A nutritionist has urged people to ditch their coffee first thing in the morning as it could be doing more harm than good to our bodies and hormones – and what to do instead to help wake up
Many of us love to reach for a cup of coffee first thing in the morning to help us function for the day – but it could be causing havoc on your hormones.
While you may be guilty of jumping straight out of bed and into the kitchen to whack the kettle on, it’s important to have your coffee the right way – and we don’t mean having a flat white over a cappuccino.
Coffee can make a huge impact on your digestion, stress levels, hormone balance and energy levels and downing it on an empty stomach triggers the release of like adrenaline and cortisol. Gabrielle Newman, a nutritionist at The Fast 800 Programme detailed exactly why you should avoid this, and what you can do to avoid that anxious stress response.
Cortisol is a steroid hormone, often called the “stress hormone,” produced by the adrenal glands and it plays a crucial role in regulating various bodily functions, including stress response, blood pressure, immune function, and inflammation. It also helps the body prepare for and cope with stressful situations, and while it’s essential for survival, chronically high or low levels can lead to health problems.
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It’s plays an essential part in getting us going in the morning, but too much of it from that early coffee can lead to an over-stimulated release and cause an unwanted stress response. This can mess with our gut, hormones, adrenals, and leave us feeling less than chirpy.
To avoid this, Gabrielle advises to wait 90 minutes after waking up to have your first coffee. This is the ideal scenario according to the expert because delaying caffeine for the first 90 minutes of waking (at least) allows for the best hormone balance.
She told The Mirror: “Within the first hour of waking, our cortisol levels ideally acutely rise and fall in a response known as our cortisol awakening response. This rise and fall of cortisol represents a healthy nervous system and actually has a big influence on our immune health and even the risk of autoimmune development.
“Pausing on caffeine for the first 90 minutes (at least!) helps to promote the most balanced cortisol awakening response and can even better support our energy levels throughout the day,” she added.
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Gabriella also said that, for those reaching for caffeine first thing to help you feel more awake and alert, there is a better way to achieve both. “Getting natural light exposure within the first hour or so of waking is a great way to support optimal hormone balance,” she revealed.
The combination of walking and getting sunlight is a “win-win” for hormones, energy and overall health. “Morning light exposure is a huge regulator of circadian rhythm and light exposure triggers the healthy release of cortisol in the morning to support the body’s natural rhythm.”
Coffee on an empty stomach can stimulate cortisol which can spike blood sugar, and Gabrielle said elevated blood sugar can “trigger inflammation and set us up to be on a blood sugar roller coaster for the rest of the day, thereby tanking our energy supply”. So if we start our day with a whole food source, we can help balance the blood sugar.
The expert recommends a fibre rich diet, as well as hailing protein as another major nutrient that counterbalances a spike in blood sugar, so consuming some either before you drink coffee or with your coffee is “ideal” according to Gabrielle. This could be whipping up some eggs or simply adding a scoop of good quality protein powder into your morning smoothie if you’re on the run.
“This can have a major benefit on better blood sugar balance by slowing the release of energy and can have a positive impact on your body’s stress and inflammation levels,” she further detailed.
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