Not everyone has the same tolerance to the caffeine in coffee or the acidity. In fact, even though it’s used as a pick-me-up, it also increases the stress hormone cortisol and that can lead to weight gain. It can over stress the adrenal system with short bursts of energy but leaving you with chronic low energy. Coffee affects the absorption of iron in your stomach, limits the storage of calcium, zinc, magnesium and more. It also can interfere with your sleep at night, leaving you even chronically tired. If you’re looking for a healthy coffee alternative, there are several.
Water should be your first choice of alternatives.
If you’re feeling tired, try a bottle or glass of water. You’ll be amazed at how it can be the “quicker picker-upper.” Exhaustion, headache and the inability to focus all come from mild dehydration. Thirst is actually the last symptom of dehydration and occurs after you feel fatigue. If you don’t like regular water, try infused water that puts the natural flavor into the water, without the extra calories.
Macha tea or green tea are good options.
While both are a form of tea, the way the two are processed is quite different and have different health benefits. In the final weeks of growing, macha tea is grown in the shade. Instead of sun or oven drying, pan frying, tumbling, steaming or basket firing like green tea, macha tea is deveined and destemmed, then lightly steamed, then stone ground. Both are high in antioxidants, L-theanine and polyphenols. However, since macha tea is ground, you get more nutrients, since you swallow the leaf powder. Matcha tea is higher in antioxidants, but does have more caffeine as well, so it’s not as good for anyone sensitive to caffeine.
Have you ever considered yerba mate?
Yerba mate tastes a bit like green tea, but it comes from the leaves of the yerba mate plant that grows wild in South America. It produces a bit of a buzz, since it has about three-fourths of the caffeine as coffee, but it adds to focus without as much impact on your sleep and isn’t as likely to give you the jitters. It also has slightly more antioxidants than green tea. It contains seven of the nine essential amino acids that are necessary for the body to function and almost every vitamin and mineral necessary for the body.
- Why not make a green smoothie or make yours a protein based one to boost your concentration and alertness? It increases the production of chemicals in the brain that do that. Add some veggies to make it even healthier.
- Roasted fig coffee and Masala chai are two options that are healthy, packed with nutrients and caffeine free. Fig coffee is high in potassium, iron, vitamins A and E.
- Capomo is a coffee substitute that looks tastes and even smells like coffee when you’re brewing it but has no caffeine and tons of health benefits. It’s one of the richest sources of amino acids from plants.
- Roasted dandelion root is ground to make dandelion coffee. Dandelion coffee gives you a boost of energy, without the caffeine. It’s often combined with other ingredients for even more health benefits.
For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio