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The best time in the morning to drink coffee to encourage the production of serotonin and maintain a balanced mood all day long.
I spent the entire first day at the International Wise Traditions Conference one year camped out in the room where Julia Ross was speaking.
Julia Ross is the acclaimed author of the books The Mood Cure and The Diet Cure.
It was my first opportunity to hear her speak, and I was not disappointed.
I took boatloads of notes that day and have enough material for several blog posts which I will write up in the coming weeks.
Today, however, I want to specifically address Julia’s discussion about coffee.
Julia Ross’ take on coffee is different from other speakers I have listened to before.
I wanted to share her warning about it because I think it’s something most coffee drinkers have no idea about.
Julia says that her main objection is that people drink coffee first thing in the morning when they get up. This typically results in skipping breakfast altogether because coffee is a strong appetite suppressant.
Not to mention that coffee reduces (not increases as popularly believed) blood flow to the brain by about 25%.
Worst Time for Coffee is First Thing in the Morning
Skipping breakfast is a big no-no and not just because it increases your chances of overeating especially starches and sugars later in the day.
Skipping your morning meal does a number on your body’s ability to produce the neurotransmitter serotonin which is derived from the amino acid tryptophan. Â
Tryptophan, like all the amino acids, is contained in protein. Â
Meat is the best source of tryptophan but only from animals roaming on pasture (corn contains almost NO tryptophan so don’t eat beef from corn fed cattle or eggs from primarily corn/soy fed chickens).
Protein (food)  —–> Tryptophan (amino acid) —–> Serotonin (neurotransmitter)  —–> Melatonin (hormone for restful sleep)
Serotonin is what helps you feel happy, calm, and self-confident even in the face of stress
. Moreover, ample serotonin is important for a restful night’s sleep as the body converts serotonin into melatonin at dusk.  Inadequate melatonin results in insomnia problems.
Skipping breakfast in the morning short circuits the body’s ability to produce adequate serotonin throughout the day. Â
While eating protein later in the day definitely helps, your body still ends up playing serotonin catch up all day every day due to missing breakfast.
Julia says that we all need about 20-30 grams of protein 3X per day to fulfill our body’s requirement for amino acids in order to produce adequate neurotransmitters like serotonin. Â
If you are already deficient in serotonin, supplementation may be required for a short time to regain neurological balance.
This topic of neurotransmitters tends to get rather complicated, but the bottom line is this:
If you must drink coffee, then at the very least, wait until after breakfast to do it!
This way, the impact on your serotonin levels will not be as severe as drinking coffee first thing in the morning and skipping breakfast due to the appetite-suppressing effects.
You may find that this one simple change alone will help balance emotions the rest of the day.
Feelings of happiness, emotional flexibility, and stress reduction are common once this simple change is made.
How to Replenish Serotonin
Do you suspect that your serotonin levels are in the tank and you need neurotransmitter supplementation?
Clues would be that you grapple with worry, anxiety, OCD thoughts or actions, depression, panic attacks, and/or chronic insomnia.
In that situation, Julia Ross recommends this dosage with the amino acid tryptophan:
- 5-HTP (suggested source): Â 50 mg in the mid-afternoon and before bedtime.
- L-tryptophan (suggested source): 500 mg in the mid-afternoon and again before bed especially if insomnia is a problem.
Note that 5-HTP is cheaper than L-tryptophan but some people get nausea from it, so switch to L-tryptophan if 5-HTP doesn’t work for you.
For children, start with a fraction of the dose above and only use L-tryptophan.
Raise the dosage as needed to eliminate low serotonin symptoms.
Next Steps
Once you’ve put off AM coffee until after you eat, you might perhaps feel motivated to try to shake the habit completely.
According to Julia Ross, people who crave chocolate, coffee, alcohol, and even exercise are typically low in the neurotransmitter endorphin.
Using supplementation of amino acids that are precursors to endorphin may help in trying to shake the coffee habit completely. These include:
- Amino acid d-phenylalanine (DPA) (suggested source): 500 mg, 2-4X/day. Use DPA if you are a daily coffee drinker and also an anxious person.
- Amino acid d-phenylalanine (DPA) bound to the amino acid I-phenylalanine (LPA) – known in combination as DLPA (suggested source):   500 mg, 2-3X/day. Use DLPA if you crave the energizing effects of coffee and are not typically an anxious person.
Do you think a deficiency of neurotransmitters might be the reason some folks love their coffee so much?
Are you game to try changing when you drink AM coffee to help balance brain chemistry? Or, does it make more sense to switch to a noncaffeinated beverage like dandelion coffee instead?
Please share your thoughts on this and personal experience in the comments!
More Information
The Truth About Your Morning Coffee Fix
How Bulletproof Coffee Shoots You in the Foot
I drink too much coffee and sometimes it keeps me up at night. I also have adrenal problems, but I drink it anyway. I put a tablespoon of coconut oil in my coffee and it sure is soothing to my tummy. Two cups with coconut oil in the am and 1 cup in the pm. Otherwise, drinking coffee on an empty belly causes bellyache. The coconut oil stops the pain and I always eat breakfast. Since I started buying rolled oats and soaking them overnight, it’s an easy and comforting meal without the stomach pain I usually experience.
I enjoyed this post, Sara.
