What Can I Drink?

Getting control of your diet by eating foods with low caloric density is the first step. But to be totally compliant, it is important to stay away from caffeinated beverages. That means no sodas or teas, which wasn’t a problem for me. But the BIG one for me was COFFEE!

I love the smell and the comfort I get from it. From years of yo-yo dieting, I learned how to drink it black without any sugar or sweetener. But the truth was that it REALLY affected me physically.

Here are some of the things that helped me give up coffee:

• Breath so bad you could almost slice it.
• The shakes. My hands would vibrate.
• Low grade addiction, if I made a pot of coffee, I could NOT stop at one cup.
• Racing heart rate.
• Stomach upset.
• Stained teeth.
• Disrupted sleep. I drank freshly ground, organic decaffeinated coffee first thing in the morning. It would still disrupt my sleep.

According to Dr. Alan Goldhamer, here’s some things coffee can do:

• Disrupted sleep up to 17 hours after ingestion.
• Negatively affects the stomach and the microbiome of the gastrointestinal tract.
• It is a low-grade addiction and can cause caffeine withdrawal headaches.

Other stuff:

• Coffee also has an acidic Ph so it is considered an inflammatory food.
• Adding dairy or sweeteners to coffee keeps other processed food addictions active. This can cause food cravings.

So other than filtered water what can I drink? CAFFEINE FREE TEAS!!!

Here’s what I do:

• I put only 1 tea bag in the coffee maker carafe and run 8-10 cups of filtered water through the coffee maker. It makes my morning routine just as fast and I get that comfort of having something warm to drink in the morning. I also take some in my work thermos.
• Whatever is left over in the carafe, I let cool naturally. And then I transfer it to a glass container I store in the fridge.
• I add fresh lemon or lime juice to the tea to give it a zing.

There are lots of different flavours:
 

• The berry flavours are especially tasty cold. The berry teas are perfect to drink with ice and a slice of lemon or berries. You don’t feel deprived at all as they are super delicious. Lemon and ginger are nice too on a hot day.
• Camomile tea is great to relax you and get you ready for sleep after dinner. This one I like to make early, store in its own jar in the fridge and drink cold after dinner. I can’t be bothered to make tea after dinner and it really works to relax me for sleep.

At the health food store look for:
 

• Tulsi tea. Soothes your nerves and calms you down. It is great for anxiety. It tastes delicious but it can have side effects for people with certain conditions. For example, it regulates blood sugar, which helps with food cravings. But too much can cause hypoglycemia. Diabetics should consult their doctor before using this tea. Do your research before drinking this tea.
• Dandelion tea is one I drank on a candida protocol. It is great at supporting the liver. It tastes ‘healthy’ like grass so not my favorite. I would only drink this one medicinally and check with your doctor first.

So, get creative with your caffeine-free tea drinks. Pick your favorite flavours but brew it the same way you brew coffee. It will become a habit much faster than you think. Depending on your coffee addiction, expect up to a week of withdrawal symptoms. But remember, if it wasn’t addictive, there would be no withdrawal symptoms. No one gets withdrawal symptoms from carrots!