Nutritionist's warning about drinking coffee after certain foods

Female hands holding a cup of cappuccino
-Credit: (Image: Getty)


A nutritionist has warned that coffee may not be the best drink to consume immediately after eating foods which contain iron.

Sandra Moñino told the With Ginger and Lemon podcast that drinking coffee or tea could reduce the body’s ability to absorb iron and said this could also apply to milk.

She warned: “Coffee and tea inhibit iron absorption. And not only that. Many nutrients in foods are also not absorbed. For example, if you eat a beef steak, which is full of iron for your body, and then you have yoghurt at the end as dessert, you've eliminated the iron.”

Despite Sandra’s advice, she said there was a way around this and that was to leave at least a “two-hour” gap between the consumption of the food and the imbibing of the tea or coffee.

Sandra’s comments on the potential negatives of tea and coffee provide insight into two beverages that nutritionists say can provide significant health benefits.

This includes Zoe Health’s Professor Tim Spector who said that coffee could help reduce someone’s risk of heart disease.

Taking to social media, Professor Tim wrote: “Studies are showing that coffee drinkers have less heart disease than non-coffee drinkers. There’s certainly no excess in cancers or mortality to suggest there were any bad effects.”

However, as with Sandra, Professor Tim said there was a caveat and cautioned that some people can have adverse reactions to one of the components of coffee, caffeine.

He said: “And there are some people who are very sensitive to caffeine who might get a pulse that goes faster and they get some real effects of the caffeine but it generally doesn't kill them or cause them any permanent damage and they just know to avoid the drink.

“And that's why these long-term studies have shown that not only is it safe, but it actually has protective properties on the heart.

“While coffee is packed full of polyphenols and fibre that have been shown to benefit your gut health, for those of us who are sensitive to caffeine the costs may outweigh these benefits.”

Hands holding fork and knife and eating delicious juicy steak on a wooden plate
Meats like beef are high in iron -Credit:Getty

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Studies on caffeine-high drinks such as coffee and tea have uncovered a series of intriguing results in recent years. Earlier this year, researchers from the University of Queensland published research into the impact of coffee on pregnant women.

Dr Gunn-Helen Moen said they found there was “no link between coffee consumption during pregnancy and children's neurodevelopmental difficulties”.

On drinking caffeine with pregnant, the NHS says that the chemical is allowed, but only up to a certain quantity.

They explained: “You can have caffeine, but no more than 200mg per day. Regularly drinking more than this amount can increase your risk of pregnancy complications, such as low birthweight, and even miscarriage.”

According to the NHS there is around 100mg of caffeine in a mug of instant coffee, about 40mg less than there is a mug of filter coffee.