We want to do a lot of stuff; we’re not in great shape. We didn’t get a good night’s sleep. We’re a little depressed. Coffee solves all these problems in one delightful little cup.” – Jerry Seinfeld
It’s time to set the record straight. Coffee is NOT good for you, despite popular belief. Is it as bad for you as alcohol, heroin or cigarettes? No, it’s not. However, coffee is a powerful drug with many downsides to it. But it’s so comforting, addicting and socially acceptable that I think most of America is in complete denial about its side-effects.
There are well over 100 million coffee drinkers in the U.S., 60% of which claim to need a cup to start their day and 68% which drink it within the first hour of being awake. Over 50% of Americans over the age of 18 drink coffee, making caffeine and sugar the most consumed drugs in the country.
This article is by no means an attempt to get you to quit drinking coffee. I was once a coffee lover, and I know how emotionally attached people can become to their morning cup of joe. I merely wish to point out a few things you might not be aware of and then provide you with a potent coffee alternative that has one third the caffeine and is not acidic.
If the following information on coffee leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, I’ve also provided a simple and natural way to quit coffee and restore your adrenal function at the end.
1. It Contains Acrylamide
Acrylamide is a chemical that has been found to increase the risk of several types of cancer when given to lab animals (rats and mice) in their drinking water. The amounts used in the lab were much higher than humans consume, but I still believe this is something for us to think about.
2. Adrenal Exhaustion
Coffee consumption can lead to eventual adrenal exhaustion, which can leave you vulnerable to a variety of health disorders related to inflammation and fatigue. Remember the statistic stating that 68% of coffee drinkers consume the first cup within the first hour of being awake? That’s because they need it to function. Their adrenals are exhausted. Obviously, the more coffee one consumes, the more fatigued their adrenals become.
If you’re drinking a few cups per day or more that’s when it becomes a dependency. I’m not judging! I used to drink 24 ounces of deep roast coffee first thing every morning on an empty stomach. I needed it to wake up, eliminate soreness and stiffness, and improve my mood to deal with life. That’s what you call physiological and psychological addiction!
3. Aging
Production of DHEA, melatonin and other vital hormones decline with age, but coffee speeds up the process. Coffee significantly dehydrates the body. It also ages your skin and kidneys faster.
4. Stress
A study done at Drake University showed that the high amounts of caffeine present in coffee puts you in a state of sustained stress. Excessive caffeine stimulates the production of stress hormones which increase anxiety, impair digestion and decrease your immune system function.
5. Keeps Recovering Substance Abusers Sick
Abusing drugs and alcohol destroys the dopamine pleasure (reward) system. Most individuals who quit hard drugs or alcohol continue to drink coffee or energy drinks, smoke cigarettes and consume massive amounts of sugar, which they use as a crutch to help them stay clean. This seems harmless, but I assure you it’s one of the worst things you can do in recovery.
All of those tiny sips of coffee and puffs of nicotine produce small surges of dopamine. This prevents the dopamine pleasure system from ever fully healing. A great way to rebalance this broken system is for the individual who used to abuse substances to completely give up caffeine, nicotine, and sugar. I know how hard this is, but I can’t stress the importance of doing this enough.
Health Benefits of Coffee
Many articles state that coffee is good for your because it has powerful antioxidants and chlorogenic acid, which has been shown to help with weight loss. A healthier alternative would be to eat high-quality dark chocolate, fruits and vegetables to get antioxidants. Eggplant also has a ton of chlorogenic acid in it. If you don’t like eggplant, you can also take a green coffee pill supplement for your chlorogenic acid weight loss benefits.
How to Replace Coffee with Yerba Mate
I understand if you still don’t want to quit drinking coffee. If you’ve decided you want to quit, but don’t want to give up caffeine, I have a better alternative. Yerba Mate Tea has 40 mg of caffeine per cup (1/3 less than coffee), is not acidic, doesn’t have acrylamide, and contains high concentrations of powerful antioxidants. The use of yerba mate as a mood enhancer is very common, as it contains naturally-occurring monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI’s), which are used in the treatment of depression.
Yerba mate also contains theobromine, which is the ingredient in chocolate that contributes to the feeling of euphoria. It brings about an uplifting feeling that has resulted in a popular saying, “coffee awakens your mind and body, yerba mate awakens your soul!”
The Morning Tonic used to Quit Coffee
I’m an Advanced Food-Based Healer with Supreme Science Qigong, and the system we use has the most powerful remedy known to man for restoring adrenal function and increasing natural energy. It’s also an endocrine, digestive and sexual tonic. After drinking this for two weeks you might just feel better than you have in years. I sure did!
The Morning Tonic consists of:
- Good Belly Big Shot 50
– An organic probiotic drink that contains 50 billion live and active cultures for digestive health and increased immunity. - Maca root powder – A powerful superfood native to the Peruvian Andes Mountains. Native peoples have used it for centuries as a stamina, endocrine and libido booster.
- Ginseng Sublime – Stimulates and regulates the central nervous system and the endocrine system.
- Wild Reishi – In Chinese tonic herbology, reishi is used as a Shen tonic, meaning it opens the heart and spirit.
– An organic probiotic drink that contains 50 billion live and active cultures for digestive health and increased immunity.
– A powerful superfood native to the Peruvian Andes Mountains. Native peoples have used it for centuries as a stamina, endocrine and libido booster.
– Stimulates and regulates the central nervous system and the endocrine system.
– In Chinese tonic herbology, reishi is used as a Shen tonic, meaning it opens the heart and spirit.
DIRECTIONS: To be taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, at least 5 minutes before breakfast. If you drink yerba mate in the morning, take the morning tonic immediately after. In a glass add 1 Good Belly drink, 4 ounces water, 1 tablespoon maca root powder, 1-3 squirts Ginseng Sublime, 1-3 squirts Wild Reishi. Stir and consume…..and watch your life change!
Very interesting article. Yerba Mate Tea took me to Amazon. I wanted to order it, but one reviewer stated that he googled it and found info that it raises blood pressure. Do you know if this is true?
Debbie,
Yerba mate can raise blood pressure.
~Mary
OAS Recovery Specialist
Wow I really did not know that about coffee at all! Very interesting, I eventually gave up following what was good and what was bad, it would be bad, then they would study it and it would be good again! But the alternative you have suggested sounds great, i will have to seek out these products. I like the fact they improve your health rather than drain you, which I have noticed but always tried to have another explanation! Thanks Matt for sharing yet another interesting post!
I’m glad this article on why coffee is bad for you brought about some clarity! I used to drink so much coffee, and liked to think that it was healthy to do so. I kept wondering why drinking coffee left me exhausted all the time. I would feel great once I drank some, but in the morning before I had my first cup I couldn’t even function. Coffee would give me the energy and mental focus to take on the day, but every couple of weeks I would be so fatigued I would need to rest on the couch for a day or two before I could do regular activities. The alternative I suggested works really well. I drink tea on occasion whenever I need a pick me up, and it feels great to not be physiologically dependent on caffeine. Thanks for reading and sharing your feedback!
Great article! These are very interesting facts that I was not aware of. I look forward to trying the tonic to kick my bad coffee habit to the curve! Thanks for the read! 🙂
Thanks so much for your comment Karri! As for the morning tonic, I seriously cannot hype it up enough. It gives you a ton of natural energy, while simultaneously improving your mood, digestion and immunity. If it weren’t so expensive I would drink it everyday. I still enjoy the Good Belly and maca root powder on a regular basis, but the Dragon Herbs products Ginseng Sublime and Wild Reishi come out to around $90 for a 2 ounce bottle of each. Ouch. Well worth it though if you have the means 🙂