For many of us with digestive issues, coffee isn’t always the easy on our tummies. In this post we’ll share what we’ve found to be the best coffee for sensitive stomachs.
I used to drink coffee every morning, and I never noticed it giving me any issues. However, when I started to have digestive issues and food sensitivities, I gave up coffee to see how I would feel. I was honestly really sad to find that a lot of the bloating and stomach pain I had been experiencing lessened significantly.
Now I choose to drink herbal teas instead of coffee on a daily basis, but I do still like to have a cup of coffee on special occasions! I enjoy coffee a lot and find it really comforting. While doing some personal research on what is the best coffee for sensitive stomachs, I found some really helpful information and decided to do a post on the topic!
What is it about coffee that can be hard on our digestive systems?
The reason that most people think coffee is hard on digestion is because of its acidity. That is partially true, especially when you’re drinking multiple cups per day. However, in reality coffee isn’t any more acidic than a banana! I’ve learned that the more significant reason coffee can be hard on sensitive stomachs, is because the caffeine and other compounds in coffee triggers your stomach’s production of excess acid, which can cause stomach pain and other digestive issues.
I’ve found three ways that you can significantly counteract the negative effects of coffee and choose the best coffee for sensitive stomachs.
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1. Choose darker roasts.
Darker roasts cause less excess acid.
Roasting coffee beans produces N-methylpyridinium (NMP), which has the opposite effect of caffeine and other compounds in coffee. Instead of causing your stomach to produce excess acid, NMP actually protects the stomach from irritation by preventing it from producing too much acid. The longer coffee is roasted, the more NMP it will contain. So, lighter roasts of coffee have less NMP, and darker roasts have more NMP. Because of this, darker roasts cause your stomach to produce less excess acid overall than lighter roasts do.
Darker roasts contain less caffeine, and are less acidic.
If you are sensitive to caffeine, darker roasts may also be a better choice because they usually contain less caffeine when brewed than lighter roasts. Darker roasts of coffee are also less acidic than lighter roasts.
2. Try cold brew coffee.
Cold brew coffee is 67% less acidic than traditionally brewed coffee, which can definitely make it smoother and easier on the stomach. Even more significantly, when you make cold brew coffee, the cold water extracts less of the caffeine and compounds that cause your stomach to produce excess acid. This means that overall your stomach will become less acidic from cold brew coffee than from traditionally brewed coffee.
Cold brew coffee is extremely easy to make, it just takes a lot longer to brew than traditional brews. To make cold brew coffee, you soak the coffee grounds in cold water for 12-24 hours, then filter it. Although you make cold brew coffee using cold water, you don’t have to drink it cold! Cold brew coffee is excellent when heated as well.
For a full Easy Cold Brew Coffee Recipe, check out my post!
I recommend this Cold Brew Coffee Maker from Amazon for brewing your cold brew coffee at home. It has a really nice design, and your coffee will only be in contact with glass and stainless steel, not plastic like many brewers. Plus, the reusable steel filter doesn’t require any paper filters, reducing waste significantly.
3. Add healthy fats to your coffee.
Adding healthy fats like cream, coconut milk, coconut oil, MCG oil, or butter, to your coffee can neutralize the coffee’s acidity. The proteins in milk, for example, actually bind to the compounds that normally cause your stomach to produce excess acid, and prevent them from having as much of an effect.
Plus, these healthy fats can provide your body with a lot of other health benefits, including sustained energy, maintained blood sugar levels, promoting gut health, protein, and beneficial vitamins.
2 comments
This is such an interesting list of ideas! I have noticed every now and then coffee is a bit tough on my stomach. It’s nice to know that there are some options. I had no idea that cold brew was that much less acidic! And now I have a good excuse to add some creamer to my coffee 🙂
Thanks Amanda, I found it so interesting to do research for this post as well! I will take every excuse to add cream to my coffee too, so I was happy for the excuse. 😉 Let me know if you notice a difference when utilizing any of these tips.