Can I drink Caffeine with PCOS? Best PCOS coffee alternatives
Yes, but there’s always a caveat. Fancy, sugary coffees and many coffees a day might change the calculus on whether you should be drinking coffee. It’s also important to know how sensitive you are to caffeine. Lara Briden from her book the Period Repair Manual says “…coffee itself—black, organic coffee—is not inflammatory (The Period Repair Manual, pg. 127). However, caffeine can increase your cortisol levels, an issue people with inflammatory and metabolic disorders know is not the hormone you’re trying to manipulate.
I have for the most part cut out all coffee, but am starting to reintroduce green tea into my morning routines (I’ve also started to try some spearmint tea to help with hair loss, although my 1 cup a day doesn’t seem to be making an immediate change. I’ve heard it takes months).
If you are dependent on caffeine, it can’t hurt to take a break. See how your body responds (after the initial horrible withdrawal): do you have more energy? how are your cravings?
The withdrawal for me was pretty bad. I’d been drinking coffee daily for probably about 2 decades (I started in high school and frankly love the ritual and the smell). I had about 3-5 days of a lingering headache that couldn’t be handled (I also did it while cutting sugar. I DO NOT recommend. Do one at a time to spare yourself). After the headache passed, I found that I wasn’t a total zombie before I had that first cup, and the afternoon slump (a problem for everyone), wasn’t such a disaster. Don’t get me wrong, I still crave a snack, carbs and sugar, but I can get through it. I also have found that my sleep has improved. I am a bad sleeper. I can toss and turn and I always get my second wind around 10:30, but lowering caffeine intake has helped.
So you decide to cut out coffee to see how you respond and get started on your metabolic healing journey. Congratulations! It’s hard, but if I can do it, you can too. But the ritual, sigh, the ritual of morning coffee is so devastating to give up. So what do you do?
I started by switching to decaf. I got myself a nice foamer from Amazon and honestly if you aren’t drinking the “hard stuff”, decaf coffee doesn’t taste so weak. It really made my mornings so much better. I used my favorite mug, made a latte with a dash of cinnamon and it really was a great treat and something I looked forward to every morning.
I then hit a plateau and started to feel that any coffee was messing with my delicate system. I’ve always had acid reflux (ugh) and felt naturally it was time for me to make another change and to cut decaf coffee cold turkey until my stomach felt better. So what are some good options for that morning pick me up that aren’t coffee?
Matcha. I really have gotten into iced matcha lattes with almond milk. Just be careful they’re not adding tons of sugar (ahem Starbucks). You can make it at home with those beautiful wooden whisks, the traditional way, or most coffee shops have some you can purchase for your to-go am beverage. That said, matcha still has caffeine so if you know that it spikes your glucose levels or you’re trying to curb your intake, be careful here.
Tea. Iced or hot, pick your favorite (like I said earlier, I’ve been trying hot spearmint, but I also go for regular an decaf green tea). However, the world of teas is so expansive that you can really have anything your heart desires. For iced tea, just brew it hot and then throw it in the fridge!
Mushroom Coffee Alternative. I’ve tried a few different brands, but don’t drink it much. No it doesn’t taste like coffee, but it does provide that experience. Froth your milk, pour it over ice, however you like it!
As your body changes (and you can feel the improvements), be attuned to how your needs change. I cut caffeine basically completely (remember chocolate has trace amounts!) for a year and am only now starting to include it again.
I’ve had a half a cup or two of coffee, but mostly rely on decaf and teas. Nothing has to be forever! You just need to find a healing path that suits your lifestyle.
My weight was my main focus for the first year and a half of this journey (and it still is), but recently I’ve started to run again a little, I’m lifting heavy weights, and have re-introduced caffeine a bit. My weight isn’t increasing, in fact it’s SLOWLY (and I mean SLOWLY) decreasing. My focus now is switching from the weight and diet obsession (hopefully you have a more balanced way of thinking through things), to handling my thinning hair. I’ll do another post. I haven’t found a solution, but from my understanding hormonal hair loss can be reversed!
It’s a learning process, listen to your body and sending healing thoughts!
