We live in a culture that is structured around the consumption of caffeine. We have coffee breaks at work, coffee shops on every corner and even drive-through windows where we can get our java fix if we’re in too much of a rush to get out of our cars. I often think about what a different world it would be if people lined up for turmeric lattes the way they do for coffee.
Current trends that have us throwing heaps of butter into our coffee and then calling it a health food don’t help my case here, either. It also doesn’t help matters when we read the constant headlines that coffee is good for you and filled with antioxidants and other helpful nutrients. If you’re looking for antioxidants, there are plenty of other ways to find them – like in fruits and vegetables. And I might also mention that some of us are actually genetically programmed to better cope with caffeine than others. While coffee may offer some benefit, it has drawbacks that outweigh the good bits for most of us.
Now, a cup of coffee once or twice a week for most people is no big deal. However, if you can’t poop without that morning cup, or more so, can’t drag yourself through your day without your caffeine boost – then we need to talk.
Having pooping troubles and excess gas? You’ve got your morning caffeine rush to thank for that. Coffee can cause our stomach to empty prematurely, before our food has the chance to digest properly. That means we’re sending undigested stuff down our digestive tract, where it further putrefies and becomes a magnet for bad bacteria. Coffee also has a laxative effect, causing us to eliminate our food before we have the chance to absorb all the nutrients.
Improved Blood Sugar Balance
Drinking coffee hurls our blood sugar levels out of whack and messes with our insulin response. Plus, when we drink coffee, we typically dump spoonfuls of sugar into it and sip it alongside a sugary muffin, chocolate bar or doughnut. Or, many of us have elaborate blended coffee ‘drinks’ that are more like dessert, topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Cut the coffee and your pancreas will love you.
Reduced Stress
Coffee is a stimulant that aggravates our central nervous system and disturbs our adrenal glands, which produce our stress hormones. Consuming coffee can lead to anxiety, nervousness, crankiness and insomnia – and who wants to be around a wired-up grump?
More Energy and Focus
You might feel an initial rush of get-up-and-go from a cup of coffee, but that level of energy is false and will soon lead you to a terrible crash and burn. Eliminating coffee helps you avoid that mid-afternoon plunge, and you’ll experience more clarity, focus and alertness.
Fewer Headaches
Since caffeine is a stimulant, coming down from it often causes a nasty withdrawal headache that makes you crave coffee more than ever. The solution isn’t to drink more coffee, though, it’s to try to drop it for good.
Convinced yet that maybe it’s time to drop coffee from your life?
Five Tips To Help Your Ditch Your Caffeine Dependency
Plan For It And Stick To It
Cutting caffeine from your life isn’t easy. It’s a chemical and we get hooked. Plan for the time it may take you to cope with the withdrawal. It would be ideal if the first few days happen to coincide with a weekend so you have the flexibility to take naps or the freedom to be in a quiet space if a headache kicks in.
Reduce Your Cup Size
When you’re first starting out, try drinking from a smaller cup or only fill your cup halfway. Keep decreasing the amounts until you can kick the habit for good.
Drink Lots and Lots of Water
Water (preferably filtered) keeps us feeling hydrated, helps our bodies flush out toxins and increases energy levels. Keep a water bottle in your bag at all times, and make sure you drink at least eight to 10 cups daily.
Choose Herbal Tea, Elixirs or Herbal ‘Coffee’ Substitutes
When you’re craving a cup of joe, pick a herbal tea , an elixir or a natural coffee substitute instead (my fave is Dandy blend, a mix of dandelion, chicory and beets, which helps us detoxify and tastes exactly like coffee).
Bank the Weekly Coffee Budget
Take the money you would have spent each day on coffee and plunk it into a piggy bank. You’ll be amazed at how much money you’ll have at the end of the month – so either treat yourself to something special for a job well done, or leave the money where it is and keep on saving.
Remember that the process of cutting caffeine is also the process of inviting your body to re-learn how to function without it. Give your body time to adjust. When you think ‘just a little bit’ of coffee won’t be a problem in this process, what you’re effectively doing is feeding the beast! Avoid this as you’ll just have to start the reset all over again.
Of course, I would never ask you to remove this ritual from your day without offering some delicious options.
