Why I ditched caffeine for turmeric

I have been a coffee addict since my early twenties.

I’m not talking some cutesy latte addiction either. I’m talking, pure, fresh, unadulterated caffeine. The good shit. My very own black tar heroine.

Think, Lorrelai Gilmore running around Stars Hollow in search of the perfect brew kind of obsessed.

It all started with those miniature espressos you get in France. I was living in Paris at the time (how quaint of me, I know), and started ordering myself said miniature espressos. Unsurprisingly, I got very quickly hooked on strong, bitter tastes, tiny mugs and daily caffeine rushes. Of course, adding in heaps of sugar only added to the jitters. I moved swiftly from espressos, onto cafetieres. I felt like my coffee addiction needed a promotion, and the espressos were getting a little too small for my liking. Waltzing around my Parisian flat (that I shared and rented) with my cafetiere, I felt like a real life version of myself. Live and caffeinated to the nines.

Ever since the Parisian days where my dirty little love affair with coffee really began, I’ve never looked back. Until now.

It seems sad I know, to break up a relationship that was so clearly destined to last a lifetime, but as it turns out, coffee in large doses really isn’t that good for you.

My epiphany about this, funnily enough came about a year ago when I had several strong coffees at work one day and consequently couldn’t concentrate on my computer screen amid my caffeine shakes and headache. I say funnily enough because, despite this incident, and despite the fact that I tried for a week to halt my coffee intake, I went back to it. It really was my black tar heroine, and I the addict unable to quit.

A year on, and I haven’t ‘officially’ given up coffee, but I avoid it where possible.

What I have come to realise, is that maybe my love affair doesn’t have to end completely, but that it needed to change. I’ve also realised that it wasn’t always coffee that I craved, but a hot drink. Something warm to fill me up in-between meals or whilst I sat at my desk working. Since relinquishing long blacks, cappuccinos, lattes, flat whites and all the above, I’ve discovered some not too terrible alternatives. My favourite though has to be the turmeric latte.

Sounds gross, looks gross, tastes great.

I’m a fan of chai tea and cinnamon, cardamon and other spices, so I think perhaps this is why I love the turmeric latte so much. Turmeric itself is a spice commonly found in curries, but has some incredible health benefits including, anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidant, increased levels of curcumin that can help brain function, arthritis and depression amongst other things. Not bad, eh?

So try ditching the caffeine for a week and see what happens. I DARE YOU.

How to make my Turmeric Latte (recipe courtesy of Sara from Healthy Skin Glows Instagram)

1. 1 cup of non-dairy milk (my fave is Oat Milk)

2. 1 tsp of turmeric powder

3. 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

4. 1 cardamon pod, bashed with pestle and mortar

5. 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

6. Dash of black pepper (optional)

7. 1 tsp honey

8. Chuck all ingredients into a saucepan and whisk together over the heat. Once warm enough, tip into mug and enjoy.