Love coffee? Me too.
Anyone who knows me knows I absolutely love coffee. I am a coffee snob, loud and proud. It is a shared love that my partner Ryan and I have developed, a long with meeting café dogs and food, but I digress. I was initially late to the coffee party. It wasn’t until University that I started to actually drink it. I have made up for lost time and now wake up looking forward to my morning brew. Ryan and I are so dedicated to good coffee that many of our overseas trips involve finding the best coffee we can get our hands on. We can give you solid recommendations for coffee in New York, North Carolina, New Orleans, Austin, Bordeaux, Paris and Amsterdam. Our travels have highlighted to us that Australia, without a doubt, has become one of the top coffee connoisseurs of the world. Through discussions with local baristas in these far away lands we came to realise how lucky we are for the abundance of good quality coffee in our home country. There is still confusion around the health benefits of coffee, mainly the caffeine intake, so let’s debunk some myths.
From a hater to a lover;
It was in the first year of my Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics, in a biology lecture, which I struggled to keep my eyes open, that I learnt the true power of coffee (or caffeine). For anyone who goes from class based learning to lectures you will resonate with the difficulty in concentrating. There were times I could have fallen asleep, but luckily they held the caffeine lecture early enough for me to harness its powers to get me through University. I learnt in that lecture the mechanism of caffeine on the brain, it’s ability to stimulate energy production and alertness and ultimately help us reach out potential. Having a keen interest in performance my ears pricked and I was sold. I noted the peak time in which caffeine would affect my brain and how to time my intake for maximum concentration in my 3 x 1 hour lectures I endured on a Wednesday morning. That next day I got to Uni early, visited the local coffee shop and ordered a Latte (I copied my Mum’s milky coffee order, I now have a trusty cappuccino). The taste was better than I remembered, possibly because I could count on one hand how many coffees I had consumed prior to that and most being long blacks. Like magic the next few lectures were easier than ever to concentrate in and from that moment I knew I needed this magic bean in my life. It’s a love affair that has continued and has truly become one of my daily luxuries from my local coffee shops.
“I love coffee too, but is it healthy?”
Coffee or caffeine intake is something I get asked about a lot. Possibly because I do have such a love for coffee and because I work with people who want to maximise their performance in work, study or sport. So, how does coffee work? Should you be consuming it? How much should you have?
First and foremost coffee and other caffeine containing drinks are stimulants and the most commonly used drug in the world. Caffeine works by blocking receptors in your brain from picking up the compound, adenosine, that would usually trigger tiredness and builds up over the course of the day. At the same time it stimulates the release of other neurotransmitters (glutamate and dopamine) that provide the body with energy bursts. There is a limit recommended for caffeine usage as long-term intake can lead to continual dependence on the substance for feelings of alertness and energy. When you stop consuming the caffeine all the adenosine you have been blocking suddenly swarms the receptors causing a feeling of exhaustion and the crash people can associate when they come off coffee. There are several food sources of caffeine so it is important to note your consumption over the course of the day as this can impact your ability to go to sleep. There are also not so great sources of caffeine such as energy drinks, gels and tablets. These should only be used by people looking for that direct performance affect, rather than the health benefits.
The low down on healthy caffeine consumption
If you are interested in caffeine intake to boost performance here are the my responses to the most frequently answered questions related to caffeine.
What is the recommended intake?
The recommended intake of caffeine is 300-400mg per day. If you consume more than what your body can tolerate it can lead to shaking, anxiety, increase blood pressure and sleep disturbances. We all metabolise caffeine differently, I know people who can simple sip on coffee and feel heart palpitations. It’s essential to know how you respond to caffeine and taper your intake based on these responses.
As mentioned above caffeine is found in a range of natural sources, here are a few:
- Espresso coffee including pods = 80-120mg per shot
- Instant coffee = 60-80mg per 1 teaspoon
- Tea = 10-50mg per tea bag
- Coca Cola = 48.75mg per 375mL
- Milk Chocolate = 20mg per 100g
- Dark Chocolate = 43mg per 100g
- Energy Drinks = 80mg per 250mL
- No Doz tablets = 100mg per tablet
- Sports Gels = 20-50mg per sachet, varies with brand
How long until it will work?
Caffeine will peak in the blood stream between 45-90 minutes post ingestion. Although it peaks quickly the effects remain in the system for 4-6 hours. This is why we recommend no caffeine 6-8 hours before bed to give your body time to break it down and clear it’s receptors for adenosine. If you happen to be participating in training/game/race/event later in the evening the use of caffeine will likely impact your sleep quality post session, which is an important consideration for recovery.
If you are consuming caffeine to boost sporting performance then you will need to time your intake correctly. You don’t want to boost existing nerves and anxiety on the start line so count backwards to ensure you are consuming caffeine for when the race begins. It may be useful to time this intake for half time/mid race to give you a burst of energy for the end. Again, timing is everything as there is no point peaking when the race/game is already over.
Is caffeine causing me to have low energy?
If you feel you have low energy there could be lots of issues at play. We all experience low energy in the afternoon and this is normal. We naturally have a rise in the sleep hormone, Melatonin, at around 3pm. Try other ways to boost your energy that don’t rely on caffeine. A burst of physical activity such as a walk, a nourishing snack, some short deep breathing exercises or getting some fresh air can all naturally boost energy without caffeine.
If you feel your energy is abnormal run your symptoms by a GP first. If you are interested into how you can naturally boost energy visit an Accredited Practicing Dietitian (like me) to help you determine a healthy caffeine for your body and including foods to boost energy as part of a healthy diet.
Caffeine can be magic.
The natural sources of caffeine in coffee, tea, dark chocolate etc all provide additional health benefits such as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. If you are not adding sugary syrups, excess amount of full fat milk/cream/butter to these sources then they are healthy to consume if in the recommended amounts. Alternative sources such as energy drinks, gels and tablets should be limited as they provide little nutritional value. Caffeine in natural sources has been used for thousands of years to naturally stimulate energy and judging by the buzz of the coffee scene in Australia it is likely to continue. I currently enjoy my one good quality coffee each morning, and use food, exercise and relaxation to manage my energy levels as the day progresses. I encourage people to continue consuming their favourite healthy, caffeinated beverages or foods in moderation. Coffee is one of the highlights of my day, and I will continue to search the globe for a great cappuccino.
Further Information:
Resources for this blog and further in-depth research summaries:
- Sports Dietitians Australia 2011, Caffeine Fact Sheet, accessed via https://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/110721-Caffeine-Fact-Sheet_SD-Version.pdf, accessed on 25/05/2018