If you’re a big coffee drinker, you know that it’s a double-edged sword. On the one hand, daily coffee has a number of physical and mental benefits. On the other, it can take a toll on your body over time.
How can coffee upset your stomach, though? Is there a way to drink coffee without experiencing this painful side effect?
We’re going to take a look at coffee and stomach pain in this article, giving you some insight into how they go together and some alternatives that you explore to avoid the negative side effects of coffee.
Let’s get started.
Why Can Coffee Upset Your Stomach?
The primary reason that coffee upsets your stomach is the amount of caffeine that it contains. While caffeine is mostly good for your body in healthy amounts, too much of it for too long of a time can start to run down your digestive system.
When you drink too much caffeine, your digestive tract starts to have more contractions than it normally would. Caffeine is known to stimulate the colon more than most other liquids that we consume and is an indication that other areas of the lower digestive system are impacted significantly as well.
The simple fact that caffeine causes contractions and stimulates our digestive system is enough to make cause a little discomfort. You’ll notice that the discomfort comes when you have more than a cup or two of coffee.
Times when you’re up all night working and trying to stay awake with coffee, are great examples of this.
Coffee is Can be Very Acidic
The particular roast of coffee that you’re drinking might also be very acidic.
Generally speaking, the lighter the roast, the higher the acidity. When a bean is roasted for longer, it becomes darker and tends to have fewer acids. This contributes significantly to the flavor and the quality of the coffee as you drink it.
When we consume the acids present in coffee, our stomach response by producing more acids of its own. That combination might cause you to have an upset stomach or even experience some symptoms of heartburn.
Caffeine and acidity are two pieces that make coffee enjoyable to us. Caffeine is what perks us up, and those acids are what distinguish one bean from another.
They’re inherent pieces of the coffee puzzle, so how can we tweak our routines to avoid stomach pain while still enjoying coffee?
How to Avoid Coffee and Stomach Issues
The beautiful thing is that there are so many different kinds of coffee for you to choose from. People have been dealing with stomach pain from coffee for as long as the coffee has existed.
If the acid is your issue, you can purchase some acid-free coffee and see if it helps the issue. You can start by trying a light roast and a dark roast as an experiment.
If the acidity is your problem, the light roast should cause significantly more pain than the dark roast does. Even though dark roasts are less acidic, the effects should still come after a few cups. If you notice a correlation, there’s likely an issue with how your body responds to the acid in coffee.
A perfect solution is to enjoy an acid-free variety that still has the caffeine and flavor you love. You’ll hardly notice any difference.
Try Decaf Options
Another thing to consider is decaffeinated coffee. This will help you if caffeine is the issue.
This could be difficult for you to do, though, because caffeine tends to be what hooks us on coffee in the first place. Try using decaf for times throughout the day when you think you could go for a cup of coffee, but probably don’t need one for energy.
A big reason that caffeine causes stomach pain is the fact that we drink far too much of it. Drinking a single cup in the morning probably won’t hurt you too much, but four or five cups every day of the year might.
Do your best to cut down on the caffeine that you consume, even if you’re still having coffee drinks. For example, go with a simple cup of black coffee instead of a latte.
Espresso drinks are far more caffeinated than normal coffee, so you’ll save yourself some stomach pain if you avoid them.
Don’t Drink Coffee Alone
Another big reason that people get stomach aches when they have coffee is the fact that they’re drinking it on an empty stomach. Many of us wake up, make some coffee, and head off to work.
We run out of energy quickly because there’s no food in our stomach to sustain us, so we reach for another cup of coffee and the cycle continues. The acids and caffeine in coffee are going to do a lot more damage when there’s nothing else in our stomachs.
If you do drink coffee regularly, make sure that you’re eating foods at or around the same time. You’ll notice a significant decrease in the amount of stomach pain that you feel as a result.
Coffee offers a number of health benefits, even if you drink it for many years. If you’re consistently letting coffee harm your stomach and digestive system, though, you’ll experience some long-term difficulties that are worse than stomach aches.
Make sure that you’re eating food with coffee and that you’re not consuming too much caffeine on a daily basis. The amount that suits you will depend on your physical size and your diet.
It’s entirely possible to find a healthy balance with your caffeine intake and avoid the pesky stomach issues that plague so many coffee-drinkers.
Want to Learn More about Coffee and Stomach Pain?
So, can coffee upset your stomach? Yes.
Are there ways to avoid those stomach pains and continue drinking coffee? There sure are. We’re here to help you learn more about dietary issues that could be impacting your physical help.
Explore our site for more insight into health, wellness, diet, coffee, and a whole lot more.
