You have the chance to feel more relaxed, productive, and energetic.

The Caffeine Experiment is your opportunity to temporarily release coffee’s hold, to experience life without it, and ultimately to determine for yourself if it’s a healer or a poison. I encourage you to seriously consider this experiment if any of the following rings true for you: fatigue, anxiety, digestive upset, hormone imbalance or pregnancy.

This may be a life-changing 7 day effort.

Fatigue

While you may drink coffee to beat fatigue, this could actually be counterproductive. If tolerance hasn’t worn off its jolt, caffeine sends you up initially. What goes up must come down, and it goes way down later in the day. This is especially due to caffeine’s effect on blood sugar which results in an energy dip. On top of this, caffeine affects our sleep anywhere from 6-12 hours after drinking. Over time, caffeine iron absorption, which directly impacts energy levels. 

Digestion

Coffee stimulates the gastrointestinal tract thanks to the caffeine, its acidity and temperature. With this extra momentum, food can pass too quickly to absorb its nutrients. If you have IBS, IBD or experience symptoms of digestive upset, coffee may be exacerbating the problem. If you experience heartburn, coffee contributes acidity and can also weaken the muscle barrier between the esophagus and the stomach causing the “backsplash” of acid.

Anxiety

Caffeine induces a stress response in the body. A daily habit contributes to overstimulated adrenals and increased chronic stress and inflammation in the body. Additionally, coffee depletes and decreases absorption of nutrients including precious B vitamins, many of which are critical to nervous system function.

Hormone Imbalance & Pregnancy

We’ve already seen that caffeine can affect the adrenals, blood sugar and nutrient-absorption, which all impact hormone balance. As if that weren’t disruptive enough, coffee also impacts the liver, which must process caffeine, and with only so much capacity and cofactor nutrients, it can sideline the process of detoxifying hormones. When pregnant or trying to conceive, reducing coffee is recommended, especially if you’re drinking more than 18 ounces brewed coffee per day (or the equivalent of 300mg caffeine.)