Coffee is one of the world’s most popular drinks. Over 400 billion cups of coffee is thought to be consumed every year. Are you addicted to a poison or are you activating your body to prepare for the day’s journey?

Waking up to “coffee facts“ allows us to make knowledgeable choices. There is science-based research supporting and discrediting coffee. How are you going to know what is best for your particular body? Waking up to knowing our own bodies allows us to make wise choices.

Coffee Controversy

How did coffee get so controversial? Coffee has been a part of our lives since we can remember. So how can it be bad for us? There is science-based research that can tell you the ways.

There is also a myriad of science-backed information out there that shows that coffee is good for us. So does that mean that the coffee enthusiasts have invented this information to counteract the science that it is bad for us? Kind of like making up excuses for hanging on to the coffee habit.

I am no scientist and I am not a paid expert health researcher so I am not here to debate either. Nonetheless, I have a theory based on health research, observation and experience. Coffee can be bad for us AND it can be good for us.

This particular situation with the big coffee controversy forces us to wake up our own brains and figure it out for ourselves, for our particular bodies and their bio-individual needs.

Grab a cup of coffee (or not) and let’s think this one out…

Pros and Cons of Coffee

First of all, remember that doctors, scientists and researchers all debate all of these claims going both directions. There are many claims and science to support both ways of thinking.

In Support Of Coffee

“According to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, older adults who drink coffee have a lower risk of death overall than non-coffee drinkers. The coffee drinkers were less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections.” ~ More Coffee May Lead To A Longer Life by GreenMedInfo

“Although most studies have shown that coffee is good for your brain, there has been some debate about the ideal amount, and whether the benefit is from caffeine, or the flavonoid pigments in the coffee.  More recently, researchers published an article in Clinical Nutrition demonstrating that people who drank 1-2 cups per day, showed the lowest risk for memory loss.” ~ GreenMedInfo, Sayer Ji, Seven Fabulous Foods to Boost Brain Function and Prevent Memory Loss

“Research published in the journal Nature Medicine in January 2017 shows how consuming caffeine in the form of coffee or tea may be able to protect against age-related inflammation, which is linked with most diseases of aging.” ~ Food Revolution Network, Caffeine’s Surprising Effect on Inflammation and Aging

“Research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2017 found that compared to non-coffee drinkers, coffee drinkers had a 7 percent lower risk of heart failure and an 8 percent lower risk of stroke for each additional cup of coffee consumed per week. Separate research linked coffee consumption to a lowered risk of heart disease, cancer, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cirrhosis and diabetes.^“ ~ Dr. Mercola, Benefits of Coffee and Tea

“Coffee is more than an energy boost. It enhances health as well. A study from the U.K. found that drinking three cups of coffee every day prevents chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, also found that it lowers the risk of an early death by 17 percent.” ~ Natural News (Mike Adams – Health Ranger), Three cups of joe every day protects against cancer, diabetes, heart disease according to coffee study from the U.K

Do your own coffee research BASED ON SCIENCE:

• GreenMedInfo Database on Coffee Research
• GreenMedInfo on Drinking Coffee Habitually Following Acute Myocardial Infarction Was Associated With a Reduced Risk of Mortality
• Dr. Josh Axe on Coffee
• Natural News, Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, on Coffee

Against Coffee

At this point you might think that I am bashing the following people who are suggesting that coffee is bad for us. On the contrary, I believe that they are right. These specific people I am quoting, against coffee consumption, I have tremendous respect for. They are also correct, so heed their advice as well.

For some people, coffee is very bad for you. You need to listen to your body and if you are one who it might be bad for, understand why and stop drinking it!

A good way to figure this out is to remove coffee completely from your diet. For a minimum of 30 days (I recommend 3-12 months off of any offending foods and substances). Healing the gut and root health issues, then, choose a pure organic mold-free coffee and try it again and see what happens. Experiment ONE cup at a time and see how your body reacts. Coffee consumption may play a significant role in leaky-gut and hormone imbalance and disease.

Here is legitimate reasoning why we should get off of coffee:

“As I began to tune into my body and provide it with what it really wanted – fresh, whole, real, unprocessed foods, sleep, relaxation, and the time to enjoy the life I had created for myself and my family – I was able to break up with coffee and make up with my health.  You can too and I’m going to tell you how.  But first, let’s discuss what makes coffee such a hot topic widely disputed in today’s health circles.” ~ Dr. Mark Hyman 2012, Ten Reasons to Quit Your Coffee!

