Despite your love for coffee, do you detest the way it makes you feel internal? You are neither crazy nor unhealthy.
Even though drinking coffee has been linked to a number of positive health trends, including a lower risk of developing certain types of cancer, a more effective metabolism, and better liver health, many people also experience negative effects.
Why does coffee make my stomach hurt? In fact, there are three main possibilities as to what might be the root of this issue, one of which is consuming coffee on an empty stomach.
Continue reading to find out why coffee may be giving you stomach aches and how to find coffee that is good for your stomach.
Why Does Coffee Make My Stomach Hurt?
1. Your Stomach Is Sensitive To Coffee’s Acids
Our digestive tracts are powered by acids. They serve as the fuel for the machinery that breaks down our food. We must possess them!
However, excessive gastric acid can be a problem and result in some unpleasant symptoms.
Bloating, belching, and general discomfort are the most common symptoms of these problems. They are quite annoying even though they are regarded as minor symptoms.
Numerous articles assert that consuming coffee can cause acid reflux, a condition marked by a series of uncontrollable muscle contractions that force stomach acid up into the esophagus. However, this connection has long been disproven (thank goodness).
It may be worth avoiding acidic foods and beverages for a few days if you experience similar discomforts after consuming alcohol or fruit juice.
Here are some tips to help you continue to enjoy your coffee if acid seems to be the problem:
- Find low-acidity, stomach-friendly coffees. Choose coffee beans that are known to be lower on the acidity scale if it seems that you are only marginally sensitive but you still want to try reducing acids.
- Cold brew. Coffee can have its acid content reduced by as much as 66% when it is cold brewed with cold water rather than hot water as is customary. Once the concentrate has been brewed, you can still dilute it with hot water to sip from a hot mug as usual.
But even if you brew coffee with less acidity, you’ll probably encounter issues. Coffee, you see, only has a ph level of about 5, which is actually quite close to carrots. It’s not that acidic on its own – so it’s typically not the acids that cause the issue.
The majority of people experience stomach upset from caffeine.
2. Your Stomach Is Sensitive To Coffee’s Caffeine
Actually, caffeine—not coffee itself—might be the problem! It sounds perplexing, doesn’t it? Caffeine, also known as C8H10N4O2, is well known to irritate the stomach. It accelerates the rate at which your digestive system functions, resulting in a laxative effect.
Caffeine sensitivity is primarily inherited, but it can also be affected by age or gender. You may become more sensitive to caffeine as you age. Women are typically more sensitive to caffeine than men are, according to gender. Pregnancy and the use of oral contraceptives also tend to intensify this.
There are several potential solutions to neutralize this effect:
- Enjoy a banana with your coffee. In addition to having a high potassium content, bananas also have high levels of calcium and carbohydrates, both of which balance out the negative effects of caffeine. The fact that they are sold by so many cafes is not a coincidence.
- Lessen how much coffee you drink each day. Getting down to one or two cups of coffee a day may seem difficult and even nearly impossible, especially if you consume a lot of coffee, but doing so may actually improve how your stomach reacts. Even more so, it can improve how much you enjoy drinking coffee.
- Go decaf. For the fervent coffee lover, this may seem sacrilegious, but it’s not as bad as it might seem. Decaf does not indicate that a product is of lower quality. Without caffeine, you can still enjoy all the benefits of regular coffee. There is even specialty decaf coffee available!
3. You’re Drinking Coffee On An Empty Stomach
The truth is that coffee is a potent beverage. Its flavor and chemical make-up are robust, bold, and complex. Regardless of who you are, you will have issues if you drink coffee without eating a substantial breakfast.
What do you suppose those extra acids and molecules of caffeine will do in the absence of food?
Naturally, make you feel queasy.
I advise making notes about how you feel following various breakfasts. For instance, you’ll know you need to add in a little more substance, like a banana or protein, if cereal and milk with your coffee still make you feel a little queasy.
For a few weeks, experiment with your mornings to see what works for you.
Read More: Is Instant Coffee Bad For You?
