Lifestyle

Why I Stopped Grabbing Coffee or Matcha When I Go Out

I used to grab a cappuccino, latte or matcha almost every time I left the house, often for no reason at all. Here are the six reasons I stopped, and what I do instead.

Ash CarnieOctober 5, 20266 min read

Illustration of Ash working at a cozy cafe table with a cup of tea

The habit I never questioned

I used to grab a cappuccino, a latte or a matcha all the time when I went out. Sometimes honestly for no reason at all, I just wanted a drink in my hand. Then very recently I realized that this is not normal.

It's pretty well known now that more than a cup or two of coffee a day is too much for most people. The FDA puts the upper limit for most adults at 400 mg of caffeine, about two to three cups, and that's a ceiling, not a target. Yet there are people who can't function without a coffee every few hours, at the very least. In my opinion, at that point it's an addiction. These are the reasons I stopped buying these drinks when I'm out.

1. It's not normal, and for some it's an addiction

In a mall, or really anywhere we go, there are about a million cafes. Some people start their day with a coffee and then need three or more through the day just to function. That's not normal. And if you're on a hormone-balancing journey, it's a really hard way to start the day.

Think about how coffee is marketed. The branding, the ads, the cups, the "let's grab a coffee" of it all. We've been quietly brainwashed into believing it's just what you do, almost like a fashion statement. It's the default plan for a catch-up, a break, a walk, a boring errand. Many of us aren't even craving it, we're just following the script.

Caffeine matters here too. It stimulates the release of cortisol, the stress hormone, and when you're drinking it several times a day, that's a lot of extra stress on a body that's already trying to settle. Some people barely feel it, while for others it makes them jittery, anxious or wrecks their sleep. So listen to your body. If you're working on balancing your hormones, it's worth noticing how much of your day is running on it.

A good question to ask yourself: if there were no cafe in front of me, would I be asking for this drink? If the answer is no, it's a habit, not a need.

2. It's extremely expensive

I've tried so many cafes and specialty matcha and coffee spots, and it adds up fast. A matcha with plant-based milk, which costs an extra 6 to 8 AED on top, ends up being anywhere between 34 and 40 AED. Depending on how often you go out, that's a lot of money going on a single drink.

And honestly, some of the specialty coffee is no better than a regular Starbucks. I realized I was paying a premium for the name, the aesthetic and the cup, not for anything that tasted or felt better.

3. Plant-based milk is not as healthy as it sounds

I haven't been a big cow's milk drinker since I was a kid, because I had a mild lactose intolerance, so I always preferred plant-based milk. But once I started educating myself about health and reading labels, I was shocked by what goes into the plant-based milks made to behave like regular milk.

There's very little actual almond, oat or soy in them. Most of the carton is water, plus emulsifiers, stabilizers, flavoring and thickeners. In cafes, the "barista blend" versions are often made with added oils like canola, sunflower or rapeseed, along with things like dipotassium phosphate and gellan gum so they foam nicely. For many people, these additives can mean gut irritation, bloating and inflammation (a study in Nature found that common emulsifiers disturbed gut bacteria and caused low-grade inflammation in mice), and they're not something I want to have daily.

So here's my honest take. If you enjoy a coffee or a matcha occasionally, and you're not allergic to dairy or truly lactose intolerant, just go with regular milk. Next to a long list of artificial ingredients, cow's milk is the much better option.

Black coffee on its own can be a healthy drink. Once you add a flavored syrup and a heavily processed milk, it becomes something else entirely.

A1 vs A2 milk

If you're going with cow's milk, A2 milk is the better choice in my experience. A1 milk is the most common kind, and A2 is generally easier on digestion, which is why many people who feel bloated after regular milk do fine with it. In a randomized trial of 600 adults who reported milk intolerance, A2-only milk caused fewer digestive symptoms than regular milk. The research is still early, and that trial was funded by an A2 milk company, so take it as a hint, not a promise.

Organic is better still.

You won't find organic milk in most cafes, but that's something you can ask the staff about. At the very least, ask what milk they use. It's your body, you're allowed to ask.

4. The quality of the coffee and matcha

Matcha: ceremonial vs. culinary grade. Matcha grades aren't regulated, so "ceremonial" on a label can mean almost anything. What does matter is how the tea is grown. The best matcha comes from leaves that are shaded before harvest, and shading increases L-theanine, the amino acid behind that calm, focused feeling. That's also why good matcha is bright green and naturally sweet, while cheaper culinary grade tends to be duller and more bitter. Most cafes aren't going to tell you which one they're using, and a lot of them use the cheaper kind.

