Life without caffeine

I’ve just reached my first month without caffeine!

There appears to be a lot of debate on whether caffeine (and coffee in particular) reduces or increases inflammation. As far as the AIP is concerned coffee is out, at least at first, due to being a seed, but tea (being a leaf) is allowed if you feel caffeine is not inflammatory for you. Most AIP guides suggest cutting caffeine at least the first month. I absolutely love caffeine, both coffee and tea, but I’ve never had the feeling that it physically sits very well with me, so it seemed like a good idea to eliminate it with everything else.

I’m planning to take this through September: over two months without caffeine will probably be longer than I’ve been without it for the entire second half of my life. Whether or not cutting caffeine with all the other potentially inflammatory things is helping, this long break will at least give my adrenal system a chance to rest and reset.

But how am I surviving?!

Yes I do miss my coffee, but I actually seem to be needing it less and less. I’m sleeping less hours and feeling more energized during the day, which I think may in part be due to cutting out caffeine. Though maybe it’s just the steroids.

Mainly I’m surviving by making a big hot pot of beverage every morning. The warm delicious morning drink ritual is, I think, at least half the appeal of caffeine.

I have two versions, a coffee and a tea, based on roasted dandelion root and roasted chicory. Both have a nice flavor in their own right with a pleasing coffee-like nuttiness. Additionally dandelion is supposedly good for liver, digestion and skin, and chicory for digestion and inflammation. Usually I add fresh ginger and turmeric and sprinkle cinnamon on top to make an extra-potent anti-inflammatory morning brew, but the basic dandelionand chicorymake the best direct substitute if you’re just trying to cut out caffeine.

The coffee I make is AIP Bulletproof Style Dandelion/Chicory Coffee. It involves frothing up the dandelion/chicory brew with coconut oil and coconut butter in a power blender to make a rich, nutty, creamy, mouth-watering, almost coffee. I highly recommend it.

If I just want tea I make the same pot brew on the stove and add a little coconut milk–this doesn’t have the same bolstering nutty effect and in fact makes something quite a lot like simple black tea, or chai if I’ve added ginger and cinnamon.

Sometimes I add collagen to my coffee/tea for an extra boost of protein; it’s completely undetectable. This Orgain collagenblends invisibly into coffee and makes smoothies the smoothest I’ve ever tasted them.

Anyway, whatever hot morning beverage it is, if it’s in the Glam Breakfast mug all is well.