Lots and lots and lots of people love their morning cup ‘o Joe. Like 90% of Americans. (I may or may not be in that 90%.) AND, if you’re going to truly detox your body, you need to skip the java.

A true detox is coffee-free because coffee (and it’s high caffeine content) decreases nutrient absorption (which is EEEsential for an effective detox), dulls the tastebuds making detox food (and all food) less satisfying, makes the body more acidic, taxes the detox organs (the lovely liver and the kidneys), fires up your adrenal gland in a not-so-pretty detox way, and often contains other naturopath no-no’s like sugar and creamer. Brutal, right?!

BUT!! Eventhough doing the 7-Day Detox starting on Monday *should* be coffee and caffeine-free, and you *should* take the next 3 days to wean off of caffeine, you can still do a world of detox good without a world of caffeine withdrawal headaches if you have to cheat ever so slightly…

Instead of coffee, have caffeinated tea (in order of detox diet supremacy preference):

1. White Tea: With the least caffeine and the most antioxidants, do it up. Also known as the supersonic tea supertonic. My favorite is Tazo’s Cucumber White. It’s no Joe, but it’s certainly someone!

2. Green Tea: It’s got a mediocre amount of caffeine so you shouldn’t get that knife-in-the-back-of-the-head headache (I may or may not know about that first-hand), but it also has a ton of healthy antioxidants, and tastes gross with milk & sugar (a good thing!). If you don’t like green tea, try ROASTED green tea like the Haiku brand found at Whole Foods Market. Tastes like a campfire!

3.Green Tea Latte: The one at Starbucks is amazing, but even a tall size without syrup has 31 grams of sugar. Might as well have coffee with coffeemate! Make your own:

Homemade Green Tea Latte
Makes 1 serving

1 Tbsp green tea matcha powder* (extra credit if it’s unsweetened)
8 ounces unsweetened soymilk
1/2 tsp stevia, or 1 tsp sugar (if you must)

Whisk ingredients together over medium-high heat until bubbly.

*The sweet matcha powder has 12g sugar per tablespoon, which is ok as long as you use unsweetened non-dairy milk

And there you have it! THREE ways to not NOT detox because you fear the lack of caffeine. Day 1 is the hardest — have the Green Tea Latte on that day and then sip through some plain green and white tea after that. See you in a few days!