I’ve been meaning to write this post for sometime now. Some of you may recall me sharing about this on instagram from time to time, but I thought this story needed to find home here as well. I’ve been living a life without caffeine for nearly a year now and it’s been life changing. And I’m not just saying that. It truly has made such a difference in my life.
For those that know me, know I have a serious crush on chai lattes and that I drank them often. I even created a homemade recipe that is seriously so delicious but unfortunately I only have them in my dreams now. I loved my coffee too. And enjoyed treating myself to energy drinks from time to time when I felt like I needed a bolt of energy. While I loved the immediate satisfaction of smell, taste, and comfort each would welcome, I didn’t love how I felt afterwards. In fact, sometimes the feelings I would get mid sip would leave me in a tailspin of anxiety, irritability, jitters and cloudy thinking. I felt out of control. This wasn’t always the case for me. But as I’ve gotten older and the changes in my body post pregnancies, my tolerance is not what it used to be.
It was last November when I experienced the first episode. I was sipping on my big ol’ cup of chai about to sit down at my computer and this sudden sensation came over me. My heart was in pain. Literally. All of the sudden I had this rush of tightness by my heart and in my back. I remember sitting down thinking, “oh my goodness could this be…. ” while trying to slow my breathing down. I took a few deep breaths in + out for a minute or two and the pain went away so I continued on with my work. That morning I experienced two more similar episodes.
These episodes would continue at random for the next few months. It wasn’t until I came down with the influenza virus when I learned I had a minor heart irregularity that was causing these episodes. I will never forget how sick I was then. The influenza b virus was seriously the worst BUT it was also a blessing in a way because it drove me to get some answers. After a trip to the urgent care that led to an ER visit because of a curious EKG, I went through a series of tests that took weeks of monitoring and journaling. I learned that stress and the combination of my caffeine intake was wreaking havoc on my body and ultimately my heart so much that I could feel this irregularity that I normally wouldn’t otherwise feel. So it was time to make some changes.
From that day forward I have been off caffeine. I wouldn’t say that I was a chai or coffee type of gal every morning. I wouldn’t say that I used to drink something with caffeine everyday either. But what I was consuming wasn’t jiving with me anymore and I needed to make some changes.
Since taking caffeine out of my diet, I seldom, if ever, experience the episodes I was having. I have less anxiety. I don’t experience the jitters, sudden irritably, mind cloudy-ness, or midday crashes because I simply removed it from my daily routine. Since living a life without caffeine, I feel better overall. Amazing actually. I established a new rhythm that fulfills the old and it’s working for me.
I now drink Ningxia Red almost every day. I have shared two really easy recipes that are full of natural ingredients below that help pick me up when in need of a little energy boost. For those that are new to hearing about this, Ningxia Red is a powerful antioxidant drink that contains whole Ningxia wolfberry puree ‐ a super blend of blueberry, aronia, cherry, pomegranate, and plum juices, natural stevia extract, grape seed extract, pure vanilla extract, and orange, yuzu, lemon, and tangerine essential oils. Its health benefits include support from head to toe, via a whole body nutrient infusion. NingXia wolfberries have been cherished for centuries for its health, energy, and longevity benefits. The long-lasting energy support is what makes this drink so unique from others. In fact, recent studies indicate that drinks containing wolfberry exhibit longer-lasting supportive effects on energy (and caloric metabolism) without the crashes and harmful side effects of coffee or energy drinks.
I prefer to drink it cold but the warm version is just as good. Especially this cold season we’re in, there’s nothing like a warm drink to cozy with.
So if you are a coffee lover, tea drinker, lover of those energy drinks and need a healthy alternative to help kick your habit, give this a try!
Kick Your Caffeine Habit
This recipe serves one.
Prep time : 5 minutes
Ingredients
One pack of Ningxia Red by Young Living
One can of La Croix water (I use Cranberry)
1/4 cup oj
– during cold and flu season : one pack of super orange emergen-C
Instructions
Cold Drink :
One pack of Ningxia Red by Young Living
1 can of La Croix water (I like to use Cranberry. I typically start with half a can. Drink about half of the drink and then add more La Croix}
Splash of no pulp oj
{ during cold and flu season I will also add a pack of emergen-C for extra vitamins }
Warm Drink :
Heat up one cup water in your favorite mug
Pour in Ningxia Red by Young Living
One spoonful of honey