I personally believe breakfast that includes cooked meats and proteins It is worse than Drinking coffee in the morning coffee. Seems like most people here have problem with coffee . And I don’t blame them Why do people have health condition They have hormonal problems They have food addictions And they are Carb Addicted. Hot Tellie one more thing that Grains sprouted or not sprouted Are much worse for your health than coffee . I personally think everybody should be able to enjoy a cup of two of coffee every day without side effects If they stop eating grains And stop Consuming the worst meal of the day breakfast
hey on the health workers get fired for no flu vac. I hear that Gutherie of norther tier NY and southern tier PA are getting lad off till may if they don’t!!!!!! just not right!
mercola.com the search for skipping breakfast. He does it to and tells why it’s good. I was doing that to lose wait way before he talked about it. for the same reason he says. it can be good. just watch out those with sugar issue on that of course.
I should say to I hate coffee. I love tea and decaf mine every morning myself. not because I think caffeine is bad but i don’t like the headache I get if I don’t get tea in am for some reason. my hubby loves coffee as much as I do tea. I thin k he could use the first amio listed even if he drinks his coffee. hey he gave up achola 10 years ago!! let him have his coffee!
When I’d have to skip my morning cup of Joe I’d have the worst withdrawals; headache, tired, cranky, etc. Now since I got off the bean and drink tea instead if I have to skip it, I have no withdrawals at all. That says volumes for the powerful drug coffee can be.
Full spectrum amino acids are to be found in organ meats like chorizo/sausage often eaten for breakfast/lunch brunch. Was surprised that emphasis was on supplementation rather than food sources in her talk.
“found a seven to eight percent decrease in the relative risk of developing Type II diabetes for every additional cup of coffee per day”
so after the 12th cup you are pretty much guaranteed safe against diabetes? that’s ridiculous! I assure you, drinking coffee is not the only way to fight diabetes. This creates a one-sided view of coffee’s effects. Ill bet I can find research to support any view. So, it comes down to this: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.
I know how I will feel after 1 cup of coffee – pretty good, but not too much. After 3 cups of coffee I will feel jittery, nervous and might attack people. I think I’ll just listen to my body, what do you think?
True! Did you all know that people with ADHD and ADD actually calm down and focus after drinking something with caffeine? I’m not making that up either, heard it from a special ed teacher. It works better than the drugs they give kids. I also know several older men who can actually fall asleep with a cup of coffee in their hands. The nightly after dinner Joe does not affect them at all. Me? I’d be up all night if I ingested anything with caffeine after 3:00 p.m., so everybody’s body is different for sure!
NaturalNews) People who drink three to four cups of coffee each day have a lower risk of developing Type II diabetes, according to a research summary published by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC). The report summarizes the key findings of recent research into the connection between coffee consumption and diabetes risk, as presented at a session of the 2012 World Congress on Prevention of Diabetes and Its Complications (WCPD).
The report emphasizes an epidemiological study that found a 25 percent lower risk of developing Type II diabetes among people who drank three or four cups of coffee per day, when compared with people who drank fewer than two cups per day. It also notes another epidemiological study, which found a seven to eight percent decrease in the relative risk of developing Type II diabetes for every additional cup of coffee per day that a person consumed.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/038330_coffee_consumption_diabetes_blood_sugar.html#ixzz2F2hyTq9u
Sara, Do you think this would this apply to drinking cola as well? Coffee is not my vice, but cola, ah well, that’s another story! My dad worked for a major cola producer when I was born and I got the stuff in a baby bottle. This was back in the fifties when nobody worried about sugar or caffine consumption. I’d love to quit drinking it and I usually can manage a few days, but then my energy level crashes and I head for the nearest source. I should mention that I am hypothyroid and on daily medication for it.
“. . . and I got the stuff in a baby bottle.” That’s AWFUL! I’d call that child abuse. The caffeine in any source is a nerve toxin. The liver perceives it as a poison and has to work to rid the body of it. The reason you (and everyone else) crash without it is because, in actuality, the caffeine depletes the body of energy. It does NOT provide energy, as most people think. The energy boost one feels after ingesting a stimulant such as caffeine is the body’s reaction to the toxin. The stimulant causes an immune response, and that is the boost of energy people feel. Stimulants never provide energy, they only deplete one’s energy. Over the long term, stimulants will cause a variety of health problems such as adrenal exhaustion, cellular dehydration, and a whole host of seemingly separate problems related to these 2 things.
As far as soft drink vs coffee: just as bad or worse.The crap they make soft drinks from has NO redeeming qualities. Absolutely nothing of value in soft drinks. A common preservative, sodium benzoate, used in soft drinks has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA, which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. It’s also been identified as an indirect cause of cancer. Drinking one can of diet or regular soda per day is associated with a 46% increased risk of metabolic syndrome, which plays a major role in heart disease and diabetes. Then there’s the whole acidity aspect. It would take 32 glasses of pH 9 water to buffer the acidity of just one 12 oz. soda. I could go on, but I won’t. Debbie, you would give your body and mind a HUGE gift if you would get off soda and detoxify your body.
I have been drinking coffee since I was nine years old. The first cups were @ the Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter in New Orleans and I still relish the taste of that special blend of chicory and coffee that makes it such a culinary delight. I have kicked several habits that were unhealthy, grow much of my own food organically and work as a licensed RN. I am sorry that you have had such a bad time with coffee but there are those of us that need that daily fix and (dare I say it) actually enjoy the sinful sensations of that first cup of rich black wake your ass up @ 4 in the morning madness. So while I thank you for your efforts and enjoy your posts; I think I will just have to keep doing it over my coffee. Peace and Happy Holidays from our caffeinated household.
Sarah, I’m curious to know how your “body chemistry” is affected? I’ve heard you say similar things before and I’m not sure what you mean? I guess I’m asking so I can know what signs to look out for if certain foods affect me negatively.
Thanks so much for this, and all your posts!!!
Noahla