The Downside To Coffee…..Read If You Dare!

I have recently been in a number of discussions asking questions and talking about coffee and its potential effect on blood sugar, insulin, and weight loss. Let’s dig in!

I have 3 issues with coffee:

  1. Although it is a mild diuretic, that is not that big a deal if you drink enough water. The problem is however that it causes the body to dump minerals such as sodium. The dumping of sodium and other minerals causes the body to try and preserve what it has, and that results in raising insulin levels which eventually triggers insulin resistance.
  2. All coffee has rancid oils that come from the roasting process. Rancid oils are producers of free radicals and these can stay in your system for up to 158 days, causing trouble.
  3. Caffeine is exogenous (artificial) adrenaline.

Although I am a fan of healthy adrenaline expression, this is only the case when it is expressed in a very even and controlled manner. When you consume caffeine, you have no control over how it hits your system, and this can cause highs and lows in energy, metabolism, blood sugar swings, and mental clarity.

Rancid fats, a drop in minerals, increased insulin secretion and insulin resistance, and artificial hormone replacement in the form of caffeine, can cause or contribute to energy swings, sleep disturbances, weight gain, trouble losing weight, sex hormone issues, muscle and exercise performance problems, mood changes, irritability, blood sugar swings, increase triglycerides and cholesterol, while also interfering with fat burning and ketosis.

I have in the past allowed coffee to be included in my protocols and programs for weight loss, health recovery, insulin resistance, fasting, and so forth, as long as people do not add milk or sugar to it.

I have unfortunately had to change that stance and say that coffee is not ideal and is potentially counterproductive in our health and program efforts.

That said, is it a deal-breaker? No, it’s not.

I know that when I challenge coffee, I am challenging a cultural giant, and I don’t want someone’s addiction, oops, I mean choice, to drink coffee to keep them from making the health and lifestyle changes they need to make in order to get better.

Plus, I drink coffee. Not nearly as much as I used to, but here and there and I really do get the attraction. Frankly, I have to work around it when I choose to use it, just like anyone else.

How can you work around it?

  1. Minimize consumption….none is best
  2. Drink more water
  3. Add in a quarter of a tsp of sea salt to your diet for each cup (8 oz)
  4. Buffer effect with fat – cream, butter, coconut oil, etc.
  5. Eat more foods rich in antioxidants

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news my friends…..but…..we can do better!