relaxed. Overtime, your body produces fewer relaxing hormones as a result.
For healthy alternatives to coffee, consider the following suggestions:
1) Have a different hot drink such as star's lemonade and other hot beverages listed in our recipe section. Try Herbal coffees such as the one we carry by Mountain Rose.
2) Eat a healthy diet dense in fish, meat, fresh produce and healthy fats so that you do not need to rely on stimulants.
3) Try herbal blends for the glandular systems such as Adaptocrine that we carry in the office.