Matcha can boost your energy levels. Picture: Supplied Matcha can boost your energy levels. Picture: Supplied
Many people start their day with coffee, but for some people, coffee can be addictive and create dependency.
For some, that dependency is a sign that it’s time to look for a replacement.
Switching up your morning beverage doesn’t have to be complicated, here are caffeine alternatives that are beneficial to your health.
Lemon:
Lemon water is a great way to start your day. It’s calorie-and-caffeine-free and provides an ample dose of vitamin C.
A 2017 study on The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health indicates that, as an antioxidant, vitamin C plays a role in your immune system and protects your skin from sun damage. It’s essential for creating collagen, a protein that provides the basic structure for your skin, tendons and ligaments. Ditching your caffeine is beneficial to health.
Green Tea:
Try brewing some green tea, which has slightly less caffeine than a cup of Joe but enough to give you a boost without any of the coffee jitters.
Along with having several health benefits, green tea also makes for a great alternative to drinking coffee.
Matcha Tea:
Matcha is a type of green tea made by steaming, drying and grinding the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant into a fine powder.
In contrast to brewable green tea, you consume the whole leaf. For this reason, you’re getting a much more concentrated source of antioxidants — epigallocatechin gallate, in particular.
Smoothies:
There are a lot of natural ingredients that can boost your energy in the place of coffee. So it makes sense to combine those in a smoothie to have at the beginning of your day. Adding these Matcha powder, almond milk, blueberries, strawberries/raspberries, chia seeds and mint to garnish can help you power-up
Decaf Coffee:
According to composed nutrition, decaf coffee (or decaffeinated coffee) has about 5-10 mg per cup, which is significantly lower than the average 100 mg in a cup of regular coffee. This is a great option if you are looking to lower your caffeine amount, but still want that coffee taste you’re used to. Making it a great almost caffeine-free coffee alternative.
Kombucha:
Kombucha is a fermented variety of tea, containing colonies of live bacteria. Often carbonated, the health benefits of kombucha as a probiotic have been widely publicised, backed by claims that it improves digestion and immunity in addition to being a plentiful source of vitamins and enzymes.