I Gave Up Coffee A Year Ago Today. Here's Why I'm Never Going Back

For years I lived under the notion that sliding into my mornings with a steamy cup of joe was the only way to get the creative juices flowing. After all, what do chic French painters, brooding British poets, and their muses all have in common (apart from their drool-worthy studio apartments)? Since the beginning of time, a cup of black coffee has done more to set the scene than any moody jazz soundtrack ever could. Channeling my inner Carrie Bradshaw, I’d grab the biggest mug I could find and fill it to the brim, praying for the brew to jolt me into a state of inspiration.

However, time and time again I was left feeling shaky, unfocused, and frazzled after finishing said coffee. On my never-ending quest to look and feel my best, it became impossible to ignore the fact that my beloved drink was no longer my friend. In fact, upon closer examination, I realized that coffee had never really been that good to me.

As it turns out, whether you can or cannot handle the venti Americano all comes down to your DNA. Yep, researchers have found a gene (PDSS2) that plays a major role in how our bodies metabolize coffee1. If you’re blessed with a stronger expression of this gene, your body processes java at a slower rate, allowing you to feel calm, cool, and collected after downing your latte. However, those of us with weaker PDSS2’s metabolize caffeine too quickly, resulting in dangerous energy dips that prompt symptoms like nausea, headaches, and the shakes.

Sick and tired of feeling sick and wired, I gave up coffee exactly one year ago and haven’t looked back since. Not only did quitting coffee improve my mental and physical health, but it also led me to my latest love—matcha. Clinging to the ritualistic nature of enjoying a morning coffee, I originally drank matcha to fill a void. However, it didn’t take long for this antioxidant-packed tea to steal my heart, truly changing my world for the better.

For as long as I can remember, migraines and headaches of all shapes and sizes have been a part of my daily routine. And while I have yet to find the perfect cure, I do know that cutting coffee has made a noticeable difference in their frequency and severity.

Some people make loaded nachos, but I make loaded matchas. Instead of adding creamer and sugar like most people do to their coffees, I add superfoods, healthy fats, and adaptogenic herbs to my lattes—kicking their health level up a solid 10 notches.

Nearly all of my matchas follow this formula, but feel free to get creative when whipping up your own!

As someone who is sensitive to caffeine, working in an office with unlimited free coffee is dangerous. Nine times out of ten I’d refill my cup out of habit, not necessity, leading to hot flashes, mood swings—the works.

We’ve all been there—your caffeine buzz is fading fast, you feel like you could collapse on the spot, and Rick from accounting comes over and insists on giving you the complete rundown of his weekend from start to finish.

Call me crazy, but nobody wants to spend their mornings dealing with hot flashes, brain fog, blurred vision, and heart palpitations. I’m still shocked that it took me so long to put two and two together and realize that drinking coffee was negatively affecting my physical health.

My brain on coffee looked like someone who’s been behind the wheel of a really beat-up car for 10 hours straight with no radio. Day after day I would struggle through my mornings, feeling exhausted, unfocused, and easily distracted.

Falling in love with matcha is both a curse and a blessing. On the one hand, it can be frustrating to discover that some of your go-to cafes don’t sell matcha. On the other hand, going on the hunt for your morning green tea latte can help you stumble upon some of the best little eateries that you would have never had the pleasure of finding otherwise. I’ve spent many a weekend scouring the streets of NYC for the perfect matcha, pushing me out of my 'hood and into some of the most Instagrammable coffee shops I’ve ever seen—#score!