What position do nutritionists take in the coffee debate? Despite some reports suggesting coffee has health benefits, many dietary professionals advise against coffee.
'Coffee is a diuretic, which promotes the excretion of water from the body. It is dehydrating, making your skin dry. For every cup of coffee you drink, drink two glasses of water on top of your regular half ounce of water per pound of body weight,' says Magdalena Fung, founder of NutritionIQ.ca, and a Canadian-trained holistic nutritionist practising in Central. Fung says if you must drink coffee, it is better to do so on an empty stomach rather than after a full meal because coffee promotes the dumping of stomach content before food is fully digested.
She says caffeine, which we crave to stay alert or awake, ultimately results in fatigue. 'Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that increases heart rate and blood pressure. It is addictive. Withdrawal symptoms include fatigue and headaches.
Fung says if you have become restless, moody, anxious or irritable, or have trouble sleeping, 'then it is time you cut down on caffeine consumption'.
Good coffee alternatives include ginger tea, peppermint tea, and hot lemon water with Manuka honey, she says.
'Coffee cravings might suggest adrenal exhaustion. In that case, focusing on supplying the body with nutrients for the adrenals would be a good idea. These include B-complex vitamins, vitamins A, C and E, manganese, zinc, chromium, selenium and other trace elements.'
Anita S.K. Cheung, a nutritionist with Integrative Living, says she always sees a big improvement in people's health when they eliminate coffee from their diets or reduced their consumption of it.
