Hormone health impacts of consuming caffeine vs food for energy 🔋
What IS the difference?
Since #hormonehealth is ALL the buzz right now, let’s cover how excessive caffeine impacts YOURS (esp when used in place of caffeine) 😵💫
➡️ Caffeine may make you FEEL energized after consumption (it is a stimulant)
BUT
➡️ only FOOD will give you ENERGY
They contain calories, which are units of energy, & you can only get energy from food 😄Don’t skimp on your sleep though, that is the only way to reboot!
MEANING, if you feel EXHAUSTED in your mid-afternoon stretch of work, have you eaten ENOUGH today? Consider grabbing a bite to eat RATHER THAN an extra dose of caffeine ☕️
⚡️HOW DOES THIS AFFECT HORMONE HEALTH?
1️⃣ Caffeine increases cortisol levels, period.
It does this by ⬆️ the activity of ACTH (a stress hormone released during biological stress) at the pituitary, which then triggers the ⬆️ release of cortisol in the adrenal glands.
2️⃣ Cortisol = stress hormone (hence, why excessive caffeine is harmful to a person’s health)
AND when someone is fighting chronic stress (this itself spikes cortisol levels) with copious amounts of caffeine, they’re only adding fuel to the fire 🔥
3️⃣ High levels of cortisol long-term carries many health risks, such as dangerous inflammation in the body, increased blood pressure, atherosclerosis (build-up in arteries), and more!
Eat CONSISTENTLY throughout the day to PREVENT intense hunger & significant cortisol shifts (check out last week’s post 💯)
Be sure your caffeine DOESN’T surpass 400 mg/day (at MOST!)
INSTEAD of your afternoon caffeine “boost”:
🚀 EAT an anti-inflammatory snack 🍌🥜
🚀 HYDRATE yourself 💧(from WAKE until BEDTIME - this does WONDERS for energy & focus!)
When your body needs food, give it food, not more caffeine 💛
Until Next Time,
Your RD Fuel Good Experts 🍍