Tips To Stop Coffee From Upsetting Stomach
You don’t have to completely give up coffee if it upsets your stomach! To make a cup of coffee that is easy on the stomach, there are many different things you can do.
You are welcome to drink it along with your cup of coffee.
People who are tempted to stop drinking coffee frequently forget that it is actually very healthy for you. Coffee has so many health benefits: it’s full of antioxidants and can even reduce your risk of developing certain types of cancer. It won’t stunt your growth, either.
Even patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can enjoy coffee if they choose the right type and brew it the right way. If you have IBS, it is absolutely possible for you to consume stomach-friendly coffee on a regular basis.
Stop Drinking Coffee On An Empty Stomach
Okay seriously. Stop.
Bananas can neutralize some of the acids in coffee because they are alkaline. Sugary cereals don’t really do much for you, so if you can choose something more substantial, like oatmeal or eggs, that’s better. Milk is the same way.
To avoid digesting all of the caffeine in a matter of minutes, it should be distributed among other foods.
Low-acid Coffee
Making use of low-acid coffee is one of the best ways to make a cup that is easy on the stomach. In addition to being better for your digestive system, some coffee varieties naturally contain less acid.
Coffee beans’ acidity may vary depending on the environment and soil in which they are grown. Higher-altitude coffee plants typically have fewer acids. Coffee can even have less acidity when grown in the shade.
The acidity of coffee is also altered during the roasting and brewing processes. For instance, darker roast coffee has a tendency to be less acidic than lighter roast coffee. In comparison to conventional roasts, gold coffee is even less acidic. Compared to regular coffee, espresso is much more acidic.
To make your morning brew better for your stomach, simply choose a different variety of coffee.
Cold Brew
Your coffee may be kinder or harsher on your stomach depending on the temperature of the water you use to brew it. It’s possible that using a regular coffee maker is making your stomach uncomfortable. Although making a cold brew takes longer, the end result is better for your stomach.
Compared to coffee made with hot water, cold brew coffee is much more gastrointestinal-friendly. Your coffee’s composition, including the substances that may upset your stomach, is significantly influenced by the temperature of the water you use to brew it.
According to research, cold brew coffee is less acidic than hot coffee. Less stomach-upsetting chemicals and substances, including the numerous different acids that are present naturally in coffee beans, are extracted when coffee is brewed with cold water.
All of this implies that the extra acid in your hot coffee may irritate your stomach. After drinking a cup of coffee, switching to a cold brew may help ease stomach discomfort and improve your mood.
Decaf
If you’ve consumed too much caffeine, decaf coffee can help calm an upset stomach. Coffee’s acidity is typically what causes stomach upset, but caffeine can also cause stomach problems, particularly if you’re highly sensitive to it.
Try drinking decaf coffee if you notice that most of your stomach problems occur when you’re experiencing the jitters from caffeine. You’ll be able to determine if acid, caffeine or another factor is to blame for your upset stomach.
Try Gold
The best of all worlds is gold coffee. It’s loaded with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, and all the healthy stuff that makes coffee so good for you. Gold coffee is less bitter than regular coffee and tastes great as well; many coffee drinkers who try gold coffee never go back.
Additionally, gold coffee has naturally low acidity (5 times less than regular coffee!) and it’s very easy on your stomach. To further lessen its acidity, you can brew it hot or cold. And with our handy coffee pouches (which are essentially coffee tea bags), you can brew a cup of coffee wherever you are.
Try the variety pack from Golden Ratio if you’ve never tried gold coffee. We’ll let you sample three of our most well-liked flavors: our original gold coffee, chai spiced, and vanilla coconut. Grab a box of our original gold coffee pouches if you prefer more traditional tastes. They will be beloved by you!
The Bottom Line
The best course of action if you experience stomach discomfort after consuming coffee is to think about these possible causes and try out the remedies. Check to see if caffeine, acidity, or an empty stomach is the issue. There’s no reason to be afraid. Stomach irritability is typically avoidable or manageable. This means that you don’t have to abstain from coffee altogether or suffer in silence after your morning cup.
Leave a comment below if you or someone you know has experienced other stomach issues as a result of coffee.