“Warning: if you love coffee and can’t live without it, this article won’t sit well with you. And that’s OK. My job is to help you see the truth. In fact, if you find yourself dismissing and rejecting it, that could be called denial.” ~ Magdalena Wszelaki (Hormones & Balance), 11 Ways Coffee Impacts Your Hormones and How to Substitute It

Bio-Individuality; What Works For YOU

Can you see why no one answer is right for every human? We are all different. We all have different physical and emotional needs. Our bodies work differently to different things at different times. When we choose to honor that about the human body, we can navigate through the trends of the time.

Test out the coffee debate for yourself and on yourself. If you are a coffee drinker, try NOT drinking it. If you are a non-coffee drinker, experiment with pure organic mold-free coffee one cup at a time.

If you have a sensitivity to caffeine, completely get off of it for a long period of time. A minimum of 30 days is required. I generally recommend 3 – 12 months for maximum benefits. Take care of root causes of health issues like toxic load, leaky-gut, hormone imbalance, thyroid disease, parasites, infections. Then test it again, one cup at a time.

As a person moves through chronic illness, their tolerances and needs will change. If you are a coffee drinker and you are chronically ill, get off of it, completely. See what happens. In time you may be able to drink it again as you heal.

If you are a non-coffee drinker and you are chronically ill, try it, ONE cup at a time (only with pure organic mold-free coffee). See how it affects you one way or the other. It might assist you or it might make you feel worse. Either way, adjust and move on.

Mind-Body Nourishment Approach

I am a Certified Mind-Body Nourishment Coach so I really get into this angle of life. When we can identify the Mind-Body connection to things like coffee, we can determine if they are good for us or not. We can make the individual choice of determining if a substance nourishes us or not. We have the ability to use our own brains and bodies to make our own determinations. We just have to choose to make that conscious effort.

“Coffee makes us more aware of our bodily structure. And since this structure is so wise and logical, our thoughts become logical in their awareness of it. Coffee thus helps thinking to find a firm foundation. The connection between bodily being and thinking, keeps calling itself to our attention. Coffee has the same effect on digestion that thought has on our upper man, i.e., a properly ordered metabolism goes hand in hand with orderly thinking. Both are founded on a properly ordered physical structure.” ~ Rudolf Hauschka, Nutrition: A Holistic Approach

GreenMedInfo, Why If Coffee Is A Drug, It’s a ‘Good’ One 

On the flip side, if we have a belief system (that is also backed up by some science) that coffee is bad for us, then we will view our coffee as being harmful. That in itself intensifies the negative effects coffee may have on us. In that case, stop drinking it. Our belief system goes a long way in our healing process.

If You Are Going To Drink Coffee, Do It Right

No plastic cups – your hot coffee absorbs the chemicals from the plastic or styrofoam cups. STOP ingesting those chemicals this way. Ask your favorite coffee shop to fill a safe coffee cup that you take with you.

No plastic lids – your hot coffee is HOT, it creates condensation when you put a lid on it. That condensation collects on the bottom of your lid and drops even more chemicals into your coffee. STOP using plastic lids on your coffee. Take your own lid and cup to your favorite coffee shop and ask them to fill it.

Only organic coffee – this is crucial for many reasons. For one, you want to be using pure quality food of every kind; pesticide-free, chemical-free, etc. Secondly, there is mold on regular normal coffee and that greatly impacts your health, whether you are aware of it or not, it does.

• Bulletproof Coffee: Caffeinated whole-bean 2-pack
• Bulletproof Coffee: French Kick Dark Roast Whole Bean Coffee
• Bulletproof Coffee: Decaf whole-bean
• Brain Octane Oil AND Bulletproof Coffee intro kit
• Travel Tip: can’t make coffee while traveling, try this:
  • Bulletproof Coffee: Cold Brew Variety 4-pack
• Drink darker roast coffee: “Scientists examined whether or not dark roast coffee has a stronger antioxidant effect than light roast.  They found that dark roast was the most effective.” ~ Dr. Mercola
• There are other healthy brands of organic mold-free coffee, just know which ones are pure before consuming them

Make coffee fresh, start with whole-bean coffee so that you get the benefits of such. More bang for your buck.

• Favorite electric coffee grinder – a good one lasts for years and years

Add a healthy fat – it helps to balance the adrenal reaction to coffee. Review what a healthy fat is: Eat Healthy Fats: EFA’s and Healthy Fats Grocery List

• Grass-fed pure butter, usually Kerrygold can be found in your local grocery store
• Grass-fed organic ghee (this is butter with the casein removed, most people who are sensitive to dairy CAN handle this)
• Coconut cream or coconut milk or coconut milk POWDER – organic
• Coconut oil – organic
• MCT oil – organic
• Brain Octane Oil 16 ounces or 32 ounces
• Brain Octane Oil AND Bulletproof Coffee intro kit
• There are many Healthy Fat Coffee recipes out there, here is mine: Crazy Good Keto Coffee
• You could also EAT your healthy fats with your coffee – eat a breakfast that is high in fat (endless amounts of Ketogenic “KETO” high-fat recipes out there).
• Travel Tip: make it easy, individual healthy fat packs
  • BulletProof InstaMix Grass Fed Butter and Brain Octane

Add a healthy protein: Usually people drink coffee first thing in the morning. Since drinking only coffee in the morning so badly affects our adrenals, counter-act it with protein in your coffee. Yes, I am saying healthy fats AND healthy proteins.

