Mushroom Coffee

Why I love coffee…and don’t drink it.

My favorite ice cream flavor as a kid? Coffee. When I was 15 I took a weekend job baking muffins and making bagel sandwiches that started at 4:00am, which I fueled with caffeine. In my 20’s I became a barista and helped manage a small cafe and coffee roaster. It was here that my true love of coffee started. I always liked the taste. I drank it every day. Not a lot compared to some, but it was certainly a habit that caused a few days of headache if I was doing a cleanse.

When I worked at the coffee roaster I learned to appreciate, notice, and love the nuances of coffee the same way some taste their wine. I discovered the deep, creamy, chocolate notes of beans from the island of Java, and the raspberry undertones of a Tanzanian Peaberry, and the citrus twist in a Colombian light roast. I was a coffee purest, only black and only the good stuff.

I even read This is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollen in which he investigates the history and scientific effects of different drugs including caffeine, and deemed coffee as a drug that I was willfully addicted to. I felt more awake, more productive, and even more than that, I really, genuinely enjoy the taste of coffee. It was an integral part of my morning ritual. Wake up, roll out of bed, walk to the kitchen, set the water to boil, grind the beans, prepare the french press and a few minutes later, I would savor the first crema-topped sip. The smell, the taste, the process, I loved all of it.

If I was in such a love affair with coffee why don’t I drink it anymore?

Well, for one thing, a lot changes in your body after you have a child. After having our daughter, a lot of what felt normal before effected me differently afterward. And to be honest, I ignored some of these things for years. I could go on a tangent here, but the beautiful and beastly parts of becoming a mother are details I will save for another post.

Over the past three years (our daughter will be three in January), I have known that my hormones are out of balance. Have I been to a Naturopath and had blood work done? No, I live in a remote beach town in Panama and make every excuse possible not to go to the doctor. And as a wellness advocate, let’s be honest, sometimes we are the worst at advocating for ourselves. So, I knew something wasn’t quite right but all I wanted to do was to get back to being me again, the ‘me’ before I was pregnant. I went back to old routines and habits. And coffee, of course, was one of them.

Then, I was hosting my second yoga teacher training here in Panama, and a dear friend and holistic nutritionist was coming to cook for us. With training in Ayurveda and a deep respect for the human body, she asked if we would be drinking coffee during the week. You see, it is a drug and if we are treating ourselves purely and with honesty, we need to understand that. So, in the spirit of authenticity, I offered the students to take a detox from caffeine, specifically coffee, and I would join them in solidarity.

About a month before the arrival of the group, I started my coffee cleanse. I have quit coffee for short periods before so didn’t think too much of it. The first day, in the afternoon, the blinding headache came and lasted into the night and the next morning. When it finally subsided, my mind was blanketed in a thick fog. And after about a week, I felt the veil lifting and my brain started to function again, my adrenals kicked back in and my body began to reset without the need for a caffeine jump start. After that, it got much easier to go through my morning ritual and the day with coffee.

I had help though! I am happy to share with anyone and everyone how much I love Anima Mundi Herbals. This is not a paid sponsorship in any way. Anima Mundi is an apothecary created and cared for by a woman native to Costa Rica who has a profound respect for the earth and immense knowledge in the world of plant medicine. I have been using her products for a couple of years now. And when I quit coffee, I leaned on her blends to create a new morning ritual. Rather than making coffee in the morning, I would make one of her teas, adding a tonic or tincture for extra healing. Other mornings, I would warm coconut milk and mix in her Happiness powder for a adaptogen boost. If you don’t know, the trendy ‘mushroom coffee’ is often still a mix of some coffee with ground adaptogenic mushrooms. I was making a fully coffee free version.

There are many ways that you can create a warm, healing, delicious morning drink to smooth out the transition away from the comfort of coffee. I could end my story here and say that life is better without starting the say with a drug that was dis-regulating my nervous and endocrine systems. PERIOD. However, the full story doesn’t end here.

After a couple of weeks without coffee, I felt more balanced. My mind was more settled, I was less anxious about the day to day and I even found myself more patient with my daughter. Then I started my menstrual cycle. I have dealt with intense dysmenorrhea from my first period. Seemingly magically, my cramps, heavy flow and PMS symptoms were mild! I thought it may have been a coincidence, too good to be true. Yet I stayed off coffee for another month and again, my symptoms stayed much softer.

Then I slipped up. We have an adorable little jungle cafe here in our paradise town and I couldn’t resist a cortado. That was enough to get me back into coffee. Not right away but gradually I fell back into the comforting routine of making my morning french press.

Over the next six months I certainly noticed the effects of coffee again on my body. My heart would flutter just with one cup. My menstrual cramps returned and I found my mind scattered and my patience thin. Coffee is such a sneaky, delicious drug and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye, again. Funny how even those who are most sensitive to our bodies can use the mind to convince ourselves that everything is ‘fine.’

I can’t tell you the exact circumstances, but just over a month ago I took an honest look at my body (from the inside). I realized how effected my body and my mood were by my morning cup. It set the tone for the whole day. At the same time, I decided to say goodbye to alcohol (again, another post for another time). I bought a decaf coffee, stocked up on Happiness powder and Golden Sun Milk, and adjusted my morning routine. The effects were almost immediate. After the headache and fog phase, I feel lighter, calmer, more connected. I wake up naturally ready to take on the day. My cycle symptoms have softened and I feel I am mentally a better mother and partner. I even find my creativity and focus increasing the longer I go without a reliance on coffee.

My unintentional self-experiment has given me the most wonderful results. Nothing I write here is meant to be medical guidance or even something that would work for everyone. All I can say is it is working for me. Listening to my body, making conscious choices and changes is something I teach. It is also something I practice. The human body is designed to be healthy and filled with infinite potential. Sometimes we just need to get out of our own way.

Thanks for reading. I’d love to hear your own stories about your relationship with coffee. Feel free to share!

I hope your day is filled with light, happiness, and health.

With love,

Loren