You can download a copy of the Acubalance Fertility Diet Book with recipes from the Acubalance website’s home page.
Can I drink coffee when trying to conceive?
The answer may not be black or white, but if you drink your coffee black, chances are it may be OK.
There are studies suggesting too much coffee (two or more cups) can increase the risk of miscarriages. If you have had a history of pregnancy losses then for peace of mind, just avoid coffee.
There are many things we do not know. One of them is why too much coffee may be a risk factor for miscarriages. But there are a few things we do know and we can use the following concepts when choosing to incorporate a food or beverage or to avoid them.
Factors that can negatively impact your health and longevity:
- Increase in systemic chronic inflammation
- Increase blood sugars
- Increase cellular damage from oxidative stress
Inflammation can damage cells and magnify health issues prior to and during pregnancy
Low glycemic index diets (low blood sugar) can reduce the risk of large-for-gestational-age (LGA) infants and are associated with improved pregnancy outcomes.
An observational study of 1538 women in the US showed that higher total fiber intake three months before and during early pregnancy reduced preeclampsia risk by attenuating pregnancy-associated dyslipidemia.
So when choosing foods and beverages and any lifestyle factors to positively impact your cells and your fertility, you want them to:
- Lower inflammation
- Lower oxidative damage
- Regulate blood sugar
- Provide adequate nutrition to cells.
Coffee is an antioxidant and a DNA methylation adaptogen that can have health benefits as long as you are drinking it black and it does not interfere with your sleep. We need sufficient deep restorative sleep to maintain balanced blood sugar levels and hormones and to regulate inflammation.
If you are going to choose to enjoy your daily cup of coffee, then keep these tips in mind:
- Moderation is key. Limit to one cup per day.
- Choose organic.
- Finish your cup before noon so as not to interfere with your sleep at night.
- No added sugar or dairy. Keep it black.
So, it seems it is OK to drink coffee when trying to conceive. However, when it comes to coffee and miscarriages, I am curious if the issue was not so much the coffee bean but what many add to their coffee. If you do not like it black then you may want to cut out coffee because once you start adding sugars and syrups and dairy then it is no longer “coffee” and instead it is really a dessert. If you add sugar/syrups to it then that can transform your cup of coffee into a pro-inflammatory beverage which is damaging to your cells, health, and fertility.
Moderation is key too.
Too much of a good thing can become a bad thing. Too much coffee, such as two or more cups a day, might be an issue when trying to conceive based on the research. If you are needing a 3rd or more cups of coffee in a day then I wonder how your adrenals are coping. Maybe this is part of the issue with the risk of miscarriage? The imbalance within the adrenal axis causing the need for coffee to stay awake and alert may be impacting your fertility and ability to hold a pregnancy. If this is the case, that you need the coffee to keep you moving forward with your day, then you are using it as a stimulant (like a drug), and you may want to avoid coffee and talk to your acupuncturist and naturopathic doctor about looking for the underlying cause of your fatigue and using natural ways to tip your longevity scales from dis-ease to vitality and health. Here are some of the ways the team at Acubalance can help you achieve peak fertility and solve other challenges such as poor sleep and hormone imbalance.