It really doesn't matter what you crave as long as you understand why you crave it. After my battle with pneumonia in October last year (I won), I noticed a big shift in my palette.
Can't live without your morning cup? That's what I thought.
I begin with coffee. I've been drinking coffee for most of my adult life. While I loved the taste of apricot with a dusting of pecan or a chocolate earthiness with undertones of cherry in my cup of joe, I realized I might be drinking my morning cup out of pure habit. I was a 2-3 cupper per day. I only drank coffee in the morning. I dabbled with iced coffee in the afternoon, which did me no favors. The caffeine kept me up all night. Thanks, but no thanks. Not to mention, the calories!
The flavor started to taste like a paper bag. It was no longer enjoyable. And, since I was cutting out unnatural sugar and dairy which I typically added to my coffee, I decided to seek out a different kind of morning beverage. I started to see if I could drop the caffeine crutch too. You know, wake up naturally?
I liked tea, but only drank it when sick or during the winter months when I was cold. I started experimenting with my favorite brand of tea - Yogi tea. I looked forward to each cup with it's inspirational quote at the end of every bag. Some of my favorites are Muscle Recovery Green Tea, Green Tea Kombucha and Chamomile. Next, I started experimenting with honey. A friend recommended Marshall's Farm Honey. Some of my favorites are Star Thistle, Sage and Lavender. Finally, I tried chai. I was never one to add milk to my tea. Wow, was I missing out. This hit the spot on a cold winter morning. The taste of almond milk, added to water and chai with a dollop of honey was just what I was looking for. Masala Chai spices in an herbal rooibos vanilla base. Beautiful clear and bright cup, and crisp, tangy-sweet flavor. Ingredients: rooibos vanilla tea, cinnamon bark, ginger root, orange peels, cloves and cardamom pods, what's not to love?
Where am I today? I survived 7 months with no coffee. I can't say that I went that long without caffeine, because, well, I didn't. However, this gave me great insight into other areas of morning beverages like water, green juices and kombucha.
Read my next blog - Deconstructing Cravings - Part 2 Cheese and Chocolate.
Sheila Petersen
Health Coach, CHC, AADP
Email: sheila@lifeelemental.com
Web: www.lifeelemental.com
Follow me on Twitter @lifeelemental
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