10 Coffee Alternatives for better hormonal health

When I embarked on my health journey over 10 years ago, my body was in a constant state of “fight or flight”; my adrenal glands were tired, and both my gut and my hormones were a mess. In order to correct my imbalances, I needed to “destress” my body, and that entailed giving up caffeine for a while.

I cut out caffeine for about 4-5 years completely (I did it gradually, first cutting down to 1 cup, then eliminating it), and it was hard at first, but then became easier than expected despite my previous addiction to coffee (I would have 2-3 times a day when I lived in NYC). I made it “easier” by replacing my coffee with delicious alternatives!

Note: After a few years, when my gut and hormones were much healthier, I started adding back in small amounts of caffeine with my beloved matcha lattes (which later become my new addiction!). So eliminating caffeine for me was only temporary, but I also learned that my body functions better with only minimal amounts of caffeine.

That being said, I am not against coffee at all; for many people, 1-2 cups of coffee (especially if organic) can totally be part of a healthy diet! BUT for many people it is important to dial down on caffeine – especially if you have hormonal and gut issues.

It can be very challenging at first to cut out coffee, most people will experience ugly headaches (which is why I now allow for small amounts of organic matcha or coffee in my 10 day detox for people prone to headaches), BUT when you have delicious alternatives, its a lot easier! You can continue your routine of a warm beverage in the morning and make the transition to caffeine-free a lot easier than you’d think.

Why eliminate caffeine?

Many people are sensitive to caffeine without realizing it, and their coffee habit is contributing to both gut and hormonal imbalances. If you have any gut/hormonal issues, and/or you suspect that caffeine could be contributing to some insomnia or jitter or mood swings, then its worth a try (but yes it is hard at first!). If you are sensitive to caffeine and you eliminate it, once you’re pass the initial hurdle, you will experience:

  • better sleep

  • no more mid-morning energy crashes (this takes some adjustment but eventually your energy stabilizes!)

  • much less anxiety or mood “ups and downs”

  • better skin

  • long term better digestion.  

The good news is that you don’t have to eliminate coffee altogether. I started making the transitions by having decaf coffee (always organic, swiss water decafenaited) and then also enjoyed some chicory root coffee alternatives, golden milk lattes, and eventually matcha lattes when I started adding back in some caffeine.

If you are on this hormone balacing journey (or undergoing any health upgrade, where you suspect you’d benefit from cutting out caffeine for a while), here are my top 10 suggestions for delicious, healthy coffee alternatives:

If you do suspect that you have any gut issues or hormonal imbalances, I highly suggest you sign up for my 10 day detox! It’s a great easy-to-follow cleanse that is beneficial for almost anyone, with tons of benefits including weight loss, better digestion, even better skin and mood! And now you have tons of coffee alternatives to try for your next detox with me!