As with drinking alcohol, eating sugar, taking CBD oil, or any other food trend or habit, we need to ask ourselves what purpose these things serve for us. I invite you to deeply consider how caffeine is impacting your life – and whether you need to change your habit.
Do you have an opinion on green tea (and matcha), Meghan, i.e. caffeine more widely? Is it depleting? I have an occasional coffee habit but am a green tea fiend. But am planning on making my own yogi tea blend as you suggest (though with dry ground spices so i can stir in to hot water) to create some needed internal heat as it gets cooler :-) Thankyou for the reminder!
For sometime now I’ve been trying to kick the coffee habit but teas just don’t do it for me when I’m craving some Joe, ya know? Thanks to you and Patsy I now have my own un-coffee recipe. I use dandy blend, cacao, coconut oil and honey whipped in the blender with hot water. I don’t feel deprived and it’s absolutely D-Lish!
I have struggled to completely let go of caffeine for a very long time! It’s only now after becoming pregnant that I’ve had the motivation to put caffeine aside 100% of the time. I love your tips as well as your alternatives. I love your turmeric tea elixir as well as the almond holiday nog. I also drink herbal mint tea and the occasional cup of chamomile as coffee alternatives- loose leaf chamomile is especially pretty and a lovely experience (although must be limited during pregnancy). Just curious, have you experimented with making any of your own tea blends? I know it’s possible to dehydrate mint or lavender or apples or citrus, maybe even from one’s own garden, but I’ve never tried it myself and thought it might be a fun adventure! Soon…
Thank you for this insightful article Meghan! It is very helpful to me. I’m in the midst of a Crohn’s flare up and the one (main) thing I’ve had a hard time giving up is coffee. I’ve read a number of articles on the effects of caffeine over the years but none have helped me as much as yours to understand the effects of caffeine on digestion, blood sugar, insulin and adrenals. So, thank you for opening my eyes. I’ve recently discovered the joys of drinking coconut water and iced herbal teas with lemon and honey when I need a lift. Also, there is nothing more invigorating than a plunge in a cold river (or cold shower) to wake a person up!! Take care and thanks again for your consistently good advice!
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Do you have an opinion on green tea (and matcha), Meghan, i.e. caffeine more widely? Is it depleting? I have an occasional coffee habit but am a green tea fiend. But am planning on making my own yogi tea blend as you suggest (though with dry ground spices so i can stir in to hot water) to create some needed internal heat as it gets cooler :-) Thankyou for the reminder!
For sometime now I’ve been trying to kick the coffee habit but teas just don’t do it for me when I’m craving some Joe, ya know? Thanks to you and Patsy I now have my own un-coffee recipe. I use dandy blend, cacao, coconut oil and honey whipped in the blender with hot water. I don’t feel deprived and it’s absolutely D-Lish!
I gave up caffeinated coffee decades ago. Trick is to find a good decaff coffee and stick with that. Really fun talk at #FBC2015 too incidentally!
I have struggled to completely let go of caffeine for a very long time! It’s only now after becoming pregnant that I’ve had the motivation to put caffeine aside 100% of the time. I love your tips as well as your alternatives. I love your turmeric tea elixir as well as the almond holiday nog. I also drink herbal mint tea and the occasional cup of chamomile as coffee alternatives- loose leaf chamomile is especially pretty and a lovely experience (although must be limited during pregnancy). Just curious, have you experimented with making any of your own tea blends? I know it’s possible to dehydrate mint or lavender or apples or citrus, maybe even from one’s own garden, but I’ve never tried it myself and thought it might be a fun adventure! Soon…
Where do you buy Dandy blend? Oakville area
Thank you for this insightful article Meghan! It is very helpful to me. I’m in the midst of a Crohn’s flare up and the one (main) thing I’ve had a hard time giving up is coffee. I’ve read a number of articles on the effects of caffeine over the years but none have helped me as much as yours to understand the effects of caffeine on digestion, blood sugar, insulin and adrenals. So, thank you for opening my eyes. I’ve recently discovered the joys of drinking coconut water and iced herbal teas with lemon and honey when I need a lift. Also, there is nothing more invigorating than a plunge in a cold river (or cold shower) to wake a person up!! Take care and thanks again for your consistently good advice!
For me, the ideal substitute for coffee is the Chinese oolong tea: te guan yin.