Calling all Ex-Coffee Indulgers

[RawNStLou]

Although caffeine in coffee does nothing for me, I do love the taste and aroma of coffee. It has been my morning hot drink of choice for many years and I've been off since the start of my June challenge. Is there a substitute for coffee drinkers of do I just continue to enjoy the aroma and stay away?

[rawfigure]

I went thru this too, missed the aroma and taste of the coffee. I tried teas but this is not the same and tea in the morning did not settle well with my tummy (go figure that being an ex coffee drinker :confused: )...so I use Teeccino, Java flavor.

http://www.teeccino.com/. I guess that it is not really RAw. It is my compromise for now so I do not drool over my husbands black coffee pot.

[ShelShel]

I a was the biggest coffee fan! :o Just huge. I didn't have coffee mugs in my house...I had 36 oz coffee cups. :D It was horrible. I used to need the caffeine just to make it from 7 am to 4 pm...when I would crash if I didn't recharge with another cup. :eek: It was so bad. That is how I ended up finding out about raw. I was searching for anything that could help with the fatigue I constantly felt.
You don't need this. It was one of the hardest things I've ever given up. I had headaches...and I just missed it in the morning. Really missed it. I even loved the sound of my machine perking. :p
But after going raw I am free of the cravings for it...and I don't need it to perk me up anymore. I'm perky without it.
I think going without coffee is like learning to ride your bike without the training wheels....it's hard...you might fall a few times, but eventually you get the hang of it. Pretty soon you are riding with "no hands" and showing off all the things you can do! :D Much luck....keep trying to give it up completely...it's for your health!

[Pailani]

I tried teas but this is not the same and tea in the morning did not settle well with my tummy

Same here, but I found that green tea was fine even on an empty stomach most mornings.

[jamesdixon222]

I recently gave up coffee as well and had a massive headache for a few days. I ate nothing but fruit during the process to speed up the detox and withdrawal.
The reason I gave it up was I realized I was addicted. Anything that is addicting is changing your body chemistry and causing unlikely changes in other areas, such as sleep patterns and digestion, metabolism and so forth. I never looked back and I now have a banana and blueberry smoothie in the morning for breakfast or a piece of watermelon. I would also say that you must be conscious of you "ph" balance and coffee is very acidic. Being that most diseases thrive in acidic bodies, getting your body to the proper "ph" level should be a goal that one is constantly vigilant about.

[Pailani]

coffee is very acidic. Being that most diseases thrive in acidic bodies, getting your body to the proper "ph" level should be a goal that one is constantly vigilant about.

Is green tea also acidic?

[littleangelbear]

I like to sit in Starbuck's with a herbal tea of some kind (I know it's not raw LOL) and smell the aroma of the coffee...just doing that kicked my craving for coffee. Once in a while, I'll have some coffee--just a sip or two, but it doesn't taste nearly as good as it did before--like back in my college days of living in Ann Arbor, MI where there are coffee houses on every corner :) lol

[rawnpawgirl]

Oh my gosh, I really needed this post. I am on Day 11 of the 30 day challenge and for the most part, doing great! but....same- coffee is my SERIOUS vice. I gave it up for the first 7 days, then broke and had a latte at Barnes and Noble. Just sitting in the bookstore and sipping a latte is just something so comforting to me, the sound of the perking, the taste, the aroma, everything about coffee I love, love, love! Then, just today (about 30 min. ago), I went for a long power walk and stopped and got an iced vanilla latte- large even! Everthing else foodwise, is going great- just this darn coffee thing.

[codajess]

I like to sit in Starbuck's with a herbal tea of some kind (I know it's not raw LOL) and smell the aroma of the coffee...just doing that kicked my craving for coffee. Once in a while, I'll have some coffee--just a sip or two, but it doesn't taste nearly as good as it did before--like back in my college days of living in Ann Arbor, MI where there are coffee houses on every corner :) lol

That's where I work :p

[RawNStLou]

I see that I'm not the only one who's experienced this. Thank you all for responding.

