I Quit Coffee. Then The Unexpected Happened

Coffee is not only ubiquitous, but it’s fun, too. There are the different beans, blends, machines, and adorable cups. You can have it plain, espresso, frothy, milky, sweet, or all of the above. My family was a family of coffee drinkers. Reserved for adulthood, I did get to sip the tiny grocery store sample cups with my dad when I was younger, but coffee as a habit might be the only of rite of passage I actually had in my life. It felt sophisticated to graduate from regular drip coffee to owning my very own French press. By then, my parents had moved on to a Nespresso machine and I once bought them some of the luxurious looking pods as a gift. Coffee has a language all its own.

Unfortunately, I also grew up with extreme eczema and constant sniffles or sore throats. My ailments reached a climax when I was 20 years old and I had to find an answer for my health. Eventually this led to working with a nutritional counselor. He had me cut out several things. Coffee was one of them. I negotiated. I mean, give it up entirely? That couldn’t be right. He said to make it a weekly treat instead of an everyday habit.

Everything he told me was working. My skin was far better, my digestion was incredible, and I had more energy, focus, and strength, so a Sunday cappuccino at my favorite healthy bakery instead of having any coffee at home became a weekly ritual. I got a fruit juice sweetened shortbread square and soy milk in the coffee. I drizzled in a bit of maple syrup which, when blended with the soy milk, tasted something like a marshmallow fluff — light and airy. I tried to make it last as long as I could and not give in to the desire for a second cup.

Then I got busy and missed a week or two and went back for my same order. By this time, I’d completely changed my diet and while still delicious, the coffee left me feeling unwell afterwards. I felt like I was coming down with the flu, but by that evening I was fine. The next week, the same scenario. I felt lousy very soon after drinking a coffee.

I did not want to believe it but I thought, okay, maybe I’m getting sensitive to the caffeine. I ordered a decaf the following week and that absolutely felt worse. I was sweaty, and shaky as well as feeling like a flu got me. My head felt achy and dull. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and wrap myself in a blanket until I felt better. I actually got miffed at the counselor the next time we spoke when he said my reactions were normal and expected.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I said. He was kind and told me that I needed to learn it on my own.