Have you recently been following a Paleo Diet and want to know if you can still consume coffee during this period?
If this is the case, then you have reached the right place.
If you ask my opinion regarding this topic, then my answer to this question is most probably “No”.
Coffee is one beverage that is not necessary to consume when you are on a Paleo diet.
Coffee provides higher energy level which is often not required during this particular diet.
Because you consume high protein and high fat meals during paleo diet and you usually don’t require extra high energy drink to consume. (Source: Killcliff.com)
At the same time, coffee is a powerful stimulant and often increases your cravings for sweets.
Excessive caffeine intake may also trigger health disorders such as anxiety and insomnia which is not good for you especially when you are following a paleo diet.
The greatest benefit of this diet is that you balance out your glucose levels by consuming higher protein and fat-rich food items.
Coffee is often consumed by people not having enough glucose levels in the blood and that’s why they suffer from low energy and thus tends to drink higher coffee quantity on a daily basis.
If you are on a Paleo diet, you definitely won’t have to consume coffee at all due to the reasons mentioned above.
So, the answer to our main topic is definitely “No”.
You don’t need to drink coffee during Paleo diet.
Table of Contents
- What is a Paleo Diet?
- Is It Safe to Drink Coffee While You are on a Paleo Diet?
- 4 Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee During Paleo Diet
- What Drinks are Safe to Consume During Paleo Diet?
- Is Decaf Coffee Good for Paleo Diet?
- What are the Best Paleo Sweeteners for Coffee?
- What Type of Coffee is Best Suited for Paleo Diet?
- Final Thoughts
What is a Paleo Diet?
The Paleo Diet was first developed by Professor Loren Cordain.
This is a low-carb diet that is said to be founded on the eating habits of ancient people.
The main food items of this diet consist of fish, fruits, green vegetables, lean meat, seeds and nuts.
This is the same food which our ancestors were eating thousands of years ago.
This diet does not include any dairy, grains, legumes and other farming products and need to be avoided at any cost.
If you want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight for a long term basis and also want to follow a natural healthy diet, then Paleo diet is the ideal choice for you.
This eating routine is very prohibitive and even directs what sorts of drinks you’re permitted to have.
Soft drinks, caffeinated beverages like tea and coffee along with sports drinks are loaded up with large amounts of sugar and carbs.
This is the reason, hot and cold beverages like hot coffee and iced coffee are now allowed to consume if you are following a Paleo diet.
Then again, all normal beverages with Paleo-consistent fixings can be taken.
During paleo diet routine, you may consume a clean energy drink that contains naturally low amount of caffeine with no sugar and artificial ingredients.
The one such drink is Kill Cliff Clean Energy Drink.
Is It Safe to Drink Coffee While You are on a Paleo Diet?
Coffee is needed to be barred by anybody, who is trying to accomplish the most out of their Paleo way of life.
No, it is not safe to drink caffeinated drinks if you are on a Paleo diet.
If you cannot live without your favourite cup of coffee and still want to follow this diet, then I highly recommend to take only half decaf coffee such as Dunkin Donuts Decaf Coffee.
The Paleo Diet mainly focuses on eating supplement thick, normally growing, calming food sources such as vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts.
On the other side, coffee contains high stimulants and increases the risks of having anxiety and insomnia.
Therefore, you must not consume coffee while you are on a paleo diet.
Instead, you can opt for natural drink options such as green tea and herbal tea.
The one I can recommend is herbal tea assortment from Tea Forte.
4 Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee During Paleo Diet
Even though, coffee is not required to drink during paleo diet, you may consume it occasionally to get the following health benefits.
1. Quick Energy Boost
Coffee helps to get your body the much needed energy boost in case you feel low.
Coffee can really expand your energy level and cause you to feel less drained.
It may further help in developing different brain capacities like memory, mindset, response time and general intellectual capacity.
2. Source of Rich Nutrients
Very few people know that the Coffee is also filled with rich nutrients.
Coffee is substantially more than just any other beverage which we drink in the very beginning of our morning routine.
Your regular cup of coffee may contain the following micronutrients.
A. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 11% of the RDA
B. Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): 6% of the RDA
C. Manganese and Potassium: 3% of the RDA
D. Magnesium and Niacin (B3): 2% of the RDA
3. Helps in Curing Diabetes and Liver Disease
Coffee can bring down the risks of having diabetes (both types viz. Type 1 and Type 2).
Furthermore, it shields you from having infections like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
A research article from Parkinsonsnewstoday.com mentions that the regular consumption of coffee helps in reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease.
A significant number of these ailments can cause a condition called cirrhosis, in which the healthy liver tissues are converted into scarred tissues.
These scarred liver tissues prevent liver to function properly and cause other health issues.
Regular consumption of coffee helps in reducing these liver ailments.
4. Rich Source of Antioxidants
Coffee is a rich source of powerful antioxidants.
Antioxidants helps in reducing your aging process and helps in curing ailments caused due to oxidative stress such as cancer.
Coffee contains antioxidants such as polyphenols and hydrocinnamic acid.
Both of these antioxidants help in fighting against stress, heart diseases, diabetes and cancer.
There are many other health benefits of consuming coffee on a regular basis.
It is just that you need to control the intake of caffeine based drinks during your Paleo diet.
Therefore, it is highly recommended to drink only 1-2 cups of decaf coffee if you are following this diet.
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What Drinks are Safe to Consume During Paleo Diet?
There are quite a few drinks you can safely consume while following your paleo diet.