I think I might try the Java tea, but somehow I don't think it'll stop the craving for the heaviness of the coffee.

What's funny is that right before decided on the 30 challenge, I racked up on bags of coffee (Frangelico, Coco Khalua and Pecan Praline) The Francelico smells devine! Now I just open the bags and take a deep inhale. Ahhhhhhhhhhh

I feel that I'm coming to a breaking point. I'll see how much longer I can go without before I go for the gusto. so far,I'm on day 14.

Wish me luck!

[cornvalley]

Good luck....you know you're going to need one of those Silence of the Lambs masks before too long. Coffee is the meth of legal brews. Nah, maybe the cappuccino is. I haven't had a cup o' joe since 78 and before that I was like a junkie and paid the price with a fistula and ganglion cysts before going Hygienic with all that Herbert Shelton mumbo jumbo.

I don't think the substitutes will take you far enough away from real deal to NOT keep reminding you of sweet Coffelanina kissing your forehead.

LEAVE IT ALL and be free to live amidst the pure dew drops of nature's rehydration concoction...WATER

[rawfigure]

Same here, but I found that green tea was fine even on an empty stomach most mornings.

The green bothers me the most ! :rolleyes:

[SedonaSun]

I love Teecino. However, I rarely drink it hot; it was my favorite for iced coffee back when I was drinking that. They're a bit pricey, but they have chicory in them, which means you can use a lot less for a pot-full. I usually use 4 or 5 heaping teaspoons for a 12-cup pot. That makes it pretty strong in my opinion. They come in a variety of flavors and my opinion is the flavors of Teecino are much bolder than flavored coffees.

It doesn't smell exactly like coffee, but it might be worth a try. Our HFS has them for 7.49 - 8.59 per can, so it's not horrible -- actually it might be similar in price to a bag of Starbucks.

And as mentioned earlier, not raw, but then again, not caffeinated coffee either. :p

[Sheryl]

Someone posted this here earlier this week.... but it belongs here too! Check out the spider web of the spider on caffeine!!!

http://www.coffee.co.uk/spiders.html

I made a goji berry chocolate ice cream last night, and it was strangely like mocha!!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[paleogirl]

I quit coffee over 4 months ago. I LOVE coffee, and I even got into roasting my own beans, etc. but I started realising it was making me foggy headed and making my skin break out, like, all over my face the same day. Very dramatic. So it was easy to give up even though I love the taste, aroma, and the whole roasting/grinding thing. :(

Since then I've drunk green tea or yerba mate every day. Not raw, no, but I strive for organic 99% of the time and I feel the good of green tea/yerba mate outweighs the non-raw issue by a huge margin.

In terms of a coffee kick substitute though, I like raw cacoa. I grind it into my morning juice. It's a much nicer high than caffeine actually, and much longer lasting. I also started drinking wheatgrass juice yesterday. I only had 1oz per shot, so I didn't feel any effect, but maybe when I've built up to 2oz shots I will get that 'rush' I've heard about. :rolleyes:

[rawpriestess]

Sheryl, fascinating about the spider webs.

[littleangelbear]

Codajess,

Hee hee! So, you know what I mean? ;)

[Kitty]

I think someone said brazil nut mylk has a coffee type taste?

[ShelShel]

I loved that spider web thing. Very interesting!

[JEN]

Ive relpaced my morning java with coconut water and it is yummmmmmy! After I quit coffee I had serious detox....headaches, chest pain, upper back pain, joint pain and major brain fuzz for about a week. I feel great now.

[Lay-Lay]

I gave up the caffeine years ago -its deadly stuff in my mind. It was not easy. Most usually have a headache for a few days, but being free from the addiction is priceless. Even if you are not addicted caffeine in any dose raises havok on your system. I had a mudslide out of Alissa's book last night and I thought, man this would make a great subsitute for coffee drinkers just as it is or if you added a little cocoa or carob.