is coffee really good for you?

I love coffee—the flavor and the smell—coffee cake, coffee shops, and coffee farms. I even visited a coffee farm on my honeymoon. One of my favorite jobs has been as a barista, and I was a committed daily coffee drinker for years until

I had to nix the habit for my health—migraines to be exact.

This comes as a surprise to so many people, because caffeine is so commonly the antidote to both headaches and migraine, but I want you to hear me out when I tell you that a daily coffee habit is actually making your situation worse. As usual, this also applies to autoimmune conditions. You can read more here.

Coffee is a (yes, delicious) bitter bean. Bitter flavors, as well as beans, drain.

Bitter is also the flavor of the heart, the most yin organ, so when we regularly and often, excessively, consume bitter foods, we are taxing our yin. When yang energy rises, it requires support from yin. (If you haven’t heard me talk about how migraines and autoimmune conditions are a sign that are yin is weakened or deficient, check out my instagram reels).

Additionally, caffeine naturally raises our yang energy, as does sugar,

so when we think about the most common way that we consume coffee, we are in for a double whammy—especially when this is an every day habit, as well as first thing in the morning before—or perhaps, in place of—food! Sugar substitutes are no better for us, and that’s a topic for another post.

Another aspect of coffee to be conscientious of is that it is not only dried, like tea, but it is also roasted at very high temperatures, which creates an even greater drying effect. When we have a lot of yang activity, this will create heat, which can also create dryness, just like a hot temperatures can create a dry climate if there isn’t enough moisture. As a result of dryness, our bodies create a pathological salve we refer to as damp.

Damp gets in the way of building blood and the mediumship we so desperately need to put the symptoms of migraine and autoimmune conditions into latency.

Now that you have an understanding of why I recommend avoiding coffee as a daily beverage, let’s get in to some suggestions for kicking the habit.

1. drink a glass of room temperature water first thing in the morning.

   This is one of the points on my FREE migraine guide, and I think it’s helpful both for hydration, as well as changing our routines. I used to program my coffee maker, so hot coffee would be waiting on me as soon as I woke up. It’s been years since I’ve had any coffee, but I notice that even as a tea drinker, simply drinking water before going to the tea helps me increase my water intake, which is an important (though not sole) part of staying hydrated.

2. Switch to a caffeinated black tea.

   This is what I did instantly when my acupuncturist told me this was really necessary for my healing. My migraines were getting increasingly scary with neurological symptoms that were more and more extreme during the attack and were resolving less and less after the attack was over. I was in what I considered a very serious situation, having had a full neurological work up without answers. I was willing to make big changes.

3. matcha collagen lattes.

   This is my absolute favorite morning beverage, and my recipe is in my e-cookbook! I swap out milks and things depending on what I have, but it’s so delicious and with less caffeine than coffee, there’s no crash. Plus, you get the benefits of green tea!

4. Another coffee alternative.

   These days, there are so many coffee alternatives made with various adaptogenic herbs and mushrooms that enhance mental focus and are actually good for you! Also, look for options like turmeric latte mixes or other herbal teas. My favorite place to buy tea is Mountain Rose Herbs (not an affiliate, though I’d love to be), because of their commitment to organic, sustainable practices.

Anyone who’s made any changes in their life knows how hard it is, especially when it’s something that you love and enjoy, but sometimes we get to a crossroads where we have to ask ourselves whether the loss of a thing is worth it in order to reclaim our health—and in many cases, our quality of life.

Everyone wants to enjoy life, and morning coffee is certainly that for so many of us; however, for many of us, it can be that thing we’re doing on such a regular basis that it could actually be contributing to the health problems that are limiting us in other ways.

What you do everyday is far more important than what you do occasionally; whether it has a positive or negative is in your hands.