My New Caffeine Fix

I’m a bit of a coffee fan….

Ahhh… there’s nothing like a steaming cup of Joe to give you that jolt to start your day. Coffee has so many alluring properties. It’s inviting scent, it’s velvety warmth as you take that first sip…and the next sip… and the next sip…. oh how I do love coffee!

Now, I’m a firm believer in the “everything-in-moderation policy” and this is where coffee stands for me. However, after a while, I found that I would knock down 2-3 cups in the morning depending on what side of the bed I woke up on. I would go about my morning, energized, awake, motivated to conquer my day, but when 3 o’clock rolled around, I was started to feel like someone had taken a straw and sucked up every last drop of my energy juice. It was weird… I didn’t want to counteract this feeling with more coffee so I would just pull through it. But it got so bad that I began to evaluate my daily habits..

Why was this happening to me?! I’m usually full of pep, but I was dragging so to speak. Was I getting old?! Nah… I always vowed to myself that no matter what my numerical age, I would always feel young at heart and I would accomplish this with a steady yoga practice and a balanced vegetarian/vegan diet. But enough with the new age babble, I needed to get to the bottom of my energy vortex!!

So I did some experimenting. At first I upped my juice quantity. That gave me some energy but I still felt drained. I then decided to cut coffee from my diet. I had been so programmed to have a “morning beverage” that I would have to admit this was hard on me in the beginning. Nevertheless, I supplemented with Kombucha which actually was a cure to my energy conundrum. But I was craving something more….

The answer to my prayers came in the form of my fiancee. He suggested that I try Yerba Mate(Pronounced ER-Ba MAH-teh although my significant other thinks its funny to pronounce it in it’s more phonetic version:Yer-bah Māte). Now, I’ve seen this many times in my lifetime but never had the urge to try it.

Some fun facts about Yerba Mate
It is believed to have more antioxidants that Green Tea
It gives a cleaner energy than it's coffee counterpart that is long lasting while giving one "mental clarity"
It has a high Polyphenol content as well as containing vitamins such as vitamins C, B1, and B2.
It helps boost the metabolism with natural supplements such as Chromium, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Potassium, and Zinc
Its one of those precious practices that can be traced back for centuries.

So on a trip to our local health food store, I made it over to the tea section. There are a handful of selections you can make but I chose Mate Factor’s Dark Roast Yerba Mate and the original Fresh Green Mate.

The Dark Roast is composted of Yerba Mate, (slow roasted)Roasted Yerba Mate, Roasted Barley, and Roasted Chickory. The Dark Roast is almost a dead ringer for coffee… almost. Once my taste buds adjusted, I really came to love this morning drink. Add a little vanilla soy creamer and BAM! your in business. The original Green can be drank the same… with cream and sugar if desired.

Now, the verdict. After drinking Mate for a few weeks, my energy levels remain at a high throughout the day. When I was using coffee as my energy fix, I felt like I had pooled all my energy in the morning and by the time the afternoon rolled around, I was completely tapped out. But when drinking Mate, Dark Roast or Original, I felt… clean energy.