A Nutritionist’s Rules For Coffee

Like watching the sun rise, an early morning ocean swim or a long run, coffee is one of life’s simple pleasures that I love to indulge in. The caffeine in coffee wakes our body up - which is why we love it so much and turn to it after a bad night's sleep, or when we know we have a big work day ahead. Unfortunately, our much loved ritual can sometimes affect our health - so read my rules for making coffee your friend! 

1. Avoid coffee on an empty stomach.

Drinking coffee on an empty stomach can damage your stomach lining and increase the effect that caffeine has on your stress hormones. Repeat after me - “coffee is not breakfast!”

2. Wait until after 9am

You may have heard of the hormone called cortisol, which is the hormone responsible for sending your body signals to be awake and responsive. Coffee stimulates the release of cortisol, and your natural cortisol levels peak around 8.30am. So because your body’s cortisol is already at its peak, you are likely to miss out on your natural cortisol boost and cause stress in your body. 

3. Stick to one cup per day (or two at the most!)

Although you may think you need more to keep you going, healthy adults shouldn’t consume more than 400mg of caffeine per day. This includes caffeine from coffee, tea, pre workout, chocolates and soft drinks. It can add up quicker than you think!

4. Avoid coffee after 12pm

Caffeine can still be in your system for 10 hours after consumption, so keep this in mind to not negatively affect your beauty sleep - which will probably make you reach for even more coffee!

5. What’s in your milk?

Many plant based milk products contain hidden nasties in them including inflammatory oils, emulsifiers and gums. Look at the back of the label; you want to choose a milk with minimal ingredients, such as nuts, filtered water and salt. If there are a bunch of ingredients you can’t read - it’s probably best to avoid. Or, stick to good old full cream milk or try going black (our Clarity Coffee is perfect on its own!)

6. Lastly, what are you drinking your coffee in?

Avoid having your hot coffee in a plastic cup (this includes getting coffee in a takeaway plastic cup). Heat + plastic = hormone disruption. I recommend always sticking to glass or aluminium (peep our cute NH mugs here). 

Did you know that Clarity Coffee is more than just a caffeine hit?

Clarity Coffee contains 88mg of single-origin Brazilian coffee bean, formulated to give you enhanced clarity, focus and improved cognitive function, plus three botanical extracts:

– Bacopa Monnieri Extract

An ancient Ayurvedic herbal remedy with studies linked to improved brain function,

– Ginkgo Biloba

Contains powerful antioxidants and may improve mental clarity, memory and function.

– Goji Berry Extract

One of the most well-known superfoods is packed with antioxidants including vitamin C and zeaxanthin to help fight free radicals in the body.