Early in May, I went for one of my annual check-ups (preventive, non-invasive exams). I chose to take an additional exam to capture more information and see if I would recommend it to my own clients to be helpful. My practitioner now had TWO data sets to say,"I really think you should give up coffee." Noooo!!! One of my guilty pleasures. He's been recommending this to me for 5 years now. I haven't exactly tried this long term, just for brief periods doing detox regimens. His voice in the back of my mind has driven me to make better versions. Now, I only drink organic. Mostly, I drink freshly ground. I now store my coffee in the refrigerator. I regularly even practice cold-brewing. I started getting water-processed decaffeinated coffee and mixing it with regular coffee to take only about one-third of caffeine. I don't drink any caffeine after 2:00 PM. I like my morning hot coffee ritual, plus it's a carrier for my sea salt, high vitamin butter, often brewed with other herbs and spices for flavor and health. How can I possibly give this up? "Just try it for 10 days. Do a reset." So - I took a big sigh and decided to try this. I am supposed to be my own client first. How hard can this be, after all? You've done it before. You're currently drinking 100% decaff... piece of cake!
Actually, it wasn't. I savored my last cup of cold brewed, organic decaffeinated the next day, then started the process of replacing this. Whenever you are changing a habit, you need to have a replacement, bolster yourself with your motives for doing the change, find an accountability partner. My accountability partner is ultimately me, as a health coach, but I threw my husband in there for extra support.
First few days, there was still a craving for my coffee, despite replacing with hot herbal teas. Days 2 and 3 I was actual irritable. Day 4 my mood lined out. I'm still continuing forward to see how this helps. What have I learned positively so far? I do feel more mellow and relaxed, not keyed up, less anxious. My mind doesn't race as fast or as long when it does. It feels, frankly, weird, because I'm not so bubbly and energetic. How much of that was caffeine only? I thought it was only my personality. LOL I'm not used to that, but it's more peaceful. I'm finding that peace is so underrated in our society and that lack of this peace drives a lot of disease. I have discovered some tasty new herbal teas. It also has changed my digestion a bit, just different. I've thought, perhaps I'm detoxing without the caffeine load on the liver.
The doctor suggests making coffee a sometimes-treat, not a daily one. Maybe I will.
Do you have any habits you need help changing in your life to improve your health? Email me to see if this might be a fit for you.