Just over a year ago, the smell and taste of a warm nut mylk latte was heaven to me; I would crave it every single morning and usually every single afternoon. But the effects it had on my mind and body were anything but heavenly. I realized I enjoyed my morning ritual of sipping on a warm drink and slowly waking up, but this was the only “benefit” I got from drinking my coffee. I was left feeling anxious and less focused, and I had a difficult time falling asleep at night. I was blaming everything but the caffeine, because I didn’t want to let it go. Once I finally was convinced to try giving it up, I turned to matcha. I thought letting go of coffee would solve the problem, but the side effects didn’t disappear. The issue really was caffeine as a whole. I then let it go, and I literally never looked back.

Now, I feel like my energy is steady throughout the day, and I don’t get jittery or anxious like I used to. Overall, I have a much clearer sense of calm and balance within. It was tough to let go, but when I started realizing how much better I felt, it was absolutely worth it.

I later learned that you can actually be allergic to caffeine – the gene CYP1A2 determines how caffeine can impact you. You can test for the caffeine gene through a simple blood test that analyzes your DNA. I have yet to do this because I think I have a pretty good idea, but I do think it’d be interesting to see eventually.

Back to recreating my new post-caffeine morning ritual. This whole journey actually started as soon as I moved to my new home in Venice. I stumbled across a pop-up on Abbot Kinney serving MUD\WTR . MUD\WTR is a coffee alternative consisting of organic ingredients. It contains adaptogenic mushrooms like Chaga, Cordyceps, Reishi, and Lions Mane. I started drinking this every day and still love drinking it when I don’t feel like creating my own elixir.

Living down the street from Moon Juice, I started going into the café and chatting with the exceptional Alchemists about what I was looking for. We then created my own latte that I enjoy every day at home now. If you’re a huge cacao lover like me, you’ll love this. I drink it in the morning, and I nibble on raw cacao in the evening.

Emily’s Morning Cacao Elixir

Ingredients:

– 1 tablespoon of Raw Heirloom Cacao

– 2 tablespoons of Vegan Mushroom Collagen

– 2 mL Super Multi-Mushroom Synergy

– 1 teaspoon of Ghee Butter

– 1/2 teaspoon of Ceylon Cinnamon

– 8 oz, Homemade Cashew Mylk, when I’m buying at the store I prefer:

– Three Trees Unsweetened Almond Mylk – contains healthy fats and proteins

Add on’s depending on my mood: Cashew Butter, Spirit Dust, Ashwagandha, Reishi, Chaga, Cayenne Pepper

To Make:

1 Slowly warm nut mylk on the stove and then put all ingredients in your blender and blend on high until frothy.

2 Pour into your mug, sprinkle with cinnamon and/ or cayenne pepper and sip in bliss.

Everyone reacts to caffeine differently; my older sister can have 5 shots of espresso and fall asleep 15 minutes later. For me, this isn’t the case – this is just what works for me. Find out what works best for your body and forget the rest.

x Emily