For many mums, that first cup of coffee in the morning is absolutely necessary in order to function as a human being. But it’s so easy to just drink it every day without really knowing exactly what it’s doing to your body.
That’s not to say it is bad for you as such, but rather that it does have both positive and negative effects on your body.
Sleep deprivation and tiredness in general isn’t just for mothers of newborns – we all experience it.
On those days often our first thought is related to where the nearest café is and working out exactly how many minutes will it be until we get our hands on the brown milky goodness of our morning brew.
But if you’re interested in finding out more about your cup of coffee, read on.
1. Coffee can help wake you up
So that feeling is not all in your head after all! The caffeine in coffee is what helps you to feel more alert after drinking it. So even though our body is saying ‘I need to sleep or rest’ the caffeine acts as a stimulant to help you feel more awake.
It’s important not to overdo it though, as many people suffer from stomach upset, headaches or the shakes if they ingest too much caffeine.
Tip: if you are having two or more coffees a day, try replacing one with a delicious herbal tea to keep your caffeine intake in check. This is especially important if you are breastfeeding.
2. Coffee can be hard to give up
If you’ve ever decided to go cold turkey and give up coffee, you’ll know how hard it can be. Withdrawals include feelings of nausea, crankiness, headaches, tiredness and general irritability.
This is because your body has become used to the stimulant and almost ‘needs’ it to function. Take note of how you feel when you don’t have a coffee – this is a good indicator of whether you might be addicted and need to reduce your intake.
3. Coffee can strip you of other nutrients
This is not very well known but drinking coffee can actually make it difficult for your body to absorb certain nutrients. For instance if you normally drink your morning coffee at the same time as eating your breakfast, it can cause trouble with iron absorption.
Iron is so important for women, especially when breastfeeding or pregnant, so it’s a good idea to drink your coffee after your breakfast if you can.
4. Coffee can fight damage in the body
Just when you thought coffee couldn’t get any better, you find out this. Coffee can benefit you in other ways too – for instance the caffeic acid in coffee is actually an antioxidant that can help fight free radicals in our body that can cause ageing and disease. Hooray for your latte!
Tip: try making your own coffee scrub at home to use in the shower. We love this recipe.
5. Coffee can be high in calories
If you’re one of those people that drinks their coffee black, you don’t need to read this one. But if you are adding milk, sugar/sweetener, chocolate, cream or even tucking into some sort of coffee-flavoured-frappe-latte-mocha-shake-with-a-twist there is a good chance that it contains more calories than you think.
Ideally, stick to milk and coffee if you can (more on how to cut down the sugar in your coffee here) as this won’t cause much trouble with your healthy eating plan.
But let’s just say that a regular sized (335ml) Gloria Jeans caramel latte contains roughly the same amount of sugar (6.5 tsp) and calories as 7 squares of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate.
Tip: try making your own Healthy Mummy Smoothie with coffee added to it – we love this Cacao and Coffee Smoothie recipe.
So now that you are an informed coffee drinker, you can have a think about whether you need to cut down your coffee or change the way that you drink it.
Either way, enjoy that morning cuppa – you’ve earned it mama.
