Seriously? My morning doesn't begin without a cup of coffee and I'm here to encourage you to enjoy your brew, but please consider how eating first, then drinking coffee can have a huge impact on how you feel.
"Timing is everything, even when we take our first morning sip."
Why breakfast first - then coffee?
Stress, Stress, Stress.
It’s all about cortisol; the fight or flight hormone that’s produced by the adrenal glands.
Excess cortisol over time can cause problems, especially for blood sugar regulation, gut health and reproductive hormones.
Too much cortisol can alter our immune system responses, when your body is already under chronic stress and quite frankly, who isn’t stressed?
Adrenal glands are our balancers.
The adrenal glands are involved in helping regulate hormones across the body like estrogen, DHA, and testosterone.
So, what does this have to do with drinking coffee first thing in the morning?
Caffeine
Caffeine affects everyone differently, but it does increase cortisol for most of us. Fasting also increases cortisol and our body has been without food for [hopefully] 12+ hours. We are in a fasted state and ready for coffee - right? No, not yet and here's why...
When we wake and drink coffee on an empty stomach, it’s like throwing gasoline on the fire. We now have added stress to the adrenals. And remember, our adrenals regulate our hormones to keep us balanced. When we drink coffee on an empty stomach we are causing a stress reaction that has a downstream effect on our entire body.
Fight or Flight Response
Since cortisol is a stress hormone, when it’s over stimulated it can alter or shut down other important body functions. This added “jolt’ from caffeine causes an increase in cortisol production. When we are "running from the tiger" all day long [due to the caffeine jolt], we become exhausted and eventually crash.
Oh My Aching Gut!
Another problem is that drinking coffee on an empty stomach [anytime of the day] can also cause gut troubles especially in the morning.
Do You Struggle With?
GI Issues
Fatigue
Hormone Imbalances
Disrupted or Trouble Sleep
Afternoon Energy Crash That Needs Sugar or Caffeine
Brain Fog…
Switch Up The Routine!
Drink a glass of water, add lemon juice or apple cider vinegar for extra points.
Eat breafast within one hour of waking.
Now enjoy a cup of coffee.
This will lower the stressors, balance blood sugar levels, support reproductive health, improve your immune system, and give your gut some much needed love.