Forget coffee and have a SUPERFOOD SUMMER
Sarma’s One Lucky Duck goodies (raw and vegan crackers, cookies, truffle butter, nuts and more) are now in the Crazy Sexy Shop!
It’s been six years now that I’ve been a mostly raw-vegan, most of the time. In my books, blog, and elsewhere, I openly admit to being relatively open-minded when it comes to what I eat. But sometimes being very relaxed about it—particularly in the context of stress and other distractions—leads to the formation of habits before we even realize what’s happened. My own example of this: coffee! What a hypocrite I am. A whole page in my first co-written book Raw Food Real World is devoted to how bad coffee is.
My transgressions started a few summers ago as one of my early oneluckyduck.com investors was frequently drinking coffee around me in my office. I wasn’t sleeping much then and particularly freaked out about a lot of things going on, and the smell of it was very appealing! First I’d ask for a sip, then I’d have a few sips, then I’d just grab the whole cup from him and he’d have to go get another for himself. Before I knew it, I was hooked again. It was that easy.
I felt like an addict with a secret. I’d run to the coffee shop for an iced coffee, then head back towards the restaurant thinking that I really shouldn’t walk in this neighborhood drinking coffee! What if one of the regulars from the juice bar saw me! What then? Making it easier for me, my assistant at the time became my “enabler” offering to fetch me a fresh iced coffee anytime I wanted. I truly felt like a “user” when I finally bought my own ground coffee. At least now it’s organic, I rationalized. Still, alone in my own kitchen filling the filter (made of unbleached recycled paper, of course!) with the aromatic grounds, and waiting for the water to boil, I felt a bit like a crack-head with the spoon and lighter.
My conflicted and tumultuous on and off relationship with this substance has led me to a few conclusions. I simply do not do well on coffee at all, tempting as it is. Not to mention, it gives you yucky coffee breath if you don’t brush your teeth right away. I also have a theory that it makes me sweat and in an odd funky kind of way. Not sexy! But the worst issue is the dependency and crashing. I might feel uplifted for a bit, but then before long sluggishness sets in. Is it not also widely known that it dehydrates you and inhibits the absorption of iron and many other minerals, and is acidic in your body? Further, it must certainly be the case that when you get to the point where a massive migrane is the consequence of trying to stop suddenly, something is really wrong with this very popular habit.
Luckily, I finally feel I’ve weaned myself off for good. If I get very little sleep and crave a sweet and creamy jolt, I mix in my VitaMix some raw cacao powder, nut milk (or, heaping tablespoon of cashew or almond butter + water = milk), stevia or agave nectar, vanilla, ice, and some frozen banana if I have any, and pour it over more ice. So refreshing, much better than iced coffee, and its breakfast too. There also seems to be something magically energizing about the combination of goji berries and raw cacao. My favorite breakfast is One Lucky Duck chocolate crispies with a handful of raw cacao nibs and goji berries, maybe some sliced banana, and hemp or nut milk. It’s crunchy cereal power breakfast.
Superfoods may be a very overused term these days. I love goji berries and they seem to keep you full for hours. A famous New York cosmetic doctor was quoted in a fashion magazine years ago saying that the goji berry is the number one anti-cellulite food, because of how loaded they are with antioxidants. I read this and immediately wanted to hoard them as I expected a sudden worldwide surge in demand and subsequent scarcity, but luckily they still seem readily available and affordable.
I’m also completely in love with green shakes. I’ll always love green juice, particularly when I don’t want to get really filled up. But when I want to get filled up, I make a green shake. Fresh cucumber in the blender makes an excellent base, to which I add grapefruit or pineapple, lemons and limes, sometimes a little mango. To that I add a whole bunch of fresh cilantro, kale, chard or spinach, sunflower sprouts if I have them, along with stevia, a pinch of salt, and a splash of vanilla. I like shakes because they make for the ultimate superfood party. I love to add a splash of aloe vera juice, a toss of tocotrienols, a spoon of blue green algae, some green tea extract, and yes, maybe some more goji berries—which blend easier than you might imagine if you have a VitaMix.
Aside from being so nutrient dense, what I love about these crazy concoctions is that they taste really good. Sometimes I add strawberries or blueberries, or nectarines or white peaches. And if I don’t feel like having it in a glass, then I’ll chop a fuji apple into a bowl, pour my amped up green shake over it, sprinkle it with bee pollen and some whole goji berries and eat it with a spoon like cereal – superfood cereal. When this is what I’m taking in, I feel as if I could not eat for days and I would feel fine. As if I’ve truly nourished myself and am a well oiled machine.
With so many variables, it’s always tricky to evaluate how something specific is affecting you. I have given up coffee only to fall back into the habit enough times that the overall conclusion is clear to me. I might crave that initial high and the flavor, but it’s a quick fix that quickly makes one dependent. The funny part is, I would slip back into drinking coffee with a full awareness of feeling very unclean about it, and I think in some way that was part of it – I was being almost rebellious, or thinking that I just needed it to get me through a particularly sleep-deprived and work crazy period of time. Now, when that urge for a cup of coffee – even just one – starts to gnaw at me, I take a deep breath and think about the characters in Trainspotting. That always does the trick.
Sarma
*This article was originally published in Get Fresh! Magazine.
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19 Comments
Sarma, I have to say your new book is just lush and easy to use! I loved your section on pet health!
Thanks for all you do, one day I will get to Pure!
deb
Still debating this issue. Great article.
Ron :)
Sorry, debating regarding coffee – not the raw diet.
