I love coffee. There are few things that I enjoy as much a delicious, strong cup of Joe on a crisp morning watching the sun rise. I especially enjoy it at the beach, but anywhere is just fine as long as it's good.
Recently, I decided to give up caffeine. Not because I believe it's inherently bad for you, since there's a lot of research that supports coffee as a decent source of antioxidants and that it has a very positive effect on improving concentration and focus (which you know I need, if you know me personally). I gave up caffeine because I realized that I was using it as a crutch. Instead of getting adequate sleep, exercise and practicing good self-care, I was drinking 3 cups in the morning and downing 1-2 cups of black tea or Diet Coke in the afternoon. It was liquid energy instead of an occasional treat. I needed the change.
It took a good 3-4 days for the headache to stop after I quit the junk. It took even longer for me to wake up in the morning and have the level of energy I'd come to expect after my first cup of coffee was in me! But finally, I can say that when I wake up in the morning, I can enjoy a cup (or three) of decaf or skip it altogether and I don't miss the caffeine!
Today, I went to my favorite large coffee retailer, Starbucks for a rescue lunch because I'd missed a meal during a power shopping excursion (btw, my real favorite is Cool Beans Coffee in Marietta, but that's across town and I didn't have time for that today). I had been lamenting about having lost my Christmas Spirit earlier in the week and a friend recommended the Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha to help me recover it. So I ordered a tall non-fat version and grabbed a sandwich. I found a comfy chair and ate my sandwich, saving the coffee for "dessert". At 390 calories and 7 grams of fat (per starbucks.com), this was indeed my dessert for the day! Still, it was perfection in a cup...smooth, sweet, warm and exactly what I needed to lift my spirits...of course, I realized later that spring in my step was likely due to the fact that I forgot to ask for decaf. Ha!
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