One honest note: a 2024 study of 27 matcha samples found that EGCG, the antioxidant, didn't differ reliably between ceremonial, premium and culinary grades. So a fancy label or a high price doesn't guarantee more antioxidants. When I make it at home, I choose a single-origin, first-harvest matcha from a brand I trust, with nothing added to it.

Coffee: what's in the beans. Coffee beans can pick up mold during growing and storage, and some of those molds produce mycotoxins such as ochratoxin A, which is classified as a possible human carcinogen. Here's the reassuring part: the EU sets legal limits for it in roasted coffee, and roasting itself destroys a large share of it. So it isn't a reason to panic about a cup of coffee. It does mean the quality and handling of the beans matter, which is why I'd rather buy good, fresh beans for home than guess what's in a cup at a random cafe.

5. What it does to your blood sugar

This one surprised me the most, because it's hiding in plain sight.

Pre-sweetened matcha. Many mainstream cafes use a matcha powder that's pre-blended with 50% or more white sugar or maltodextrin to hide the bitterness. That means you often can't truly order it sugar free.
Sugar in the milk. This is the one almost nobody thinks about. Many plant-based milks, especially the barista blends cafes use, have added sugar, syrup or sweeteners, and even the ones that don't can taste sweet because the oats break down into sugars during processing. Oat milk is the biggest culprit and can raise blood sugar surprisingly fast. So before the syrup is even added, your "unsweetened" latte may already have sugar in it. Regular milk has lactose, a natural sugar, but it comes with protein and fat that slow it down.
Syrups and sauces. Commercial syrups and sauces are mostly sugar, and the "sugar free" ones rely on artificial sweeteners like sucralose and acesulfame potassium, or caramel coloring. These can disrupt your gut bacteria and may still trigger an insulin response.
Liquid carbs hit fast. Liquids spike blood glucose faster than whole foods because they need almost no digestion. A flavored latte or a sweetened matcha can easily deliver 25 to 45 g of fast-acting sugar.

What that can look like in your day:

A rapid insulin spike followed by a crash, which shows up as mid-morning brain fog, irritability and fatigue.
Disrupted hunger cues, so you're craving high-carb snacks within a couple of hours.
Extra stress on your hormone balance, especially if you're dealing with something sensitive to insulin, like PCOS or thyroid issues.

If you've been working on your blood sugar, a "harmless" drink can quietly undo a lot of that effort.

6. Hot drinks in plastic cups

I've cut down my plastic consumption massively, and you can read about it in my 5 shifts post. But takeaway cups are very hard to avoid, especially at coffee shops.

Most takeaway cups are paper with a thin plastic lining inside, and the lids are plastic. Now add heat. Hot liquid sitting in that lining and lid for the whole walk to the car is exactly the situation where you don't want plastic involved. Researchers at IIT Kharagpur found that hot water in a paper cup released thousands of microplastic particles within 15 minutes.

The best way around it is to drink it at the shop and ask for a ceramic or porcelain cup instead. Most cafes will happily give you one if you ask. If you really need it to go, bring your own stainless steel tumbler. Otherwise, the choice is simple: stay and sit down, or skip it.

What I do differently now

I'm really happy I realized this sooner and was able to break the habit.

I still enjoy a coffee or a matcha very occasionally. Costa is my favorite for this, because their matcha is the best and they have a no sugar matcha powder, which I love. When I do order, I now choose cow's milk instead of plant-based milk.

I also make sure I always have it after a meal, never on an empty stomach. My usual meals have a good amount of healthy protein and fats, so by the time I drink my coffee or matcha, my stomach is already protected. It's gentler on my digestion, and it doesn't send my blood sugar on a rollercoaster the way it would on its own.

If I'm out and want to go to a cafe to work or just sit, I order a tea, because it's served in a ceramic cup. I've always been a big green tea fan anyway, so it's an easy swap for me. Perfect!

At home I use an organic A2 milk brand called Meliha. I love their products.

One more thing. Since going keto and low carb, I've seen a big improvement in my gut health. I don't get bloated anymore when I have dairy the way I used to. So I've slowly started adding laban and kefir into my diet too.

If you take one thing from this, let it be this: ask yourself whether you actually want the drink, or whether you're just following the habit. Once I started asking, I wanted it a lot less.

Sources

Thanks for reading.

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