The Truth About Coffee: What It Does to Your Body and What to Drink Instead
Coffee has been one of the most debated topics in our house. Jacob quit it and felt dramatically better. Juliann cut it during pregnancy and noticed her anxiety drop. Neither of us is telling you to give it up forever. But here is what we both noticed, and what the research actually says.
Jacob's Story: I Quit Coffee and My Dizzy Spells Disappeared
For several months I was dealing with dizzy spells and exhaustion that I could not explain. I went through the full workup, bloodwork, an EKG, two weeks wearing a heart monitor. Everything came back normal. Which was great news, but it meant I still had no answer.
So I did what I do with my members when they hit a wall: I started looking at my daily habits. And coffee was in there in a big way. I had started drinking it early in my career when I was waking up before 4am to drive over an hour to the gyms I was working at. It went from a practical tool to a full-on dependency. I was having coffee at 5pm before my evening classes just to get through the session.
I decided to cut it completely for 30 days. The first week was rough. After that, the dizzy spells stopped. The midday crash that I had been fighting for months was gone. I still feel tired sometimes, two young kids will do that, but the exhaustion was different. More manageable. Less like I was drowning.
What I noticed after 30 days without coffee
- No more dizzy spells
- No more crashing in the middle of the day
- Better mood and more consistent energy throughout the day
- Falling asleep was easier
- Felt more alert overall, which sounds counterintuitive but makes sense once you understand what caffeine dependency actually does
Juliann's Take: Cutting Coffee Changed My Anxiety
When Juliann was pregnant with our son Jake, she cut coffee out completely. What she noticed surprised her. Her anxiety, which had been a consistent undercurrent, lightened. Her energy throughout the day was more even, not spiked and crashed, just steady. She had assumed that removing caffeine would make her more tired. The opposite happened.
According to nutritionist Kelly LeVeque, being too caffeinated has a measurable negative impact on mood, food choices, and impulsive behavior. Strange that you can feel more overall energy without the thing that is supposed to give you energy, until you understand how the cycle actually works.
The spike and crash cycle is real. Caffeine gives you a hit of energy by blocking adenosine, the chemical that makes you feel tired. But the adenosine does not go away, it stacks up. When the caffeine wears off, all of that stacked adenosine hits at once, which is why the crash can feel worse than the tiredness you were fighting in the first place. The solution most people reach for is more coffee. Which starts the cycle again.
The Real Benefits of Coffee (Yes, There Are Some)
We are not here to tell you coffee is terrible. The research on coffee is actually pretty favorable when you are not overdoing it and when the coffee is high quality. Here is what the evidence shows.
What research shows about moderate coffee consumption
- Contains B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and manganese
- Studies show reduced risk of Alzheimer's and dementia in regular coffee drinkers
- Increases fat oxidation, your body burns more fat during exercise when caffeinated
- Associated with lower risk of stroke, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes in moderate amounts
- Rich in antioxidants, which fight inflammation
The keyword in all of that is moderate. One to two cups earlier in the day from a quality source is a very different thing than four cups spread across the day, the last one at 5pm, from a brand that sprays its beans with synthetic pesticides.
When Coffee Works Against You
Here are the signs that coffee might be doing more harm than good for you personally. These are the questions I ask members who complain of low energy, anxiety, or sleep issues before I look at anything else.
Ask yourself these questions
- Do you feel like you cannot function without your morning coffee? That is dependency, not energy
- Do you crash hard in the afternoon even on days you slept well?
- Do you struggle to fall asleep at night even when you stop drinking coffee by noon?
- Do you feel more anxious, irritable, or impulsive than usual?
- Do you constantly fight hunger and sugar cravings throughout the day?
If you said yes to two or more of those, I would seriously encourage you to try 30 days without coffee. Not because coffee is evil, but because you deserve to know what your baseline energy actually feels like without the cycle running. Most people are genuinely surprised.
If You Drink Coffee, Quality Matters More Than You Think
Conventional coffee beans are among the most heavily pesticide-sprayed crops in the world. Many of those synthetic pesticides were never intended for human consumption. When you buy cheap, conventional coffee you are not just getting coffee, you are getting whatever was sprayed on it during growing and processing.
Organic certification means the beans were grown without synthetic pesticides. Single origin and specialty grade means the beans were selected for quality at a higher standard than commodity coffee. The processing method also matters, wet-processed beans tend to preserve more of the natural flavor and nutrients while reducing bitterness and the risk of mold contamination.
The brand you buy is not a small decision.
What We Recommend
Disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links. If you purchase through them we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we actually use or believe in.
Blue Bottle Coffee, Organic Whole Bean
This is what I use every day. Certified organic, specialty grade, small batch roasted. Blue Bottle sources from a select group of producers they know and trust and every bean exceeds specialty grade standards. The Balanced medium roast is what I reach for most, clean, smooth, no bitterness, no crash. The Bold dark roast is excellent if you want something richer. Shop directly through their Instagram store for the freshest options and their full range.
Blue Bottle Coffee on Amazon →Four Sigmatic, Mushroom Coffee
This was one of the original recommendations on this post and it holds up. Four Sigmatic combines organic coffee with functional mushrooms, Lion's Mane for focus and Chaga for immune support. The combination smooths out the caffeine spike, which means less jitter, less crash, and better sustained focus. If regular coffee makes you anxious or wired this is worth trying. It brews like regular coffee and tastes like regular coffee, not like mushrooms.
Four Sigmatic on Amazon →Purity Coffee, USDA Organic, Third Party Tested
If you are serious about clean coffee, Purity is the most rigorous option on this list. Every batch is third-party lab tested for mold, mycotoxins, pesticides, and heavy metals, and they publish the results. They use specialty grade Arabica beans from regenerative farms, certified Rainforest Alliance and Smithsonian Bird Friendly. The FLOW medium roast is their most popular and a genuinely excellent cup. This is the brand I would recommend to anyone dealing with gut issues or sensitivity to conventional coffee.
Purity Coffee on Amazon →Purity Coffee CALM, Organic Decaf, Mountain Water Process
If you want to cut caffeine but keep the ritual, this is the cleanest decaf I have found. Decaffeinated using the Mountain Water Process, no chemical solvents, just water, temperature, and time. Still third-party tested for mold, mycotoxins, and pesticides like all Purity products. Smooth, clean, and genuinely good. A completely different experience from grocery store decaf.
Purity Decaf on Amazon →Four Sigmatic, Lion's Mane Elixir (Coffee Alternative)
If you want to cut caffeine completely but still want something warm and functional in the morning, this gives you the Lion's Mane focus benefits without any caffeine. It is not coffee but it scratches a similar itch and makes the transition period significantly easier. Organic, instant, and takes 30 seconds to make.
Four Sigmatic Elixir on Amazon →The Bottom Line
Coffee is not the enemy. But if you are relying on it to function, crashing without it, struggling to sleep, or feeling more anxious than usual, it is worth finding out what is actually happening. A 30-day break will tell you more about your relationship with caffeine than any article can.
If you come back to coffee after the 30 days, come back with intention. One or two cups in the morning, from a quality organic source, before noon. Not four cups across the day with the last one at 5pm. The difference in how you feel is significant.
Build habits that actually fuel you
Live virtual classes, real nutrition guidance, and a coach who notices when you are off. Try everything free for a week with no credit card and no commitment.
Start Your Free Week