Trying to Cut Back on Coffee?

Do you enjoy coffee? 

Do you drink it every (or almost every) morning? I know I do! 

Are you also trying to cut back on it? Or are you just trying to cut back on caffeine in general? I know I am. 

As much as I enjoy a flavored iced coffee, I know I should probably cut back a little on my coffee consumption. While I don't drink an excessive amount - only a cup every two days, I think it would still do me a great deal of good to cut back. 

I don't think I could completely give up coffee. 

Coffee does have a few health benefits when consumed in moderation after all including decreased risk of some cancers, heart disease, and depression. It also helps support brain health and improve digestion. 

With keeping coffee consumption at moderate levels in mind, there are other alternatives to coffee that might be more beneficial. 

When I wake up and get around to starting my day, the first drink of the day I consume is … you guessed it. Coffee. Every now and then, that will be orange juice or if I'm really up to making one - a fruit smoothie. 

One of the first things I do is turn on the Keurig machine to brew a cup of coffee. I do that even before I fix myself up something to eat. 

I'm so used to drinking coffee in the morning and it has become a habit I don't really think about so it's a little hard to think what else I could drink during my morning routine. Of course, there's orange juice and other fruit juices, and smoothies but what if I want to try something different? Maybe even something that will get me excited to switch from coffee.

Here are a few healthy coffee alternatives I've found: 

Matcha tea 

I enjoy matcha tea so finding out that it's considered a healthy coffee alternative made me happy. Matcha tea is simply powdered green tea leaves. One of the benefits of matcha tea is that it has plenty of antioxidants and it usually has less caffeine than coffee.

Black tea

Black tea is an ideal alternative to coffee the next time you're thinking about cutting back on coffee. It still keeps you alert and focused but has less caffeine than coffee. What's more, the caffeine in black tea is absorbed by the body slower than the caffeine found in coffee so there's no caffeine crash. 

Normally, I drink hot tea at night and save coffee for the morning, but that's a routine I'm willing to change. 

 Green tea

Green tea is probably one of the healthier alternatives to coffee. Some of the benefits of green tea include reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes as well as managing body weight.

Kombucha

I'm a little iffy with this alternative. I'm really not a fan of fermented drinks. I tried a kombucha drink awhile back ago one time. Let's just say I had to give the rest of it to somebody else to finish! It was too strong and tart to my liking. 

Nonetheless, this fermented drink made from tea and sugar has it's health benefits too!

While there still needs to be more studies done concerning the health benefits of Kombucha, one thing is for certain - kombucha is high in probiotics which are good for gut health. 

No promises, but maybe I will give it another try. 

 It should be noted that kombucha has trace amounts of alcohol and some depending on how it's made, is considered and meant to be an alcoholic beverage. 

A simple mixed berry smoothie

I love a fruit smoothie especially in the summer! It's fun concocting up different flavors from various fruits and sometimes veggies! I really enjoy mixed berry smoothies and now I have another good reason to enjoy them. A mixed berry smoothie contains flavonoids to help maintain and improve memory and cognition. It can also help overcome fatigue. 

What are some other coffee alternatives that you recommend?

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/health/nutrition/coffee-alternatives/

https://www.forbes.com/health/nutrition/kombucha-tea-benefits/