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Healthy substitutes to limit or eliminate a daily coffee habit, which has dubious scientific claims behind claimed “benefits”.
The topic of coffee substitutes is becoming more important as people realize that caffeine addiction is a very real problem today that can cause hormonal imbalances over time.
What’s with all the kids drinking coffee, too? This rarely happened only a couple of decades ago!
This trend is a testament to how fried our adrenals are as a society in general. If the youngest and healthiest among us need to be jacked up on caffeine to get going in the morning, that is very worrisome indeed!
This visual view of caffeine really seems to get the conversation rolling when it comes to coffee and whether all those studies on its “benefits” are really true (or objective).
In particular, does the positive research about coffee overshadow its clear and present danger to hormonal health and microbiome risks from mold contamination?
It’s a trade-off many struggle with on a daily basis, even if they carefully choose organic, mold-free, dark roasts.
With so many assaults on our hormones today and many people living under constant and seemingly never-ending stress, it seems to me that a coffee habit can exacerbate these problems, leading to unforeseen challenges down the road, such as a very difficult transition to menopause.
Coffee Substitutes for Jitter-Free Pick-Me-Up
What if you really need a morning or afternoon pick-me-up and are truly concerned about the effect of coffee or tea on your adrenal and overall hormone health?
You can go the decaf route, but supposed coffee substitutes like decaf coffee and tea still have caffeine in them and so will not eliminate the stress on the adrenals completely.
In addition, the decaf process for many brands (not all) involves toxic substances, with likely residues present in the coffee. For example, my dairy-free coffee ice cream recipe suggests an organic decaf brand that uses the solvent-free Swiss water method.
Even if safe, decaf coffee contains a surprising amount of caffeine.
A 16 oz of Starbucks decaf, for example, contains about 25 mg of caffeine. This is roughly the same amount as 8 oz of regular green tea. (1)
Even decaf black tea has up to 12 mg of caffeine per cup.
Substituting green tea instead? A matcha latte contains 80 mg of caffeine per cup.
One benefit of drinking tea over coffee, however, is that the caffeine in tea is released more slowly due to the amino acid theanine. Thus, the adrenal hit is greatly minimized with little to no jitters experienced by most people.
One coffee substitute option for a completely caffeine-free morning brew is Dandy Blend, made of extracts of dandelion root, barley, rye, and chicory root.
I know plenty of people (including me) who just love Dandy Blend and swear it tastes just like coffee. If you choose to try it, be sure to go slow and build up gradually to avoid detox symptoms.
Another option is to make coffee substitutes yourself. One excellent one is a rooibos latte or “red espresso”.
Red tea is a delicious and satisfying coffee substitute, no matter how you enjoy taking it. If you enjoy the taste of dandelion tea more, try this recipe for a dandelion coffee latte.
Another idea is the coffee substitute recipe below, suggested by Sally Fallon Morell, author of Nourishing Traditions Cookbook, who recommends it as one of her favorite jitter-free pick-me-ups: (2)
Healthy Coffee Substitute
Three simple, whole ingredients make this healthy coffee substitute that will give you a jitter-free pick-me-up and a dose of healthy fats in a single serving.
Ingredients
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger preferably organic
- 1 Tbsp molasses
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 cup filtered water
Instructions
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Place ingredients in a mug and pour in boiling water and stir.
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Let cook until still hot but drinkable and enjoy! It tastes like a gingerbread cookie in a mug!
Recipe Notes
Blackstrap molasses is the most nutritious type to use for this recipe.
Do you have tea or coffee substitutes that work for you? Please share with all of us!
(1) Caffeine Content of Coffee, Tea, Soda and More, Mayo Clinic
(2) Cuppa Joe or Cuppa Jolt?
More Information
Gluten Issues or Celiac? Don’t Drink Coffee!
How Bulletproof Coffee Shoots You in the Foot
Why You Need to Change WHEN You Drink Coffee
The Truth About Your Morning Coffee Fix
I have the same Hawaii mug 🙂
I enjoy brewed cocoa beans in a french press. This brand is super awesome. I love that I’m getting antioxidants and magnesium while drinking chocolate!
Welcome back Sarah! Thanks for the coffee substitute suggestions. I have tried a turmeric tea recipe variation from Marks Daily Apple that is very good. Take 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric, a pinch of powdered ginger, and cayanne pepper put in mug and pour boiling water over it let it cool and add raw milk or organic cream for a lovely drink or add it to tea. It is comforting and you can drink it morning or night unless you add tea!
Hello Jean,
THANKS for that recipe! I make a morning drink by placing one packet of knox gelatin (when my 5 lb. bag of organic powdered beef gelatin from Now Foods arrives, I’ll use an equivalent of that) and one heaping tablespoon of coconut milk powder, Matcha Green Tea powder, in the bottom of a mug. Then I pour coconut oil into the mug and stir until the powders are all emulsified into the oil. I don’t measure – I’m guessing it is between one and two tablespoons of oil??? Then I add hot water and 9 drops of vanilla flavored liquid Stevia (I like NuNaturals alcohol free) and drink. Can’t wait until this afternoon to try the same recipe, but replacing the Matcha Green Tea Powder with the Turmeric, Ginger, and Cayanne. I’ll have to go to the store to get the powdered Ginger and the Cayanne…
Rooibos, milk and honey is my tea alternative and tastes great! When I need a sweet pick me up afternoon tea I go for a licorice tea that is naturally sweet and really yummy, so worth a try 🙂
Sarah, I tried Sally’s recipe for the morning drink this morning right after I read the post and … well, I’ll just have to keep looking for other options. I just couldn’t get it down. I was on the brink of not KEEPING it down, perhaps I need to get used to having so much oil in my system, don’t know, but … yeah. No.
Has anyone tried Sally’s recipe for a morning drink? It sounds disgusting but I will try it if people do like it!
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Genmaicha or brown rice green tea, which even has a (somewhat) coffee-like fragrance. It is also ideal if you have an overactive GI system. My favorite tea is the Stash Fusion which blends white and green tea — then I add a bit of honey, some cinnamon and a few anise seeds to give it a more chai-like flavor. It would also be interesting to see if anyone has tried to combine coffee, tea and cacao for the ultimate warm brew — so you would really maximize the antioxidants!
The problem with the green teas, and combining coffee, tea and cacao is that they contain caffeine.
Many people are trying to avoid caffeine for various reasons so are looking for healthy alternatives.
Even decaf coffees and teas have caffeine so they are not an option.
To Josephine, I’d very much like to see any data that you have as to coffee or caffeine being healthy. And if anyone else has any data on it not being healthy. I see both, but it still seems to remain a very controversial topic, and while both sides make good points, there still remains no concrete resolution to this.
Repeat: good coffee …
You are actually very wrong on this one, healthy home economist … coffee (good quality coffee, that is, not the rubbish kind) really IS good for your health … I’m too tired now … but I can get back to you with quite a lot of documentation on this.
You are actually very wrong on this one, healthy home economist … coffee (good quality coffee, that is, not the rubbish kind) really IS good for your health … I’m too tired now … but I can get back to you with quite a lot of documentation on this.