HOW TO DETOX FROM COFFEE
I can tell when I need to detox because my morning cup of coffee makes me jittery and anxious. Your liver’s phase I detoxification enzymes start the process of eliminating xenobiotics – substances that are foreign to the body including caffeine, pharmaceuticals and pollutants. Not processing caffeine as efficiently as you usually could is an indication that your phase I detox pathway is backed up, and your enzymes can’t handle your xenobiotic load. So the first step in detoxification is removing caffeine. If this sounds like it would kill you, you’re not alone. Quitting cold turkey gives me a days-long migraine, so here’s what I do instead.
Get a bag of decaf, some of your regular caffeinated coffee, and a container large enough to hold 14 days-worth of coffee beans or grounds.
Scoop enough beans or grounds for seven days worth of regular coffee into your container, plus one day’s worth of decaf. For me, that’s two heaping tablespoons per day, so I add 14 heaping tablespoons of regular coffee and two heaping tablespoons of decaf.
Mix the regular and decaf beans or grounds together well.
Every day, make your coffee with the beans or grounds from your container, then replace the amount you used with decaf, and mix it in well.
By the end of the 14 days, your coffee will be almost all decaf and you’ll be ready to start your detox.
If you buy your coffee already-brewed from a coffee shop, ask them to make espresso drinks half-caf or dispense your brewed coffee with part decaf.
Don’t think you can make it through the day without coffee? If you’re very fatigued and rely on caffeine to give you the energy to do daily tasks, that is a sign of deeper health and lifestyle issues that need to be addressed. If you’re under chronic stress or don’t get adequate sleep, you may be suffering from cortisol dysregulation or adrenal insufficiency, which is actually made worse by caffeine. Gently removing the caffeine, using stress-handling techniques and developing healthy sleep habits along with optimizing your nutrition and hydration will ultimately give you the sustainable energy you need to feel your best. You can schedule a consultation with Alina to develop a step-by-step, supported plan.
