Coffee... Yes or No?

Over the years, I have been asked MANY times, this one question, "Hey, you're not one of those Naturopaths who is going to tell me to stop drinking coffee, are you?"

Sir, I am currently holding a glass of wine and a deep fried hors d'oeuvre, do I look like the type who says 'no' to things?!

But in all seriousness, I do have some words to say about coffee, because the answer is not a simple yes or no. I suppose, like most things, it requires context, and for anything to do with health, it will be very unique to your own health situation.

Firstly, let it be known that I adore coffee. When I was 14, my mum paid for me to attend a weekend course to learn how to be a barista. From there, I got my first job at a local cafe near my house and began pumping out caffeinated goodness for all. I think I was already drinking coffee at this stage too. For the next 10+ years I helped fund my study and travel with cafe and restaurant jobs, always finding myself behind the machine. A great part of the job was getting training from local roasters, making (and perfecting ) coffee for the customers and also for myself. I became a total coffee snob, and only a double ristretto would do.

During my years studying Naturopathy, we entered the world of clean eating and healthy habits - and yes, coffee became the bad guy. Plenty of Naturopaths and Nutritionists would (and still will) tell you that any coffee in your life is bad for you. Being such a lover of it, I researched this to see what negative health effects could come from, technically, a plant product. Turns out, coffee is actually just that - a plant product. A food product that we have consumed for millennia with no major health consequences. Myths like, 'for every coffee you drink, you need to replace it with 2 glasses of water because it's so dehydrating' are easily debunked, and some researchers have now shown benefits to coffee, potentially helpful to prevent dementia, depression, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and more.

But there is a 'but'. You knew it was coming. Over my years as a clinician, I have found patients where coffee is not such a good idea. Yes, on the whole, it can be great. Or even just a drink to consume, with no health impact at all (aside from pleasure). But for some, it can have a negative impact and I want to let you know the types of patients that I flag for reducing (or even removing) coffee in their diets.

1. The Anxious Patient

Sorry team, maybe you saw this coming. Caffeine, in any quantity, can increase anxiety, heart palpitations, instances of panic or other forms of stress. It is a stimulant after all, and if you are finding yourself in an anxious state of being for a lot of your week, think about switching to decaf. I spent YEARS telling anxious clients to curb the coffee, only the have the "oh damn, that's me in the mirror" moment not that long ago.

So if it's any consolation, I'm part of this team too. It has now been 12 months of non-caffeinated coffee for me. And you know what? I'm still a coffee snob. There is amazing decaf out there, and I still have it very, very strong. I've got over the weirdness of asking for a strong decaf, so maybe you can too.

2. The Arrythmia Patient

Heart conditions are no joke. If you have a history of irregular heart rate or palpitations then I really believe stimulants are not for you. This includes the soft drinks with caffeine or guarana. You have to be careful as they are so easy to drink. Always check in with your cardiac specialist about other foods or drinks which could be a risk for you.

3. The Tired Patient

Ok, this one is going to sound counter-intuitive. You're tired, and now I'm telling you that you can't have coffee?? I realise this is a very painful thing to accept, but stimulants might be helpful in the short term, but not great in the long term when it comes to sleep. In fact, even the opposite is true - sedatives are also not good in the long term either.

Great (said with sarcasm), so now there are two things that help us cope with the crippling pain of insomnia - why on earth am I taking them away from you?

Because Naturopaths treat the cause. This means that we look beyond your symptoms and try to work out why these things are happening to you. Certain things like stimulants or sedatives can mask the true causes of your poor health, so we do try and remove them to see the real picture beneath. Waking exhausted, pushing snooze for an extra 30 minutes sleep, skipping breakfast (no time!), having a coffee (or two), then maybe some food later in the day (high sugar, because I am tired!), unproductive afternoon, dinner, wired with thoughts at night, no sleep, and REPEAT. Have I got that pretty close?

Sometimes you have to truly get to the bottom of things before you can start fixing them. So, with therapeutic support, you could try removing the stimulants, and discussing safe reduction of sedatives with your GP, to get a picture of what's happening in your body, to rebuild from there.

I've said this a few times, but it's worth saying again, with any big change, please do this with health practitioner's support to help keep you safe. It is not always advisable to change major life things, even something as seemingly small as reducing/removing coffee. There are some seriously irritating side effects from stopping caffeine - headaches, mood swings, exhaustion, even nausea - as your body recalibrates. Not to mention, sleep issues don't get fixed spontaneously, and you may not be in the right head space to take coffee away. If you find a practitioner who you trust, or maybe you have a free week coming up to give it a go (your next holiday perhaps?), then absolutely go for it.

I can assure you that even for someone who has said she would NEVER quit coffee, I have found that life over here which is not too bad.

Coffee snobs unite!