What? I Shouldn’t Drink Coffee? What The Heck Should I Drink Instead?
When an ‘O’ or ‘B’ blood type finds out that coffee makes them acidic, that they can’t actually metabolize it, that it gives them chronic heart palpitations, and it will show up as undigested poison in their blood, they generally get angry. Trying to wrangle a cup of coffee out of the hands of most individuals is harder than wrestling an anaconda for their monthly meal.
We love the ritual, the warmth, the heady smoky taste first thing in the morning. Add a bit of cream and perhaps a dash of monk fruit and you get close to heaven. I’m no different. Meeting a friend for a green tea just doesn’t have the same ring. I also love the ritual of a hot drink several times a day. It’s how this Canadian-born gal stayed warm for over 50 years!
But did you know that coffee can totally mess with your blood sugar levels? Read Dr. Paul Saladino’s book, The Carnivore Code, for more on this. Also, did you know that coffee contains chlorogenic acids, caffeol, polyphenols, phytoestrogens, and diterpenes which are now beginning to be researched on their effects on human health?
Dr. Mark Hyman also speaks to loss of magnesium in coffee drinkers, “Elevated urinary excretion of important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium have been noted in coffee drinkers. An imbalance in your electrolyte status can lead to serious systemic complications.”
Over time, did you know that you build a resistance to coffee and it no longer acts as a stimulant? It also messes with your sleep. I know this first hand after helping thousands of patients get off their habitual brew, that they will often see improvements in the quality of sleep they get consistently every night. In turn, this leaves them naturally more rested for the next day ahead.
With a few minor shifts, you can find a replacement for coffee that will grow on you over time. No, none of them taste exactly like coffee, but your gut, heart, pancreas, nervous system, and your new alkaline bloodstream will thank you several times over. I kicked regular coffee drinking years ago in favor of my long-term health.
Here’s what I do instead of that black brew:
- Lemon or/and lime with hot water is a great way to have a hot, savory, non-glycemic spiking option with lots of vitamin C.
- Buy any number of organic loose teas (not black) like Sencha. It’s like flavored bone broth and will anchor your glycemic index holistically for the day with the healthy fats.
- Unsweetened matcha tea powder.
- Homemade Chai Tea:
Crush 4 cardamom seeds, 4 cloves, and 2 black peppercorns.
In a saucepan, combine 2 cups (474 ml) filtered water, a 1-inch (3 cm) slice of fresh ginger, 1 cinnamon stick, and the crushed spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger).
Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat.
Add 2 single-serving decaf. chai tea bags and let steep for 10 minutes.
Strain the tea into two mugs and enjoy.
- Rooibos tea is delicious without the trappings of caffeine. B Blood types can have whole raw cream.
- Organic apple cider vinegar (ACV) with hot water is actually delicious and alkalizing to the system.
- Homemade kombucha is something I’ve made and enjoyed as an energy drink for 15 years (ok for B blood types but not for ‘O’s given that it’s fermented with black tea).*
- Homemade water kefir is excellent and a natural rejuvenating beverage without all the sugar or black tea.*
- Hibiscus tea is such a lovely drink, both warm or cold, and it’s neutral for O and B blood types. I was introduced to this bright ruby red drink as ‘agua jamaica’ in Mexico many years ago, and I fell in love with this tart vitamin C rich elixir. I love Jamaica (say Ham-icke-ca) tea and will brew the flowers often with some allulose to sweeten a titch, to take the edge of the tartness. Here’s one that I recommend, but pure hibiscus flowers can also be bought in bulk in good tea stores: FGO Organic Hibiscus Flowers / Tea.
In additions to these, here’s a couple of options that I would recommend periodically in a state of health:
- Pure chicory root is fine for ‘B’s’ and ‘O’s’. In fact, it is listed as beneficial for both blood types, so have at it. Just watch for certain brands, like Teeccino, which contain barley, which is extremely contraindicated for these blood types, as most grains are. Here’s a pure chicory brand that we do recommend: New Orleans Roast 100% Pure French Chicory
- Golden milk is considered neutral for ‘B’s’ and ‘O’s’. It just depends on what you use as a base. Raw cow’s or goat’s milk is perfectly fine for ‘B’ blood types, while ‘O’s’ can use coconut milk, walnut milk, or almond milk without carrageenan. Both coconut milk and almonds have certain phytochemicals and Dr. Paul Saladino will tell you that these are highly contraindicated to your goals with regard to glycemic index. They also contain plant/nut toxins (that’s why nuts have such hard shells) given molds and their natural defense mechanisms, that show up as a toxic load in our blood which can aggravate your health goals, so consumer be-warey. While you can fashion your own golden milk with turmeric and cinnamon, here’s one we also recommend: DelighTeas Organic Golden Milk Powder Blend
- Organic decaffeinated coffee. Please don’t make me regret including this here as it is so easy to start to abuse a beverage that was once an addiction. If you have the capacity to handle one or two decaf coffees a month without sliding down the shoot of addiction, then I trust that you know what you’re doing and it may be considered ‘tonic regimen’, an opportunity to test your newfound health and immune strength to metabolize an occasional insult. As a ‘B’, I will do this on a rare occasion when my diet/beverages have been clean for several weeks, otherwise I risk a migraine. When you’re back, close to healthy factory settings, you tolerate less accumulated indiscretions and phytotoxins and you need to ask yourself, “Is it really worth it? Do I eat/drink to live or live to eat/drink?” Here’s a decaf jo (literally and figuratively) that I bought close to two years ago and still have at the back of my freezer: No Fun Jo Decaf.
Further to my case above for quitting caffeinated coffee, even the founder of Heilkunst Medicine, Dr. Samuel Hahneman, thought coffee was a deleterious substance for one’s health when he wrote, ‘…constipation, impotence, dental caries, abscesses in children, pulmonary mucus, blue rings around the eyes, leucorrhea, ulcers, general megrim, nervous affections, chronic diseases, insomnia, stammering of speech, lack of appetite for food, ophthalmias, rattling in the chest, etc.’ (On Coffee, 1803, Lesser Writings, pp401-9)
You can also read at length Dr. Henry Clarke’s proving on ‘Coffea Cruda’ if you want to really sink into the reasons we need to address this addictive substance in our patients. See here: https://www.materiamedica.info/en/materia-medica/john-henry-clarke/coffea-cruda
My hope is that you’re already taking the necessary steps to let go of this addictive substance. Coffee really doesn’t have your best interests at heart (literally and figuratively) and you deserve a full, whole, and healthy life without addictions.
Trusted sources:
https://www.caffeineinformer.com/benefits-quitting-caffeine
https://www.weancaffeine.com/blogs/all/7-most-powerful-reasons-to-quit-caffeine-right-now
http://homeoint.org/morrell/articles/pm_coffe.htm
*Note: The black tea and sugar used to ferment kombucha or water kefir are negligible as the scoby and kefir grains consume the majority of these substances during the natural fermenting process. Still, individuals with diabetes or high glycemic issues should avoid both ‘booch’ and water kefir until their blood sugar is wholly in check.
Note: ‘A’ and ‘AB’ blood types can actually have coffee a couple times a week without causing themselves harm. In fact, it’s listed as neutral for type ‘A’s’ and highly beneficial for ‘AB’s’. That means that ‘AB’s’, who represent only 4% of the population’ are the only ones that should be drinking coffee. If everyone stuck to their blood type diets, the billion dollar coffee industry would tank overnight.