Can you Drink Coffee on an Elimination Diet?
Consuming coffee while on an elimination diet can be tricky. An elimination diet is a temporary eating plan that helps identify foods to which you may have an intolerance or sensitivity. Foods deemed life-threatening such as peanuts, shellfish and eggs are avoided during this process. Common food groups allocated in an elimination diet are wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, shellfish, peanuts, corn and certain types of nightshades, such as potatoes and tomatoes. Elimination diets can also be tailored according to individualized intolerances. The objective through an elimination diet is to observe any effect that eliminating certain foods have on your health and wellbeing.
The first step with an elimination diet is to eliminate certain foods for a predetermined period of time, followed by the reintroduction of the goods and the observation of any adverse reactions. Eliminating coffee from your dietary plan may be difficult if you are accustomed to have it daily, however coffee may be introduced at a later stage during the elimination diet.
Coffee is a complex compound and contains many different substances in different proportions. For instance, coffee can contain caffeine, antioxidants, bioactive compounds, as well as a variety of acids considered to have potentially beneficial effects in the body. Though the pressence of these compounds varies in different coffee varieties. Caffeine is one of the main stimulants in coffee, and can provoke a reaction in sensitive individuals that can detract from the elimination diet.
It is important to note that not everyone reacts the same way to coffee. When taken within moderate amounts, meaning up to about 400 mg per day, coffee can provide us with benefits, such as increased energy levels and improved work and school performance. When it comes to an elimination diet, however, it is important to monitor any reactions, if you decide to or are required to reintroduce coffee.
If you decide to reintroduce coffee in the later phases of your elimination diet, it is important to consider what aspects of the beverage will you be reintroducing. Drinks with milk or cream will include dairy, for instance, and so, eliminating milk and cream as an alternative will exclude dairy products from your diet as a whole. Additionally, if you opt to add sugar, this will reintroduce sugars to your dietary plan, contrasting with the objective of the elimination diet.
Whether you are able to reintroduce coffee while on an elimination diet frequently depends on the advice from your doctor or nutritionist, as well as your personal goals. Furthermore, if you do, it is important to look for decaf and organic versions with no additives.
Can Coffee cause Anxiety?
Coffee contains chemicals that can alter the way we feel and the way our body functions. In some cases, this can cause negative reactions in people, most commonly in the form of anxiety.Coffee is a natural stimulant and therefore can cause an increase in the sympathetic nervous system activation. The is an important part of the body’s fight or flight response, therefore when triggered it causes an “alert” reaction. This can cause jittery feelings, and an increased heart rate which may lead to feelings of anxiety.
Studies have shown that dependent on the individual, caffeine can increase the production of hormones that are connected to stress. This can lead to an invigoration of feelings and increase in energy, however for people with sensitivity to caffeine, this increase in neurochemical production and release can overload the person’s body, making them feel panicked and scared. In the case that you experience such feelings, it is recommended to take a pause with your coffee intake and seek support from a healthcare provider.
Coffee is a psychoactive drug and can affect the way people consume it. People can be addicted to caffeine, as it can cause an increase in dopamine, which gives one a feeling of pleasure. Over time, people may be dependent on coffee in order to help them ‘feel awake’, due their dopamine tolerance being decreased. This can create a negative feedback loop in which the individual relies on coffee to function, creating further anxiety in the decision to keep or quit drinking coffee.
In order to monitor and prevent side effects of coffee, trying to limit your intake to 1-3 cups per day can be a good first step. Additionally, it is important to make sure that the coffee you consume is organic and decaffeinated, as this will decrease the chances of having any negative reactions.
What are the Potential Benefits of Drinking Coffee?
Although coffee can be perceived as unhealthy due to its high amounts of caffeine, it does come with many health benefits. Furthermore, the nutritional value of coffee is greater than zero. For example, coffee can contain certain vitamins, minerals and bioactive compounds that may promote health.
Activities such as energy levels, memory and physical performance can be enhanced by the intake of coffee. This is achieved by the effects of coffee’s caffeine, as this stimulates the central nervous system. Additionally, coffee can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. This is due to coffee’s contribution of bioactive compounds to the body that help regulating the physiological functions of the body.
Moreover, coffee can help to promote liver health.Various investigatations show that coffee can aid in decreasing the risk of liver disease amongst consumers, throgh its protective effects on the development of hepatitis and cirrhosis. Additionally, coffee reduces the risk of developing multiple sclerosis as it is known to be a protective factor in individuals. This is due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Antioxidants that are present in coffee may also have a positive impact on health. Antioxidants protect cells from damages from by-products of regular metabolic activities, such as free radicals. Additionally, coffee could potentially reduce the risk of stroke. This is replicated by a study that revealed that drinking around three cups of coffee per day decreases the risk of stroke by 10%.
Coffee and Weight Loss
The relation between coffee and weight loss is slightly complicated. Caffeine, is a CNS stimulant and through its action, can boost the metabolism, causing more calories to be burned. Furthermore, it reduces hunger and suppresses the appetite. This can cause greater amounts of fat to be metabolized and therefore beneficially aid weight loss.
The thermogenic effects of caffeine are enhanced when combined with other compounds within the coffee bean. Studies have found that when caffeine is taken with cimitidine, it can improve metabolic rate by 12% over a period of three hours. This means one can reach their weight loss goals more efficiently.
However, it is important to note that a rise in metabolic rate does not necessarily mean one will lose weight, as it does not take into consideration the amount of calories consumed. Therefore, in order for coffee to bring about beneficial effects in weight loss, it is necessary to maintain a healthy balance between the amount of calories burned and the amount of calories consumed.
Drinking Coffee while Pregnant
Coffee can cross the placenta and cause adverse effects on the unborn fetus. Caffeine has the potential to cause increased heart rate and irregularities in the fetus, as the developing body and its physiological system may be less equipped to handle the concentrations of caffeine. Pregnant women should opt for decaffeinated coffee and reduce their daily caffeine intake to about 200 mg per day.
Coffee consists of multiple nutrients that have been claimed to have beneficial effects during pregnancy. The caffeine present in coffee has the potential to increase alertness during morning hours. Additionally, antioxidants present in coffee aid in reducing inflammation and blocking the oxidation of cells, leading to fewer complications.
It is best to speak with a doctor before consider drinking coffee while pregnant. It is also best to use organic decaf coffee, as decaf can remove more than 97% of the caffeine, while also preventing harmful chemicals from entering your body.
Drinking Coffee with Heart Disease
Cardiovascular disease represents the number one cause of death in the world, and it is closely connected with lifestyle factors, such as cigarette smoking and unhealthy eating habits. Regular coffee drinkers, however, have been found to have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, heart attacks and strokes than people who never drank coffee.
An observation that many health care professionals can agree on is the potential beneficial protection that coffee can have on the heart, It is believed to play a role in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, due to the substances potentially blocking the oxidation of cells, as mentioned before.
Another positive factor about coffee is its potential to reduce blood pressure, something that can positively contribute to heart health, as research shows that coffee can reduce their systolic blood pressure in people with hypertension. Someone concerned in the state of their heart should speak to a doctor before introducing or reintroducing coffee into their diet to evaluate whether it is safe for them to do so.
