I love my morning cup of coffee. (And sometimes my afternoon coffee, too.) It makes me feel comfortable.. yet badass.. at the same time. It’s one of those things I know is not great for me, so I refuse to even read up on it so I don’t freak out over it.
However, due to my years of health research, I have been inadvertently exposed to some of the reasons not to drink coffee. I don’t want to get into caffeine right now.. but my primary reason for not wanting to drink so much coffee is because it’s so acidic. It can really mess with our body’s pH level, making us more susceptible to house malignant invaders.
Here’s my goal: To not drink coffee and only sip on Caffeine-Free herbal teas to get me going.
Steps I’m Taking to Reach my Goal:
1. Be conscious of the coffee I buy.
I would love to only buy organic, local coffee but it’s just not something I’m willing to pay for. (Yes, I’ve heard the argument about paying for it health-wise down the road.) If I feel it’s affordable, I’ll by organic/local. However, at the very least, I’ll read the ingredients and choose not to buy something that includes artificial flavors (or other additives, for that matter).
2. Mix coffee with Yerba Mate.
(I use a french press to make my coffee, so I’m not sure how well this works in a coffee machine, but I’m assuming it’d be ok..) I’ve been slowly increasing the ratio of coffee:yerba mate every morning. Right now I’m at a 1:1 ratio. It’s a bit earthy, but it works. I’m trying to get used to that earth-in-a-cup taste in the morning so that eventually I can sip on herbal teas exclusively. (Yerba Mate does have caffeine, though, so when I grow the balls to research caffeine, I can be more prepared to make the switch to caffeine-free, herbal. I hope.)
3. Add Blackstrap Molasses.
(I include this as an extra step because of the slightly extra effort. I can get pretty lazy.) I also like to add a bit of blackstrap molasses to it to make it richer and not so tea-y. Plus the blackstrap molasses is high in many vitamins and minerals including Vitamin-B’s (for more energy) and calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, and potassium.
4. Switch up afternoon coffee to iced tea.
I made a medical and caffeinated Iced Tea I call “Strength Tea”. Here’s my recipe for it: Medicinal Iced Tea – “Strength Tea” Recipe
That’s where I’m at now. I’ll stay at this for a bit until I’m feeling ready to make more changes.
References:
“Blackstrap Molasses.” The World’s Healthiest Foods. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2013. <http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=118>.
Christopher, John R., and Cathy Gileadi. Every Woman’s Herbal. Springville, UT: Christopher Publications, 1987. Print.
Rubly, James. “Yerba Mate 101 – A Brief Overview.” Examiner.com. N.p., 19 Apr. 2011. Web. 31 July 2013. <http://www.examiner.com/article/yerba-mate-101-a-brief-overview>.
Basic Home Medicine 