Coffee, God’s energy drink. If you know me (Nate) or have been following my journey with Steel over the last few years, you know I LOVE coffee.
It’s God’s gift to us. It’s his natural energy drink. It’s the best thing in the world, besides Jesus and my family.
There is only one way to drink it though…no cold foam…no syrups…no add-ins…no ice…just plain, hot, and black.
I know what you might be thinking, no milk, no sugar?!? You must be crazy Nate! Well, call me crazy because that’s the only way I drink it, and that will be the only way I drink it until the day I die.
There’s nothing wrong with your Starbucks order or your at-home coffee bar set-up, just not my preference.
Our Nutrition Specialist at Steel, Laney Bishop, is dialed in on caffeine – the benefits and the downsides. If you haven’t already, you should go check out her video on caffeine below.
Today we are going to talk about the different sources of caffeine and Laney’s recommendations.
Coffee, Green Tea, Black Tea, Sodas, and Energy Drinks are all caffeinated. Natural caffeination is better for you than the artificial caffeine that is pumped into sodas and energy drinks though.
Laney does not recommend pre-workout either as there are addictive elements in it.
Protein powder, electrolytes, and natural caffeine are the three drinks you need for working out and your health – no pre-workout.
PSA before we get into today’s discussion: We DO NOT recommend going over 400 mg of caffeine a day regardless of which source you use. Like every good thing, too much can cause serious side effects.
These side effects can also occur before than 400 mg mark, it differs for everyone! If you ever feel jittery, like your blood pressure is high, or your stress levels are high, this is a sign that you are caffeine sensitive and should intake less caffeine.
Let’s get into these sources in more depth.
Coffee!
Laney was a barista AND sponsored by a coffee shop in college at UAB (Go Blazers)! So, you can say she loves coffee.
Coffee is super good for you IF your body likes it.
It can lower your risk of certain cancers, improve your heart health, and lower your risk for Parkinson’s Disease.
It also has naturally occuring antioxidants, is a natural pesticide, and can be a positive stressor for our bodies! Stressor sounds bad, but it does a lot of good things to our organ systems and brain function.
Tea
The main players: Green Tea, Black Tea, and Chai Tea.
These are very similar to coffee in its benefits as they have naturally occurring antioxidants and caffeine. Tea has a slower caffeine release rate than coffee so you may not feel the effects as quickly as you would with coffee.
Laney even says she can go to sleep after drinking a chai latte – that’s wild!
If you are caffeine sensitive and coffee doesn’t sit well with you, chai or any caffeinated tea might be a good alternative to get your caffeine fix but keep your body happy!
Check out Laney’s chai tea recipe HERE!
SODA/ENERGY DRINKS
We DO NOT recommend any artificially caffeinated product. Of course there are ‘healthier’ options out there, but tea and coffee are better.
God crafted tea and coffee for us – they are naturally occurring, and they have many benefits for our health.
Soda and energy drinks are manufactured with so many artificial sugars and ingredients that are not good for you. This can cause gut issues and weight gain.
I understand some of you cannot live without an energy drink or soda and hey it’s your life I won’t tell you how to live it. BUT, we do recommend steering away from so many of these artificial products and start running towards natural caffeine sources.
Recommendations
Kombucha! Many people don’t like it, but the naturally occurring caffeine, gut health benefits, and probiotics make it so worth it!
It’s soothing on your stomach and can settle stomach aches. So, if you ever are wanting some more caffeine but don’t want to have more coffee or tea, try kombucha.
Laney even makes her own at home and saves lots of money doing so!
If you can’t tell, we’re all about some natural caffeine at Steel, but we are every more about seeing you reach goals you thought were impossible.
We help everyday men and women change their lives through Strength Training. We’d love to work with you and give you guidance on nutrition and strength training while holding you accountable to it.
If you’d like to see if we’re a good fit for each other, CLICK HERE, fill out the form, and I will be in contact within 24 hours to discuss your goals and have a conversation!
