My best friend turned on me.

I get asked all the time about this subject…… COFFEE

How bad is it really? How much can I have? Do I have to give it up?

First let me begin with my coffee loving story: I was so in love with coffee. I loved to drink it every morning and sometimes even more in the afternoon. I loved the smell of it, the taste, the warmth, and even the routine of having it every day. For a while coffee was my best friend and it was working for me but then it turned on me.

 I started getting jittery from it, I was having headaches when I drank it, and was even feeling more sluggish after I had it (now that was not suppose to happen). I finally had to come to grips and admit to myself “THAT COFFEE WAS NOT WORKING FOR ME ANYMORE.”

 I’m not here to tell you that you should deny yourself the pleasure if it’s something you treasure (hey that rhymed!!). However, I do want to let you know how caffeine impacts your health.

Coffee is extremely acidic and causes considerable dehydration. When you drink caffeine, neurons are triggered in your brain and your adrenal glands start producing adrenaline, the hormone produced when you’re stressed out. This “fight or flight” response is perfect when you need to lift a car off of an injured person, but not if you’re sitting at your desk sorting through emails. When the adrenaline wears off, you’re left feeling wiped out, anxious, and moody. Next stop? You guessed it! Off to dose up on more caffeine, sugar, or other stimulants. It’s a vicious daily cycle. 

Just the fact that you get the jitters when you drink it, and migraines when you don’t, should tell you something.

Getting off coffee wasn’t too hard, but I don’t recommend doing it cold turkey. Wean yourself slowly over a week or so.

Tips to Kick (or Reduce) Caffeine:

• Make and down a smoothie before your caffeine consumption! The more smoothies you have the fewer stimulants you’ll need, plus you will gain some great energy.
• Have a cup of green or white tea. The relatively small amount of caffeine in these drinks will definitely help you transition.
• Try some Teeccino or Dandy Blend for a cup of herbal coffee
• If there’s no way in heck you’ll try any of these alternatives, then at the very least choose organic, shade-grown coffee and cut back to no more than one cup per day.

Peace and chamomile tea,