Ahh, coffee. Some days it’s our best friend, putting the spring in our step and helping us get through busy times. Other times, it feels more like a bad boyfriend—not always good for us, but we keep coming back to it out of convenience. Yep, we have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the ol’ bean water.
We’ve written before about the stress caffeine can put on your adrenals, especially when you’re already run down. So, if you’re sick or going through a really stressful time, you may want to think about ditching your daily java—even if temporarily. Often, the hardest part about breaking up with coffee isn’t about the caffeine itself, but the nice routine of having it every morning.
Thankfully, you don’t have to go cold turkey on your a.m beverage. By simply substituting your morning brew with one of these natural, good-for-you alternatives, you’ll make kicking your coffee habit way more manageable. You may not even notice it’s gone!
5 natural coffee alternatives
Matcha
If you’re slowly weaning yourself off coffee, matcha is a great option. The green tea powder does contain some caffeine, but it also contains a calming amino acid called L-theanine. This is a proven stress reliever and helps to ward off that shaky feeling you get from coffee. Matcha is also loaded with health-boosting antioxidants called catechins, which aren’t found in any other food or drink. You can get yourself some matcha powder here.
Rooibos
It’s all well and good to replace your daily coffee alternative with a herbal tea, but some of them can taste a little boring. This is definitely not the case with rooibos tea! Made from a South African legume, the tea has a slightly sweet, vanilla-esque taste. It’s also caffeine-free and rich in minerals like iron, calcium, potassium, zin and magnesium. You can buy some rooibos tea here.
Dandelion Coffee
To really trick yourself into thinking you’re having your morning brew, you need something that actually looks like coffee. Dandelion coffee fits the bill perfectly. The ‘coffee’ is actually a caffeine-free tea made out of roasted dandelion root. It even tastes like coffee when mixed with your normal milk! Not only is it packed with antioxidants, it has a natural cleansing effect of the liver and kidneys. You can get your hands on some dandelion coffee here.
Golden Milk Latte
If you’re temporarily avoiding caffeine because you’re battling a cold, make yourself a golden milk latte. Made out of turmeric, cinnamon, honey, cardamon ad your milk of choice, the powerful anti-inflammatory elixir works wonders for your immune system! Oh, and it also happens to taste delicious. You can find out how to make it here.
Herbal infusion
We recently caught up with LA-based nutritionist Kristin Dahl, who shared some yummy herbal infusion tea recipes that will give you more energy than coffee (without the nasty comedown!). There’s five to choose from, based on how you want to feel. You can check them out here.
