Morning drink??

[starborne]

I've committed to the 30 day raw food challenge. Previous short experiences with raw food only doesn't cause concern with not eating cooked food and missing such.

What does is ... my morning coffee, or coffee/grain substitute. It's been my ritual for sooooooo long . Coffee/ tea/coffee substitute, spiritual reading, music, incense to start my day out peaceful.

What can I replace this with? I truly don't believe this way of life has to be white-knuckled .

Thanks in advance to all you wonderful people.

[Vivafree2]

Warm water lemon juice and agave syrop - my personal favourite and great to have it at work.
Cacao powder, warm water and soaked dates blended with vanila bean - for weekends mornings:) and great to place in the termos cup and sip when everybody around have their morning drinks.

It is still not coffee but it can be good to create new morning ritual.

[SparklePlenty]

Almond milk with cocoa and agave, or with dates and pumpkin pie spices, warmed to finger touch, if you like.

[sport]

You will be amazed at how soon the habit will be broken and the need no longer there.

[Conscious Midwife]

It's a new year, with a new you, get a new ritual;)

Yoga, soy candles, inspirational reading, phone call to a loved one or take a prayer walk...

[Bananapie]

If you are a long time coffee drinker and do not want to "white knuckle" it I would highly recommend doing a few days to a week of black or green tea. My husband has been a regular two cup drinker since he was thirteen! every time he has tried to quit coffee he gets a rip roaring headache unless he does a week or two of black tea fallowed by a week or two of green tea. He finds this allows him to get off the coffee with out monster headaches and crabbiness. Of course some people like me :rolleyes: who have never been super regular about coffee can go cold turkey with no problems. Of course hubby is not a sugar addict and can stop at one or two cookies. So we all have our vises, I love how being 100% raw allows me to overcome vises and allow life rather than food to be my focus. Good luck Happy New year!

That date and cacao mix sounds wonderful I think I will try that tomorrow!

[starborne]

Thanks everybody for the great suggestions!

[Hannah]

Hey I know its not the same as coffee, but what about lingering over a green smoothie in the morning? Its a great way to get in some nutrition, can fill you up for a bit and might even energize you immediately - chlorophyll is wonderous!

[Eva]

I still drink herbal hot tea, and I don't think it conflicts with my raw food lifestyle a bit. I did stop drinking it for a time because it's "not" "technically" "raw"... BUT my goal in life is just NOT to be a 100% perfect raw foodie... I want to enjoy my life! And raw food totally helps me to do that...

But getting rid of a ritual that could be quite relaxing and beneficial to the psyche? I haven't found a good reason for that yet... So, sticking with my herbal teas.

And, while I have very much respect for Alissa (and think she's great in a lot of ways and love her book ETC.), her advice or thoughts wouldn't trump my own. Yet, when I was at her training in Maine, I asked about hot tea... Her response was that some raw foodies do it and some don't. She doesn't see anything wrong with it, but she doesn't drink hot tea. And she is careful to let other people make up their own minds with the information they have and what works for them.

So... I guess my point is that some people will disagree with me, but for me, I really just don't see anything wrong with hot tea. I even think *some* people are probably okay with drinking coffee and being raw. (I'm NOT one of them, though. For me, coffee is horrible for my body and spirit.)...

I'm sure you'll do this anyways... but take all of the advice and input here, but please feel good about whatever choice you make for yourself. And I hope that you continue to begin your day peacefully. :)