• Adding pure organic collagen peptides powder or bone broth collagen powder or whey protein powder to your early morning coffee helps to balance the adrenal effects of coffee.
• Even better for you would be to eat a protein with your coffee. Any grass-fed organic pure meat (lamb/beef/bison/etc) works. Eggs are a great way to do this too. Approximately 4 eggs gives you approximately 25-30ish grams of protein.
• Double duty: pour healthy fats on top of your healthy protein and eat with your coffee.

Make it fun – add things like:

• Cinnamon Cassia powder – organic – “Enkindles the digestive fire and eliminates natural toxins in the GI tract*
• Pumpkin Pie Spice – or make your own Life of Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Raw Cacao powder or Raw Cacao Butter  (adding both of these together with coffee in blender is fantastic)
• Spice is up with hot spices like: cayenne or ancho chili powder or any hot spice you like (use very small amount, less than a pinch per cup of coffee)
• Go wild healthy and add organic turmeric powder and/or ginger root powder, it actually tastes good this way
• Calming vanilla – use pure organic vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder

Amount matters – be reasonable in the amount of coffee you consume, get the most bang for you buck.

1-2 cups (8-16 ounces) of coffee is the amount that is generally recommended for health benefits. Go over that and you may be hurting yourself more than helping yourself. This is a case of, more is not always better.

Elimination – peeing and pooping

Science shows how drinking coffee may provide assistance with the elimination of toxins through peeing and pooping. Listen to your body. Get up and go to the bathroom. Get those toxins out of you. Get up and go, as many times a day as you can to get toxins out of you as promptly as you can.

Hydration – stay hydrated

This sounds so obvious but I am amazed at the amount of people who do not stay hydrated but will drink their coffee. Coffee does not hydrate. It does other things but it does not hydrate. Help wash those toxins through you (that the coffee may be activating) with water, pure clean water.

Proper Hydration – in general, drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily. Example: if you weigh 200 pounds, you should be drinking approximately 100 ounces of water a day. Everyone is different, listen to your particular body. There are times to drink a gallon a day and there are times to drink on half your body weight in ounces. Use your brain and your common sense to figure out what is best for your particular body on any given day.

Personal Side-Note On Coffee Consumption

I have played both sides of the fence. I have benefited from refraining from coffee for an entire life-time so that my health was not further jeopardized by coffee consumption. Then while on a healing path (and at the same time a healing crisis), I have used pure mold-free coffee to boost organs that have failed (down to 1% functioning).

Now I am delighted to learn how my particular body responds to balance. I cannot drink coffee 7 days a weeks. That is too much for my particular body. I am in-tune with my body enough to know how to feel its caffeine limits and see it in my hands. Yet, within limitations, the coffee has stimulated some health benefits that I cannot get in other ways (for my particular circumstances). And it will all change in time and I will need to adjust.

Use Your Own Brain For The Benefit Of Your Body

Dr. Jay Davidson tells of his wife’s coffee consumption. She counts out 16 coffee beans and makes the occasional cup of coffee for herself. She has it figured out after a life-time of Lyme Disease. Dr. Jay has it figured out for his particular body, no consumption.

That is just one example of this not having a right or wrong answer. You have to use your particular brain to figure out what is in the best interest of your particular body at this particular moment.

You can do this, you can use your brain, common sense and gut instinct to figure this out for you. When you have a wise and knowledgeable health-care practitioner they can help educate you for your particular needs.

Maribeth Baxter, MBNC (Mind-Body Nourishment Coach)

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AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging and social media activities, I may receive monetary compensation for links to products from this post. However, I only recommend products that I personally love and use myself. If it is not good enough for me, it certainly is not good enough for you!!

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HEALTH COACH DISCLAIMER: Health/Wellness coaching is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition. It is not intended to substitute for the advice, treatment and/or diagnosis of a qualified licensed professional. Trained and certified Health Coaches may not make any medical diagnoses, claims and/or substitute for your personal physician’s care. As your health/wellness coach I do not provide a second opinion or in any way attempt to alter the treatment plans or therapeutic goals/recommendations of your personal physician. It is my role to partner with you to provide ongoing support and accountability as you create an action plan to meet and maintain your health goals.

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