Ron :)
Sarma, thank you for this article – spot on. Craving Goji berries now… :) Michelle
wonderful well-written article!! now i just need to break my addiction…
I am holding my head in a coffee stupor as I read this. I had kicked the habit years ago because coffee makes me feel weird even though I love the taste. I started drinking it again when coffee shop opened across the street from my job. I no longer have this job & I need to get off this stuff!! Thanks for sharing.
This article really hits home. You know is funny is that coffee one cup with chicory from Cafe du Monde is the one thing I never gave up Never. Then in the last three months.. I keep having my green juice after my coffee.. I am soooooo not a morning person… anyway.. around eleven I would say outloud to my folks.. why has coffee lost it caffiene.. I need the buzz.. well what I realized is that green juice has a kick.. I mean a physical and biological kick that when I first started drinking it would make me sick to my stomach. I loved the taste but not the feeling. Now I began to realize that that kick is what I thought that one lonely cup of coffee would give me at five in the morning.. so I slowly let it go.. The smell will send me craving but it just doesn’t do anything for me anymore.. I am looking for my amped up green power kick in the morning.. so Goodbye Old fiend.. It has been about two months without and I miss the ritual.. but I use my vitamix for warm juice or herbal tea or just hot water and lemon at five and then around eleven I find my burst of energy… I love this column. I know all of us have our secret vegan behaviors.. but slowly good sense and health win out. Cheers.. and thanks for the new ideas. Callie
Yep, coffee is one of my final vises (that and corn chips). Just gave in to it today in fact, I am most tempted about 2:00 in the afternoon. Maybe that would be a good time for a cacao/goji berry snack.
Thanks for all the ideas for alternatives, I will take them to heart and give coffee the boot!
Melissa
uugghhhh! Its like you were reading my mind an hour ago as I, filled with guilt, sipped my latte. I need to once again break the coffee habit!! I love it, but I need to break up with it! Thanks for the great article and thanks for Pure…..my husband and love it!
Totally understand. Coffee is a true addiction for me. I am trying hard to cut it out of my life, but it’s hard when I have certain emotions pertaining to my thyroid cancer. Will keep trying though. :)
I am also still debating the coffee issue. For one, studies have shown that it lowers the risk of skin cancer and Parkinson’s Disease. Second, many people who drink a lot of alcohol, itself a toxin, eschew drinking coffee. It doesn’t entirely make sense to me.
Oh coffee… you are so lovely. You make me feel warm inside, you wake me up, you suppress my ever-squealing appetite, and you smell and taste soooo heavenly. I will NEVER give you up.
I love my Vitamix because I can put almost anything in it to make a smoothy. I don’t drink coffee but drink tea for the caffeine to treat my A.D.D. It definitely helps me focus at work without medication.
I used to excuse my coffee habit by saying “but, the antioxidants! The studies that show 6 cups a day can ward off such-and-such … ” And then I stopped kidding myself. If I’m eating a proper diet, rich in veggies and fruits (for me that is high raw vegan), then I do not need the antioxidants from coffee because I am getting a better variety of more potent protection from my food. The studies are based on people who stick to the SAD, and coffee is sadly one of the largest sources of antioxidants in the absence of healthy, whole foods.
I’ve been coffee free for over a month now, and it feels great. I get more sleep, I haven’t had a migraine in that time, and my energy is stable – no more surges and crashes. And I’m no longer losing the nutrients that my coffee ingestion was blocking with my morning meal. What it really came down to was I only had room for one mug on the way to work, and the green juices and smoothies won out.
Your article inspired me to get off coffee. Yesterday I bought 100% Chocolate nibbles, Goji berries and unsalted Pistachio kennels, which make a great topping for any smoothie. This morning I am sitting here with a liter of tea in front of me. Thanks for the reminder to ditch the coffee habit. At least during the week at work…
First off, I just want to say i’m a HUGE fan. You are the primary reason I began to think again about going raw, at least 4-5 days a week. I love your blogs, and I totally plug you in mine. I got the most hits when I mentioned you, in fact:)
Anyway, I totally feel you about the coffee. That’s how it is with me and cigarettes. I was smoke free for crazy long and I was telling everyone how horrible it was to smoke and how good I felt to be done with it, and then life happened, and slowly but surely, I found myself driving down streets, hoping no one would see me with a cig in my mouth. You inspire me to keep it real and keep trying the best I can-and not for other people, but for me!
Has anyone seen this free video and report on how to use superfoods to lose weight and increase your energy? It’s pretty awesome. Just thought I would pass it along! http://www.wellnesswithrose.com/77superfoods/freereport.html
I obviously was in denial before I read this article. I had been coffee free for a year and half and relapsed during finals week about a year ago. Coincidently, I also developed a sweating problem. That little voice in my head kept telling me to stop. I even went to decaffeinated…still sweating…so I switched back to regular. It is embarassing to sweat so much. I change my shirt during the day it is so bad. I have anxiety at college and I’m sure the coffee adds to it. This article really inspired me to quit. Several days ago I didn’t have any coffee and the headache lasted a day and half. I was miserable. I drank coffee thinking it would cure the headache. Nope. This addiction has me lying to myself and going against my better judgement. I am ready to live in the real world and quit this addiction again. Perhaps I will feel more energy, lose tummy fat, and save money!
Great article, Sarma! I use to be hooked on coffee then I had to stop drinking it because I got crohn’s disease and it really hurt me. I would sneak a cup once in a while but I definitely felt it. Now I have been coffee free for 2 years! :)
July 21, 2009