Coffee is a student staple – fact. Many of us can barely get out of bed in a morning without the promise of a steaming hot cup of one of the most culturally accepted addictions of our time. If your Starbucks habit is getting out of hand or you fancy a change in how you get your caffeine fix, try the alternative drink, breakfast and snack options below.
Drink: Matcha Tea and Matcha Latte
Matcha is a type of tea, made by grinding green tea leaves into a fine powder. This powder can be mixed with water or milk to produce a bright green, frothy drink that not only packs 70mg of caffeine a cup, but also has a whole array of amazing health benefits. Matcha is high in antioxidants, detoxifies the body, fortifies the immune system, improves cholesterol and helps the body burn fat about four times faster on average.
Breakfast: Mocha Porridge
This delicious mocha porridge is a great alternative to a simple cup of coffee at breakfast and also makes for a great post-workout lunch. Not only does the instant coffee give you exactly the same amount of caffeine as your regular morning brew, but this tasty dish is also full of fibre and protein. It only takes a few minutes to throw together and will keep you feeling full throughout the day.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup oats one handful
- 1 tsp instant coffee
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp honey
- ½ tsp cacao powder or hot chocolate mix
- 1 banana
- Add one cup milk when serving
- First mash the banana, then add oats, coffee powder, cacao powder and salt into a pan.
- Add the water and let it simmer on a medium heat until the mixture becomes thick.
- Once ready, transfer into a bowl and add the milk and honey. Enjoy!
Snack: Caffeinated and Dark Chocolate
If there’s one thing you love more than coffee it’s probably chocolate, so why not combine the two? Awake Chocolate is a brand that has done exactly that, infusing caffeine with milk and dark chocolate to produce a snack with much higher levels of caffeine than regular chocolate. 1.5 ounces of milk chocolate usually contains around 9mg of caffeine; Awake Chocolate add in around 101mg of caffeine to give their chocolate bars around as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. Alternatively, you could switch to regular dark chocolate which contains a greater percentage of cocoa solids and therefore more caffeine than milk chocolate. 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate contains around 18mg of caffeine.
Edited by Susan Akyeampong
Sources:
http://www.naturallivingideas.com/10-amazing-benefits-of-matcha-green-tea/
https://hurrythefoodup.com/delicious-mocha-oatmeal/
https://picjumbo.com/download/?d=P1000387.jpg&n=coffee-cup-shape-in-coffee-beans
http://applesundermybed.com/wp-content/uploads/images/81dc80550256ab6445…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/13/awake-caffeinated-chocola_n_4782150.html