What most people do not understand is they are actually hooked to the caffeine in drinks, not the drink itself. When people claim they can not function without their morning cup of coffee, they are really talking about their morning dose of caffeine. The caffeine craze has reached a new level. More people are starting to turn to coffee and other drinks to satisfy their caffeine addiction and do not realize what they are putting into their bodies. Luckily, there are some easy ways to get your caffeine fix while being healthy at the same time.
#1 Say goodbye to the sugar
Most cups of coffee have about six teaspoons of sugar. A teaspoon equals about one gram which totals 24 grams for one cup. If you are a regular coffee drinker, you know you can not just have one cup, which can either double or triple your sugar intake. Try replacing sugar with cream. It can cut the bitterness of black coffee without giving you sugar calories. Raw cream is best because it is not loaded with all the chemicals of the flavored creams.
#2 Reduce the number of cups
The more cups, the more calories. It is simple math. Reducing the number of cups of coffee you drink on a day to day basis will not only help lessen the caffeine addiction, but also cuts needless calories from your diet. If you are a heavy coffee drinker, do not drastically change your routine. Slowly reduce your coffee intake and keep it to one cup a day. If you need the feeling of having more than one cup, use smaller cups. As time goes on, cut off a cup or two each week.
#3 Wait until AFTER breakfast
Instead of waking up and downing a large cup, wait until there is food in your stomach. Caffeine causes your body to release sugar in your bloodstream which then causes your pancreas to release insulin. On an empty stomach this can cause a sharp drop in blood sugar which can then set up more sugar cravings. In reality, chugging that morning cup is just setting you up for a day of disaster. Having food in your stomach will help control sugar and caffeine cravings throughout the day. Grab an apple or granola bar to eat in the car and save your coffee for when you get to work or school.
#4 Go organic
Organic coffee is easy to find now-a-days considering organic everything has become very mainstream. Choosing to go organic rids your coffee of harmful pesticides and various toxins that coffee beans tend to be sprayed with. Also, in addiction to antioxidents, organic coffee also contains magnesium, chromium and potassium which are vital minerals rarely found in other foods. Some brands like Seattle’s Best and Target’s Archer Farms have organic options to choose from.
#5 Switch to green tea
This idea may be a bit radical for some, but the benefits are enormous. Loaded with antioxidants, green tea is one of the healthiest beverages you can drink. Not only does green tea have many health benefits that can coffee can not compare to, it also has a lower more sensible dosage of caffeine. Too much caffeine can make you jittery and and cause you to crash, having small doses of caffeine throughout the day can keep your energy up and make you feel more awake. If cutting yourself off from coffee completely is too difficult, try mixing them.
#6 Know when to stop
Generally caffeine reaches its peak about 30-45 minutes after it enters the bloodstream. At that point you should be starting to feel the side effects from it. Caffeine has a half life of approximately six hours which means if you were to drink a cup of coffee at 8:00 am, you would still be left with half of the caffeine at 2:00 pm. It is important to know when to stop drinking coffee throughout your day so you are not left with a caffeine and sugar high at 10:00 pm when you are trying to go to sleep. When you start to get tired and need a boost of energy later in the day, try drinking tea and other drinks with lower levels of caffeine.
