We looove coffee. But unfortunately, this love isn’t always reciprocal. Sometimes, coffee turns on us and results in an upset stomach. But did you know that there are ways to deal with this unwanted side effect of drinking our favorite morning pick-me-up?
You probably have noticed that coffee just doesn’t taste the same when you drink it after a rough night or when you drink it on an empty stomach. Usually, in that last case, coffee will upset your stomach. But there are other situations in which coffee can mess with your digestive system. According to Maddie Pasquariello, Brooklyn-based dietitian, the volume of coffee is responsible for digestive issues. She told Well + Good: “As soon as you start to drink a liquid or eat food, the taste buds on your tongue communicate with the brain in a cascade of anticipatory reflexes that prepare your body to process and digest. A series of small sips essentially triggers the brain that you’re drinking a liquid, telling it to get ready to absorb any nutrients in that liquid.”
And that is why Pasquariello recommends drinking small sips. “By holding your beverage in your mouth for a little longer before swallowing—i.e. by taking small sips—your saliva has more time to come into contact with the liquid, which can be beneficial from a gastrointestinal standpoint,” she explained. According to the experts, drinking slowly could also help in reducing digestive issues. Pasquariello told Well + Good: “Based on our understanding of the digestive process overall, it’s reasonable to expect that by sipping your coffee slowly over the course of an hour—say, compared to chugging a cold brew or an espresso shot in one go—would result in a more gradual onset of any symptoms.” So, drink slowly and take small sips. That way you can fully enjoy your cup of coffee.
