I recently wrote an article about the benefits and risks of coffee as well as the benefits of decaf coffee and concluded with recommending a maximum of 4-5 cups per day for those who enjoy it. That is still the case if you are following the general guidelines of not using too much sweetener, opting for natural sweeteners and minimising your intake if you have certain medical conditions. What I forgot to mention is that coffee can actually hurt your health if you drink it at the wrong time. Can you imagine that? So, what do I mean by the wrong time…I’m talking about having your coffee during breakfast and right after your meal. Some people even drink tea during their meals and again right after thinking that this is their first-class ticket to weight loss not knowing the risks. Due to social distancing restrictions and readily available coffee pick-up and deliveries all over, I recently saw a dramatic increase of my close friends and family drinking tea or coffee during, before and right after their meals and got curious to see if there were any adverse effects besides the usual and expected symptoms. Was this a good habit? What are the negative side effects? Or is it the right course of action for digestion and maintaining your weight?
Yes, coffee is known to contain health-boosting antioxidants, help improve your digestive system, potentially increase your metabolism and energy, but that’s not all. Coffee contains polyphenols that help fight against chronic disease and are associated with anti-inflammation and other numerous health-promoting properties. These polyphenols have shown to help improve your health but also inhibit the absorption of quite a few critical nutrients in our bodies after eating. Consumption of tea or coffee with a meal can cut down iron absorbed up to 80% as well as inhibiting the absorption of zinc, magnesium and calcium. Therefore, studies suggest waiting at least an hour after your meal to have your coffee and to wait at least an hour after coffee to have a meal. It is even more crucial for menstruating women, especially teenage girls, to watch their coffee consumption as they lose lots of iron and having too much coffee can cause even more tiredness and fatigue instead of “keeping them up.” When it comes to calcium absorption, think of all the dairy you have during breakfast or even the milk or creamer inside your cup of coffee, do you really want to lose all that crucial calcium?
Now I don’t want to worry you and make you feel guilty when drinking your favourite cup of coffee, but this is really important for the coffee-lovers out there that do not consume high amounts of iron such as vegetarians, vegans and again, menstruating women. Therefore, people who know they are not consistently eating the best sources of iron, meat and dairy, need to watch when they consume tea or coffee. Lastly, do not forget that vitamins and supplements can also be affected by coffee and that is why I urge you all to take your vitamins at least an hour before or after your coffee.
I hope you all understand the message I am trying to send across because as I see the constant increase of coffee shops and cafes around Doha, the more I worry about our population’s health, so please be aware, be educated and find your balance.
* The author is a wellness advocate and influencer @keys2balance.
Studies suggest waiting at least an hour after your meal to have your coffee and to wait at least an hour after coffee to have a meal.
