I think I've been addicted to coffee since forever. Maybe it started in college, when doing term papers and thesis extended til late nights, and there was nothing else to keep me awake until early morning. Red Bull won't cut it, since I didn't like the taste. So coffee it was. And it all started when I would hang out at an empty Starbucks which was open for most of the night. The wifi internet was a bonus. No doubt the staff already knew my name, and they knew exactly where I would sit.
But I decided to cut off my coffee addiction for good. It was a good part of my mornings as an adult, and it made me feel good. Of course, its ingredients are responsible for that, but there were days when I'd go overboard with 3 more cups and I was gaining weight. Besides, the sugar was just bad.
So, I decided to make a change. Since last month, I've been drinking any of these alternatives every morning.
Turmeric Powder
I used to try herbal drinks before, back when I used to manually prepare fresh ginger back then. The bad thing was, I couldn't like the strong, hot taste so I'd add lemon or sugar. Sometimes the taste was so strong it won't go away. So I'd just drink a little less often than I'd like to.
The good news was, I bought a jar of powdered turmeric that turned out to be pretty good. I was wary of trying it but I was glad I did. It had a mild, sweet taste and the spicy taste wasn't there.
It's pretty cheap as well, and you only need a tablespoon to make it.
Lemon
There's a supermarket nearby that sells lemons for cheap. Problem is, we don't always go out to buy, and we could get too busy to do anything, really. And when we buy 4 lemons, it can get expensive if we buy more so we don't buy that often.
Sometimes I like having a little sour taste in my warm water first thing in the morning.
Black tea
I used to drink green tea a lot, but the grocery store that was nearby where we used to live didn't always have it available, so I wasn't a heavy drinker. I'm reviving it now, by trying different kinds of tea. This time I buy black tea online and the brand I bought was great!
Not having any packets of coffee at home tremendously helps, but sometimes somebody would bring home some sachets so I'd briefly thinks of having a cup. But I guess I'm over it now, and I like having less sugar on my daily food intake!