Just to prove the old adage that everything enjoyable in life is bad for you, it turns out that all of the drinks we like to drink in the morning are making us unhealthier! From caffeine’s ability to raise our blood pressure to the high sugar content in milk, it seems like nothing is safe.
Coffee
The majority of adults feel that they cannot get their day started until they’ve had a cup of coffee. If you’re one of those adults, you’re going to be horrified by this news; drinking coffee first thing in the morning is something you should avoid.
For one thing, coffee produces an acid that weakens your stomach lining leading to indigestion. Secondly, drinking coffee first thing in the morning significantly increases your caffeine tolerance making each cup of coffee less effective.
Fruit Juice
Store-bought fruit juice being unhealthy is a fairly foregone conclusion. Most of these products are so high in sugar that drinking them at any point of the day is unhealthy and drinking them first thing in the morning is pretty much guaranteed to result in a mid-morning sugar crash.
Freshly squeezed juices are also best avoided first thing in the morning as well. When you put fruit through a juicer, it loses the majority of its protein meaning that although you’ll get a huge spike of vitamins, your body will still get hungry more quickly than if you ate something with more sustenance.
Cola
So obviously, drinking sugary soda is bad for you at any time of today, but drinking a cola in the morning is particularly bad for you. Besides the fact that cola has a higher concentration of caffeine as compared to coffee meaning that the tolerance increasing factor is exacerbated, it is also very high in sugar. These caffeine spikes cause temporary increases in blood pressure resulting in an overall higher blood pressure level.
Milk
Although it’s true that milk is a significant source of calcium (something that helped create its reputation for being healthy), it’s not the only available source of calcium. For adults, milk is less than ideal due to its high fat content. That said, it’s better to put a little in your coffee than to drink it black!
Tea
One of the world’s greatest early morning debates is coffee versus tea. Turns out, they’re both bad for you to consume first thing in the morning. Tea is one of the many substances that can cause gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) due to its caffeine and acidity. This can result in acid reflux plaguing you during the day.
Energy Drinks
When energy drinks first became popular in the early 2000s, they seemed like a miracle beverage. Here was a drink you could grab out of the fridge, guzzle it down and get a big burst of energy.
Over the last few decades, some studies have found that these energy drinks are actually quite detrimental on account of their high levels of caffeine and sugar. This leads people experiencing an increased heart rate which contributes to increased stress levels and blood pressure.
What are your go-to drinks first thing in the morning? Will that change at all after reading this article?
Republished with permission from: theAsianParent Singapore
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