I don’t know about you, but I love coffee. Like I LOVE coffee. I love coffee so much that I get coffee in my coffee (espresso shots are the best shots). However, all of that coffee consumption has taken a toll on me and has essentially ruined my everyday waking life due to the fact that I drank way too much coffee in an attempt to survive my busy schedule and have since built up a tolerance to it. I was getting my regular order every day (large coffee, two shots of espresso) and was still barely keeping my eyes open in my classes. Once I realized that I was only drinking coffee for the taste, I knew it was time for a change. My plan was to cut coffee out of my life for the summer in the hopes of being able to be affected by coffee once again this semester… it didn’t work, so now I’m experiencing the un-caffeinated energy that I have not felt in years. So now I have a new goal of finding alternatives to my favorite drink.
They say that if you love something, you should set it free… I’m still hoping that coffee and I are meant to be, but until then I need to fill the void. Here’s what I’ve been alternating my regular dose of caffeine with lately:
1. Water.
I never drank enough water when I was on coffee so now I’m finally starting to get my recommended eight glasses a day… not only do I feel better, but my skin looks good too!
2. Bai.
I got hooked on this a few months ago when I first started to notice my growing tolerance of coffee. Personally, the coconut is my favorite; however, every flavor that I’ve tried since has been just as good. It doesn’t work quite like coffee did, but it still does the job.
3. Tea.
Just about any tea will do, but some of the big ones I’ve found so far are green, licorice, Siberian ginseng, and peppermint. They can all be used to target different things as well. For example, while green tea can help speed up your metabolism, licorice tea can help you with concentration… That’s like killing two birds with one stone!
4. Smoothies.
Nutty smoothies, wheatgrass smoothies, and green smoothies will all work to keep you awake and moving. Pick your poison and get back to you day!
5. Chai Tea.
I saved the best for last. Chai tea is something that I’ve grown to love over the years due to the fact that it goes down just as smoothly and is just as perfect as coffee. Sure, it could have gone in the tea category, but it’s special and with it tasting like a distant cousin from coffee, what’s not to love? (the fact that it’s not coffee is what’s not to love, actually)
Even though coffee does have some proven health benefits, you can still benefit from cutting back on your consumption. Not only will you be able to get better sleep at night, but you will also be able to lower your blood sugar, decrease your anxiety, have fewer headaches, better teeth, and so much more! Oh, and did I mention that you can save a bundle of money too? The average person spends around $15 a week on coffee which adds up to roughly $1,100 a year… that’s a lot of Target AND Chipotle trips.