This week, Sweet Life Wellness dives into the immensely popular daily habit: caffeinating. While caffeine has become so a part of our daily routines that we do not consider its impact, there are many facts about caffeine that should be considered as you strive to pursue a healthy and thriving lifestyle. Join Maryland dietitian Kay Loughrey as she explores how caffeine interacts with your body, how to balance caffeine intake, as well as caffeine alternative drinks!
Caffeine, a plant-based ingredient found naturally in leaves, seeds, fruits, and nuts, can have a much deeper impact on our bodies than we may realize. Depending on the amount consumed, caffeine drinkers can experience abnormal heart rates, an increase in anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and poor mood. Caffeine in certain amounts for specific people can also cause nausea or vomiting, disrupting normal digestion and potentially causing dehydration in its function as a diuretic. Caffeine consumption can also lead to repeated heartburn as well as calcium deficiency, since it often disrupts how your body absorbs that nutrient. Studies have shown that four 8-ounce servings of brewed coffee (400 mg caffeine) are considered safe to consume, however it is important to note that side effects are completely dependent on the individual and their own personal reaction to caffeine. Severe side effects of over-consumption of caffeine can present as digestive lining deterioration, heart complications, and even seizures.
Yet for those of us who deeply enjoy our daily coffee or tea as part of our morning routine or something that brings us joy, Sweet Life Wellness wants to remind us that a balanced approach is still the one that will help create a healthy and happy lifestyle. Here are some tips for balance with drinking caffeinated drinks:
1) Assess the contents of your drink!
Does your drink contain added sugars, unhealthy amounts of dairy or creamer, or other additives that might not benefit your health, nutrition, or healthy food choices?
2) How MUCH caffeine is in this drink/are you drinking each day?
If you find that the amount of caffeine you consume regularly is appropriate and safe, and you do not have any underlying conditions that prevent you from doing so, then continue! Balance in life is part of what helps your lifestyle become happy and healthy! Please note, people who are encouraged to avoid caffeine are those pregnant or breastfeeding, those with sleep disturbances, severe migraines, anxiety, GERD (Gastro Esophogeal Reflux Disease), abnormal heart issues, or high blood pressure.
3) Are there any other health benefits with your drink?
For example, while green tea does have caffeine, its health benefits with the caffeine present are significant, including aiding with digestion, assisting with prevention of disease, and even promoting weight loss!
Caffeine can be a tricky part of daily life for your digestive system as well as brain and heart health. But with the right balance and personal acknowledgement of where you are at in your health journey, it does not need to be avoided completely! With what you have learned from Sweet Life Wellness today and with the caffeine alternative drinks below, we hope that you will find it easier to find balance in your daily caffeine as you keep walking the path of a healthy life!
Here are a few possible alternatives to caffeine drinks to try:
1) Herbal teas
2) Naturally flavored water
3) Smoothies
4) Natural juices
5) Oat or almond milks
Learn more about healthy caffeine alternative drinks here.
Resources
Peeling P, Binnie MJ, Goods PS, Sim M, Burke LM. Evidence-Based Supplements for the Enhancement of Athletic Performance. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2018;28(2):178-187. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2017-0343
Maughan RJ, Burke LM, Dvorak J, et al. IOC Consensus Statement: Dietary Supplements and the High-Performance Athlete. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2018;28(2):104-125. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0020
National Library of Medicine. Caffeine. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/caffeine.html. Updated September 8, 2021. Accessed September 4, 2023.
National Library of Medicine. Caffeine in the Diet. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002445.htm. Updated April 13, 2023. Accessed September 4, 2023.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-much. Updated December 12, 2018. Accessed September 4, 2023.
Mayo Clinic. Nutrition and healthy eating. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20049372?p=1. Updated April 26, 2022. Accessed September 4, 2023.
National Library of Medicine. GERD. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/gerd.html. Updated May 9, 2018. Accessed September 4, 2023.
National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health. Green Tea. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/green-tea. Updated October 2020. Accessed September 4, 2023.
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Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN
Transformational Speaker, Breakthrough Coach, Nutritionist-Dietitian
Karis N. Hicks
North Carolina Central University
M.S. – Nutrition Studies
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