Gut expert reveals why you shouldn’t drink coffee on an empty stomach

Drinking coffee before eating in the morning could have a bad effect on your health. Photo / 123rf

An expert on gut health has warned that caffeine first thing in the morning can be detrimental to your health.

Functional nutritional therapist Olivia Hedlund says a morning caffeine hit can wreak havoc on your gut and hormone health, reports the Daily Mail.

The US nutritionist explains that coffee is acidic and therefore tough on an empty stomach, as well as causing the body to go into “high stress mode”, upsetting your hormones.

So, what should you reach for instead of a cup of joe first thing in the morning? Hedlund recommends eggs, dairy, berries or stewed fruit like apples or pears before brewing a coffee.

“If you drink coffee first thing on an empty stomach, stop what you’re doing and listen. You are messing with your hormones,” she shared in a TikTok video.

“Coffee is not only acidic, so it’s hard on our stomach in the morning, but it literally causes our bodies to go into a stress response, to shoot out cortisol, and to put us in kind of a fight or flight state.”

@liv.ingwell

#stitch with @liv.ingwell PT 2, the differences I’ve noticed #gutheath #guthealthtips #healthtips #coffeetiktok #coffeetalk

♬ original sound - Olivia Hedlund

This stress response is what gives you “the shakes” after drinking coffee, but it also leads to that “really good feeling where we feel like we can conquer the world”, she explained.

But that feeling can take its toll on your body, especially for those with gut problems or hormone imbalances, and can also cause issues such as acne.

“I used to drink multiple cups of coffee on an empty stomach, feel like I was on top of the world, and then I would have a bunch of hormonal acne and wonder why,” Hedlund said.

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“It’s because your body is stressed out. Have something small before you have a coffee, make it your goal. I promise you will notice a difference.”

Hedlund said over the past five years, she has made several changes to her lifestyle and diet to heal her skin and gut.

Her followers were shocked, with one writing, “I drink coffee on an empty stomach almost every morning and this explains so much.”