How to Get a Healthy Morning (or Afternoon) Buzz

It’s no secret, Americans love their stimulants. Stressed, sleep-deprived, over-worked, under-fed, on-the-go… It’s no wonder we turn to the two biggies caffeine and sugar for a little pick-me-up once, twice or more times every day. The average American drinks 693 cups of coffee and consumes each year! How do you overcome the challenges of the American lifestyle without further compromising your health?

The obvious answer is: eat a well-rounded healthy diet with lots of fresh leafy green vegetables, sleep 7-8 hours every night that includes the hours of 10p.m.-2a.m., do weight-bearing exercise 40-60 minutes a day, drink 60-70 ounces of water a day, get plenty of natural sunlight and take time for rest and relaxation. Yeah right! We consider ourselves to be two fairly healthy individuals, and we’re lucky if we hit even one of those targets on any given day. Hello Mr. (insert stimulant of your choice here)! The two we prefer if we need to go there? Coffee and cacao.

Let us explain…

COFFEE

A study conducted regarding the breakfast practices of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, revealed one common thread to the start of their day; drinking a cup of black coffee. No other commonalities! According to Men’s Health Magazine, coffee may reduce the risk of Parkinson’s, dementia and Alzheimer’s. And coffee does improve short term memory.

However, coffee plants are one of the most heavily pesticided plants on the planet. Coffee beans would definitely not fall into the category. To add insult to injury, decaffeinated coffee is further processed with chemicals to remove the caffeine, unless this is done using the Swiss water method or other non-chemical process. Adding sugar? That’s just adding another stimulant, and stimulants further stress out an already stressed body.

Our solution was to find a top quality local roaster who visits the farms he purchases his beans from in Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Colombia, etc., and personally knows the growers. George Howell (GHH Terroir Coffees) verifies in person that the beans he buys are farmed safely, whether the farm is Certified Organic or not. He takes his coffee seriously, and pesticides would degrade the flavor and integrity of his coffees. GHH Terroir coffee by the bag (whole bean or ground) is available now at Whole Foods and at Each Peach Cafe!

CACAO

We extolled the many benefits of cacao (raw chocolate) in our previous post on . To recap:

Cacao is the BEST natural food source of antioxidants, magnesium, iron, chromium, manganese, zinc, copper, omega-6 fatty acids, phenylethylamine, anandamide, tryptophan, serotonin, fiber, and methylxanthines (caffeine and theobromine). Cacao shields DNA from free-radical damage, supports the heart, increases brainpower, increases flexibility, builds strong bones, increases alkalinity, fights anemia, balances blood sugar, oxygenates the blood, boosts the immune system, liver and pancreas, and improves skin.

We use cacao liberally at Each Peach Café, in our chocolate smoothies and our raw desserts. It’s a healthy way to give us instant energy when we need it (only on occasion!), combined with healthy fats like avocado, proteins like almonds, and more to then sustain us so we don’t crash and burn after the caffeine effects wear off.

THE TRUTH

Most likely, if you need a pick-me up first thing in the morning or at some point in the afternoon, it’s because you’re dehydrated. Drink a liter of water upon waking! 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated, and in 37% of us our thirst mechanism is SO WEAK it is often mistaken for hunger (uh oh!).

We have a lot more to share about water… Stay tuned!

Lori and Augusta

PS. Our Each Peach Pick is our hot or iced coffee with a FREE scoop of chocolate or vanilla ice cream on top. Yum! While supplies last...