The topic of coffee substitutes is becoming more important as people realize that caffeine addiction is very real problem today that can cause hormonal imbalances over time.Â
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!
The article A Visual View of Caffeine really seemed to get the conversation rolling about coffee and caffeine.
In particular, does the positive research about coffee overshadow its clear and present danger to hormonal health? It’s a trade-off many struggle with on a daily basis even if they carefully choose dark roasts which are healthier than light.
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 or even a tea habit can’t help but exacerbate these problems leading to health challenges and hormonal imbalances.
As a personal example, I really enjoy jasmine green tea and would love to drink a cup or two every single morning, however, I refrain and only drink it occasionally because I have repeatedly noticed that if I drink green tea for a few days in a row and then skip a day, I feel the negative effects on my adrenals as I experience fatigue from the removal of the caffeine.
The positive antioxidant profile of green tea in no way overcomes this worrisome effect on my adrenals, in my opinion, so I drink red tea or a homemade vanilla latte instead.
Help! I Need Coffee Substitutes for Morning 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.
16oz of Starbucks Decaf, for example, contains about 25 mg of caffeine which is about the same amount as 8 oz of regular green tea.
Even decaf black tea has up to 12 mg of caffeine per 8 oz. 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 slow release due to the amino acid theanine. Thus, the adrenal hit is minimized.
One coffee substitutes option for a completely caffeine free morning brew is Dandy Blend, made of extracts of dandelion root, barley, rye, chicory and nonGMO sugar beetroot. I know plenty of folks who just love Dandy Blend and swear it tastes just like coffee, but if you choose to give it a try – go slow and build up gradually. I’ve had some people report that the detoxifying effect of the dandelion can result in a close relationship with the bathroom until your digestive tract adjusts!
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.
The following coffee substitute is suggested by Sally Fallon Morell, President of the Weston A. Price Foundation who recommends it as a really good pick me up:
Recipe for a Healthy Coffee Substitute
Three simple, whole ingredients make this healthy coffee substitute that will give you a good pick me up and a dose of healthy fats without the hit to the adrenal glands from all that caffeine.
Ingredients
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger preferably organic
- 1 Tbl molasses
- 1 Tbl 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!
Sources and 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
Is Caffeine Causing Your Chronic Back Pain
Caffeine Content of Coffee, Tea, Soda and More, Mayo Clinic
Hi Sarah. I’d love to share with everybody my favorite coffee substitute, which is ground up cacao beans. It brews like coffee and tastes great. Supposed to have health benefits too. I purchase mine online from Crio Bru. They offer several different roasts and flavors. I know that roasting reduces the phytic acid in raw cacao, but I still wonder what the load might be.
I tried this coffee substitute recipe and it’s quite good.
Sarah,
I’m wondering if Teeccino is a healthy caffeine free option. Do you know?
That’s chicory coffee, right? Yes, it should be caffeine free.
Sarah, can you speak to the effects of caffiene in coffee enemas?
This is discussed in this article. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/coffee-enema-unmatched-detoxification-for-health-and-recovery/
For a year I have been hooked onto instant chicory and completely off coffee. Tried over a dozen different brands and the very top on my list is Ecologica freeze-dried instant chicory.
I used a combination of chicory and dandelion by teeccino and and dandy blend and experienced stomach pain and lethargy. Do you think I should begin with less than 1tsp?
I was wondering if molasses and dandelion was healthy?
Yes, very good substitute. Here’s how to make dandelion coffee. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/dandelion-coffee-benefits-aid-adrenals/
Tulsi, Ashwaganda, and ginger mimic canine very well for me, without the jitters.
I have tried sib many different things to replace coffee. Am I the only person who seems to no like the taste of anything else? Tried fruit teas too but nothing has satisfied me like coffee has. Doesnt help I like my coffee sweet too and replacing with honey doesn’t cut it. I need sweet and tasty. Can anyone help?
I recently gave up coffee and do not like tea. I make this recipe every morning:
4 C water
2 T dried raw dandelion root
1 T roasted chicory root
1 short stick of cinnamon (I usually use the same stick for 2 or 3 days)
Just bring to a boil and then let it simmer for a couple minutes. Strain and drink. I usually pour it into my french press to strain or into a coffee filter in my coffee maker.