My mate Kate Callaghan is a nutritionist, personal trainer and author, specialising in hormone healing and fertility. Today I’ve asked her to share a trick she told me about recently for those of us who have hormone derangement, but who love coffee. It’s a common quandary…and it would appear Kate has a solution…
Over to you, Kate…
To begin, is coffee good for us?
When it comes to supporting hormone health and fertility, it’s not something I recommend. The caffeine can prod your adrenal glands to release cortisol, your stress hormone, which signals to your brain to step things up a notch into “fight or flight” mode. This simultaneously gets you out of “rest, digest and reproduce” mode, and can lead to dwindling sex hormone production. Not only is this bad news for fertility, but can have other negative consequences, including menstrual irregularities, skin and gut issues, mood swings and low libido.
On the other hand, coffee has some quite well-known health benefits, including:
- Improved insulin sensitivity (meaning reduced risk of diabetes and PCOS)
- Reduced risk of liver disease (when consumed in moderation)
- Improved memory and brain function
- Increased ability to burn fat
- Great source of antioxidants
[Sarahs add this: The upshot, pay attention to what your body is telling you. If you get jittery and jumpy from coffee, back off for a few days. Your adrenals are telling you they’re overloaded. Also, if you find yourself craving it and unable to go a day without, also back off. Give your body a chance to recalibrate.]
But Kate adds even more…
The weirdest coffee balancing tip ever
Fortunately, there is a way to get the best of both worlds – to enjoy your coffee without negatively affecting your hormones. How so?
Drink a cup of tea (green or black) after your coffee! Yep. It works.
Tea is a great source of the non-essential amino acid l-theanine, which has the ability to negate the cortisol-increasing effects of caffeine. Not only will this be better for your hormones, but you will notice improved mental focus and clarity, as well as a more sustained, calmer energy lift throughout the day, in contrast to the edginess, and peaks and troughs associated with coffee.
Please note: there was a giveaway originally attached to this post. It’s long expired.
