I miss coffee… For me it was the ritual of a morning coffee, I looked forward to it, and, I hate to say, but I felt I needed one everyday. Not even for the caffeine kick, just for everything about it…the aroma, the taste… 

I’ve been battling with it – I know it’s actually a toxin, a stimulant, often full of chemicals and it depletes nutrients (tip – drink away from meals or green juices IF you can tolerate it).

But all these studies about drinking coffee with positive health benefits such as reduced risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, obesity and heart disease made me feel better about drinking it.

Some people can drink coffee all day and feel fine and sleep all night and it doesn’t affect them. Others cannot handle it – shakes, anxiety, wired, irritability, not being able to sleep if you drink it after lunchtime – that’s me. Gutted.

Here’s a link to Chris Kresser radio talking all about coffee and all the positive and negative relationships with different diseases and all the research behind it: http://chriskresser.com/all-about-coffee/

Another interesting point is genetics. Caffeine is metabolised in the liver by a CYP enzyme, coded for by a specific gene (CYP1A2). About half of people have a variant of this gene which means they are slow to metabolise caffeine and can experience the shaky symptoms – they are slow metabolisers and unfortunately the health benefits apply less to this group.

So even without knowing your genetics, or if you are slow or fast metaboliser of coffee, you may know that it doesn’t really suit you but love the stuff so much that you keep on drinking it anyway.

I’ve managed to wean off it with a few lovely alternatives and I honestly hardly miss it now (occasional pang in a nice coffee shop that’s it!)

Here are a few alternatives if you want to come off of coffee, cut down, or just try something different…

 

Chicory Root-cino

Chicory is what is known as a bitter herb and is great for digestion as it stimulates bile flow, and it is caffeine free! This is the closest to a morning coffee for me and it tastes even better with a small tsp of coconut oil.

 

Recipe

1 heaped tsp organic chicory root (buy at any health food shop)

1 cup of almond or coconut milk (or water but I recommend milk so it tastes more like your morning cappuccino)

1 tsp coconut oil (optional)

Cinnamon to sprinkle on top

– You can whizz it in a blender or use a little hand held milk frother to mix everything together.

I froth the milk separately and mix the chicory into a little boiling water with the coconut oil then mix them together and sprinkle with cinnamon.

 

 

Reishi Cappuccino

Resihi is a medicinal mushroom used in traditional Chinese medicine. Its therapeutic effects include liver support and detoxification, enhancing immune system function and anti-inflammation.

*Caution – don’t use if taking anti-coagulants like warfarin or high blood pressure medication.

 

Recipe

1tsp Reishi mushroom powder – this is plenty as it has a strong taste.

1 cup of almond or coconut milk (or water but I recommend milk so it tastes more like your morning cappuccino, otherwise it is Reishi tea!)

1tsp coconut oil (optional)

Cinnamon to sprinkle on top

Sweeten with honey if preferred.

– Buy in any health food shop – Planet Organic, Whole Foods etc.

‘Sigma’ sell individuals sachets if you want to try one before buying a full pack.

 

 

Matcha Tea / Latte

Matcha is mainstream now (in London) it is the turbo green tea powder that gives you energy, increases focus, helps burn calories if drank before a workout (coffee does the same) and of course green tea is a potent antioxidant so fights free radicals, ageing and cellular damage – this is the good stuff.

If you don’t like green tea this might not be for you… But try with the milk and cinnamon for a creamy version.

 

Recipe

½ – 1tsp Matcha powder

¾ cup of milk of your choice

¼ cup water

– Sweeten with honey or Agave syrup if preferred

Bring the milk to a simmer in a small pan

Mix the Matcha into ¼ cup of boiling water then add the milk slowly to create a bit of foam

Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Or as before whisk or whizz it in a blender or use a hand held milk frother to mix everything together and heat slowly in a pan.

 

Enjoy!