When I was a child, my parents always drank coffee on Sundays. They would make it almost ceremoniously, take it to the conservatory, and sit and enjoy it while reading the Sunday papers. This wasn’t a grab it and go take away as you raced around the supermarket. This was an enjoyable break from the routine of housework and farm-work and gardening and child-rearing.
These days many of us have forgotten to take time out to enjoy a treat like a good cup of coffee; instead we drink it hurriedly, drink too much of it, and then wonder why we are feeling sketchy for most of the day and totally drained of energy in the afternoon. If we are very out of touch with ourselves we reach for another cup when that afternoon exhaustion sets in, which can then mean we find it impossible to relax or re-charge in the evening and have a poor nights sleep.
If we follow America in our caffeine addiction (as we do in so many things!) we could end up with even more caffeinated products on our shelves - think ‘Perky Jerky’ (yes you guessed it - caffeinated beef jerky!); ‘Crackheads’ (caffeinated chocolate bars with the tagline ‘We’re all addicted to something’!). Of course we already have Red Bull and a variety of colas that all contain caffeine.
Many people find they cannot start their day without a caffeine hit, and if you are part of this group then it is very important to build in regular breaks from your chosen caffeine source, whether that is tea or coffee. A break of a few weeks allows your liver and kidneys to detox and recharge and also allows you to find out how your energy levels actually are, without the constant over-stimulation of caffeine. Last month we discussed different convenient ways to detox including the 3 Day Cleanse - which was so popular we have started stocking a & Day Cleanse for people who wanted to take it a little further.
Some people try to cut down on caffeine by using decaffeinated coffee - but beware! Not all decaffs are created equal. Indeed decaffeinated coffee, unless it is made using the Swiss Water Method, is more toxic for you than the real thing! This is because decaffeination is a very chemical-laden process. So check your labels carefully when you next buy a decaff coffee and ask in your favourite Cafe if the brand they use is decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Method.
We get a lot of people into Organico looking for alternatives to coffee. One very popular alternative is Matcha Green Tea. Matcha does have caffeine but it is also chock full of amazing anti-oxidants and somehow the caffeine effect is not as strong as coffee - but if you are sensitive to caffeine beware as it certainly gives you a lift! We serve Match-Chino’s in Organico Cafe if you would like to try it out sometime.
There are a number of grain-based coffee substitutes in the same family as Barleycup, and the trick is to make them as you like your coffee - strong if you like it strong etc. If you get given a weak cup of a coffee substitute and you are a strong coffee person it will be very disappointing! But made at the right strength and with the same amount of milk as you like in coffee they can be very pleasant and are an ideal drink if you need to cut down coffee intake, for example in the afternoon or evening.
Other popular products you can use to boost your energy include Korean Ginseng, which works wonders if you are feeling a little sluggish but are basically healthy and well-rested. If you are exhausted, it is better to take something that will nourish you and restore your energy rather than artificially boost it, and in that case the gentler immune-boosting Siberian Ginseng is the better choice.
We also have a new and very popular product called Red Lightning which comes in a sachet and contains an amazing array of superfoods and whole-food extracts that energise and revitalise while at the same time delivering tons of antioxidants that help protect us against the toxic chemicals load that modern living burdens us with and that our bodies find hard to deal with. Very popular with athletes, Red Lightning is easy to drink and is a perfect substitute for commercial Sports drinks and can also be drunk in place of your morning coffee.
Of course, if you just decide to go cold turkey and take a break from coffee you will probably realise you actually have plenty of energy (after a few days of feeling a bit off form - how you feel will depend on how much coffee your body is used to). You will sleep better, have much more energetic afternoons and your teeth will be a lot cleaner!
