First off let’s give a high five for March 1st! I honestly can’t believe how quickly winter is whipping by. Which for me is awesome as I am most definitely a summer-warm-weather kinda gal. My energy is much better when it’s sunny and warm and I feel way more productive. So while we are on the topic of energy let's discuss my reason for giving up coffee and caffeine in general.
When I was first diagnosed one of the first things we had to address was my adrenal glands. If you aren’t sure what they are that’s okay, neither did I. The adrenal glands are small glands located on top of each kidney. They produce hormones that you can’t live without, including sex hormones and cortisol. Cortisol helps you respond to stress and has many other important functions. Due to certain disorders your glands make too much or not enough hormones. I was in adrenal fatigue due to my low thyroid function and the sheer amount of stress I was under.
Leading into my diagnoses I lived on coffee every morning to get me going. Coffee loaded with a dairy creamer filled with sugar is not the best way to start my day when I had high levels of cortisol running through my body. Adding caffeine into my body that was already struggling with symptoms of headaches, irritability, brain fog, racey heart, thinning hair, digestive issues and the inability to sleep at night was just throwing fuel on an already raging fire. So removing caffeine was another thing to add to my list of ways to start healing.
Now that I decided to do this, I had come up with something warm and delicious to start my day with and that's when I found Dandy Blend. This tasty coffee alternative is made from dandelion root, chicory root, roasted barley, roasted rye and sugar beetroot. Yes it is gluten free, all the gluten from the barley and rye is eliminated in the extraction process. A cup of this with a scoop of my favourite collagen powder and a splash of Silk brand coffee creamer... I haven’t looked back on coffee in over 6 years. I also really enjoy all the amazing herbal caffeine free teas that are on the market today. Another favourite of mine to have as a satisfying warm drink is an elixir. What is an elixir you might ask? Well it's essentially an herbal tea latte. You usually add a healthy fat like coconut oil, spices like cinnamon or cardamom, some vanilla, a sweetener of choice and collagen (I also like to add shatavari powder). Shatavari is one of the most powerful herbs in ayurvedic medicine. You toss everything in a blender with a warm herbal tea or dandy blend and combine until frothy. These are super satiating and a great pick me up in the afternoon. So as you can see I really don’t miss coffee anymore as there are so many other delicious options out there that can benefit you more than just a cup of joe.
Cheers,
Wendy
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