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:
1. Organic Decaf coffee (swiss water process)
Natural Force Clean Decaf (organic, swiss water)
Four Sigmatic CALM Swiss water organic decaf – with Reishi and Chaga mushrooms
2. Chicory root based coffee alternatives, like Teeccino (my favorite caffeine free option!)
Teeccino chicory “herbal coffee” – vanilla nut https://amzn.to/4e90DRe or french roast https://amzn.to/3XuW9PD or moca https://amzn.to/3TcxxZc
Worldwide Botanicals French chicory root https://amzn.to/3XrliKT
3. Roasted dandelion root tea (tastes a little like coffee; its delicious)
Teeccino organic dandelion dark roast “coffee alternative” blend
4. Golden Milk (turmeric) latte
Superfood turmeric golden milk powder (mix with hot water and warm almond or cashew milk)
GOLDE latte blends (Pure turmeric latte, matcha turmeric and cacao turmeric)
5. Pink (beet) latte
Organic beet root powder - just 1 tsp with hot almond mik (and sweetener of choice) is delicious
6. Blue (spirulina) latte
Organic blue spirulina - 1/2 tsp of this spirulina with hot almond milk and sweetener of choice creates a pretty blue/green detoxifying latte
7. Hot chocolate – homemade or there are some awesome blends with superfood mushrooms, such as:
8. Matcha latte (has moderate caffeine) - try my easy delicious homemade recipe, using organic matcha of your choice (see below some favorites, choose ceremonial if you can afford to!) or you can also buy some matcha latte blends (last 3 options below are latte blends).
Cymbiotica (Note: it’s a tiny bag, so this option is perfect for someone who enjoys the ocassional matcha; I ran out too quickly!)
9/ Adaptogenic blends (store bought) or homemade “mixed” adaptogenic lattes - blending a little bit of your decaf coffee, OR matcha, OR cacao - with some superfood adaptogenic powders, such as: maca and/or reishi and/or ashwagandha. You can also add these adaptogens to a golden milk latte or beet or spirulina latte for completely zen, caffeine-free options!
Here is one adaptogen mushroom blend that I love, that again can be added to any latte or smoothie.
Note: I also listed a few options above of pre-made “adaptogen mushroom blends” under the hot chocolate and matcha categories that are delicious!
10. Kombucha - lastly, organic (low sugar) kombucha is a great alternative for a cold option – that has some caffeine but also added probiotics. In nicaragua we have tons of amazing kombucha brands, including LiveNutritionals, Naturiva, the Juicy co. Examples in the US include:
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!