1. Drink Plenty of Water and Lemon Juice
Once you consult with your doctor, then you might be restricted to only a couple of drink options during a paleo diet.
The main part of your fluid consumption must be the plain drinking water.
Assuming the flavour of water doesn’t excite you much, you can make a lime juice to upgrade its character.
You can drink mineral water and coconut water as well.
2. Little Wine is Ok
Though it’s not allowed to drink a lot of liquor on the Paleo Diet, you can still consume a little amount of wine.
Don’t forget that liquor needs to be consumed with a lot of restraint.
It means that one drink (whole day) for women and 2 drinks (whole day) max for men is allowed.
3. Herbal Tea and Green Tea
Herbal tea and green tea are the best healthy drink options for paleo diet followers.
Professor Loren Cordain suggests that people who abide by the Paleo Diet should stay away from excessive caffeine consumption.
Therefore, stay away from coffee and tea as much as possible.
Green tea contains limited quantities of caffeine.
Herbal tea does not include any type of caffeine at all.
So, both of these drinks are totally safe to consume during your paleo diet routine.
Is Decaf Coffee Good for Paleo Diet?
To some extent, decaf coffee helps to make the journey more comfortable for new folks who have just started to follow this diet.
If you are a coffee addict person, then getting rid of your daily coffee is not an easy task for many coffee lovers.
But adding a little quantity of decaf coffee such as SF Bay Medium Roast Swiss Water Decaf Coffee would be a great option for folks who want to reduce their daily caffeine intake.
Prof. Cordain suggests that you skip coffee, nonetheless, in light of the fact that the high caffeine content isn’t healthy for your body.
He states on his site that caffeine invigorates your sensory nerve system, disrupts your typical rest cycle and can give you a migraine as well.
In fact, decaffeinated coffee isn’t on the rundown of adequate refreshments yet many individuals who follow the Paleo Diet drink this variant as they make the progress to a Paleo way of life.
The fact is that the coffee was not at all a part of ancient Paleolithic human diet.
Furthermore, the addiction to coffee is frequently shown as irritability and weakness when coffee is not consumed by the person.
It relies upon the individual, yet the most secure method for burning-through coffee is without caffeine.
Numerous Paleo Diet supporters report that they are reasonable, much better with just decaffeinated coffee since the main issues in coffee come from caffeine which is the main energizer in coffee.
Therefore, decaffeinated coffee can end up being a good decision in the long haul.
Decaf coffee is great for caffeine detoxification, especially SF Bay Swiss Water Decaf Coffee since it’s 99.9% caffeine-free.
Therefore, consuming a little quantity of decaf coffee will not harm your paleo diet but will help you cure your caffeine addiction in the long run.
What are the Best Paleo Sweeteners for Coffee?
1. Coconut milk and coconut cream are both fantastic coffee flavours since they are rich in flavor and cream.
Whirl them in with your black coffee, and you will not miss your half and half coffee.
2. Numerous Paleo sugar choices function admirably in coffee.
Coconut sugar, crude honey, maple syrup, and date sugar all make amazing 1-for-1 substitutes for your typical refined sugar.
3. Almond margarine, hazelnut spread, and even walnut spread all function properly to give your coffee that broiled nutty delightful taste.
4. If you love chilled coffee or iced coffee, then you can enjoy it too during your Paleo diet.
Just blend your coffee like ordinary and then place it in the cooler for around five to ten minutes while you prep the other stuff.
5. You don’t need to confuse things to make your coffee delicious.
Add 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon to black coffee.
To improve the taste and flavor of your decaf coffee, you can also mix some nutmeg, ginger, or even a pumpkin pie zest mix.
What Type of Coffee is Best Suited for Paleo Diet?
According to my research, low caffeine decaffeinated coffee is the best choice for paleo diet practitioners.
To get everything rolling towards the beginning of the day, you will get the taste without too much caffeine.
A shot or two of dark coffee, now and again, can likewise be a decent choice too as this coffee contains less caffeine as compared to the filtered coffee.
Green Tea and herbal tea are also the best drink options for this diet.
These tea types do not have any caffeine and provides several health benefits for the diet follower.
Actually, you can make a paleo diet friendly coffee at your home with ease.
Take a single teaspoon of coconut oil and one teaspoon of clarified butter.
Add some water and blend this in with coffee, make sure you use good quality clarified butter.
You will get the awesome flavour and taste by blending the butter and coconut oil in your frothy coffee.
It will help you make your coffee creamy and fluffy.
Now add some coconut or almond milk in your coffee to make it frothier and creamier.
Try creating the same drink with tea instead of coffee.
Black tea, herbal tea and caffeine-free tea are very good options as well for people who are on the paleo diet.
Note: The blending is what makes the drink tastes even better.
Final Thoughts
The overall research says that you should not consume coffee at all while you are following a paleo diet.
But if you are a coffee lover and can’t live without it for a day, then you must consume low caffeine decaf coffee such as Dunkin Donuts Medium Roast Decaf Coffee or Swiss Water Decaf Coffee.
Other best drink options for you include herbal tea, green tea, coconut water and lots of filtered water.
References:
https://paleoflourish.com/the-ultimate-paleo-coffee/
https://paleodietforbeginner.com/paleo-diet-and-coffee/
https://parkinsonsnewstoday.com/2019/12/16/coffee-prevent-neurodegenerative-diseases-parkinsons/
https://paleofoundation.com/health-benefits-of-coffee/
https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/drinks-allowed-paleo-diet-9769.html
https://www.paleoplan.com/drinks/10-paleo-ways-to-take-your-coffee-to-the-next-level/