Warm Your Body and Soul with These Soothing and Nutritious Beverages that aren’t Coffee!

As the temperature drops, there’s nothing quite like sipping on a warm drink to lift your spirits and comfort your body. While coffee is often the go-to option, there are many other delicious, nutrient-packed drinks that can warm you up while offering unique health benefits. Here are some alternatives to your regular cup of joe to keep you warm through the fall and winter.  Don’t get me wrong, I love me a nice cup of coffee or two, but once it hits 3pm, I try to cut back on caffeine so I’m not up all night.  Plus, some people want, or need, or avoid caffeine.  So let’s dive into these yummy coffee alternatives.

Herbal Tea
Of course tea is on the list.  There are several herbal teas out there with health benefits, but despite the name, herbal tea is not actually tea. No tea leaves from a tea plant are used in the making of herbal teas.  Instead, herbal teas use herbs, spices, dried fruit, and/or dried flowers to create their flavor.  Meaning, all herbal teas are caffeine free!  Let’s take a look at a few.

Health Benefits

• Chamomile Tea: Widely known for its calming effects, it can help promote relaxation, reduce anxiety, and even improve sleep quality.
• Ginger Tea:  Ginger is well known for its ability to reduce nausea, support digestion, and ease inflammation. Combined with lemon, this drink can be a great way to support your immune system coming into cold and flu season as well.
• Hibiscus Tea: The hibiscus flower contains anthocyanins- which are antioxidants.  They can help with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and may have antiviral properties.
• Peppermint Tea: Peppermint tea can help soothe digestive issues, such as bloating or indigestion. 

Instructions
This one is pretty simple!

• Buy your favorite tea, or a few different ones, you never know what you might be in the mood for!
• Boil water.
• Seep the teabag for 5-10 minutes (or however long you want to infuse the flavor) then remove the tea bag and enjoy!

Matcha Tea
Macha is a powder that is made from finely ground green tea leaves.  Matcha uses the entire tea leaf, so it’s higher in caffeine than your standard green tea.  For reference, a cup of coffee (6 ounces) has about 100mg of caffeine, a cup of matcha (8 ounces) is around 70mg of caffeine, and a cup of green tea is about 40mg of caffeine.  Now, onto the health benefits.

Health Benefits

• Contains antioxidants that can help protect cells from damage that can lead to chronic diseases.
• Specifically contain the antioxidant catechins, which can be shown to lower blood pressure and help lower LDL (your bad cholesterol).
• Polyphenols found in matcha may help protect against cancer.

Instructions
Typically found in powder form, you can just add it to almost anything you want.  Usually the powder comes with a scoop, or you can use 1-2 teaspoons per 8 ounces.  Adjust the amount of powder to find the flavor level you like.

• Mix 1-2 teaspoons in hot water for a nice warm pick me up (remember, it has caffeine).
• Mix 1-2 teaspoons in milk: using milk would make it a matcha latte- ooo fancy!
• Add some to your smoothie.
• Add a few teaspoons to your baked goods like muffins or pancakes.
• Sprinkle some in your oatmeal or yogurt.

Mushroom Coffee
Mushroom coffee is essentially instant coffee blended with dried mushrooms.  You’ll get less caffeine than coffee, but definitely not caffeine free.  Looking at a few different brands, it looks to be about 35-65mg per cup, so about ½ the caffeine of a regular cup of coffee.  

Health Benefits

Mushrooms have some properties that may help with immunity, heart disease, reduce your risk for cancer, improve focus, aid in digestion, and more- these benefits are all on the labels of various mushroom coffees.

• BUT!!!! In human trials the evidence is lacking for all these claims about mushroom coffee.  So maybe the benefits from whole mushrooms doesn’t translate to mushroom coffee, or maybe we just need to do more research.  Mushrooms are good for you, so you could totally try it if it sounds good..  

Instructions
There are a lot of mushroom coffees out there, so find one you like, maybe based on flavor- some have cinnamon in there- yum, or other such ingredients..  Maybe you want to find the lowest caffeine, or perhaps the one with the most varieties of mushrooms- the more the better?

• All you need is hot water and the mushroom coffee, though a lot recommend a little frother to give it a really good mixing.

Bone Broth
Bone broth was quite popular a few years ago, and, to be honest, I never really looked into it.  But…looking into now, I’ve actually recommended it to a few clients for various reasons.  I’m liking it as an option when you want something warm and savory but maybe not a full meal..  Bone broth is exactly what it sounds like, animal meat and bones boiled in water to make a broth.  So it is certainly not vegetarian, FYI.  

Health Benefits

• Protein. The amount varies by type/brand, but I’ve seen 8 grams for 8 ounces, not bad for a very light drink..
• It contains collagen- which may help with joint health and make your skin more supple.
• Electrolytes like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium are also found in bone broth, essential for every day health, but also key for muscles and nerve health.

Instructions:
You can certainly make your own by boiling meat and bones for about 24 hours, adding some spices and herbs, straining it all out…or just buy it.  It’s found in most stores next to your regular broths, even Aldi sells it.

• Pour a little in a mug, heat it up and sip.
• Use it as a base for soup to up the protein and health benefits a little.
• Use it to hydrate foods for reheating- like that chicken casserole that gets a little dried out in the microwave.

Golden Milk (or Turmeric Milk)
Golden milk is a traditional Ayurvedic drink made with turmeric, which gives the drink its golden yellow color.  This is another caffeine free beverage, and since you’re likely going to make this yourself, you control how sweet it is, which is a nice bonus.

Health Benefits

• Turmeric is a spice that contains curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. 
• Research is seeing positive benefits for inflammation, arthritis, high cholesterol, anxiety, and kidney health- to name a few.

Instructions

• 1 cup of milk (dairy or plant-based)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, simmer for 10 minutes and enjoy!  This one is pretty simple, but if you want, you can find it premade, or a powder version of it. 

Hot Cocoa
Hot cocoa made with cacao powder is not only delicious, but can provide some serious health benefits. Plus, it’s not as hard as you think.  (Did anyone else  grow up on Nesquik like I did?)

Health Benefits

• Cocoa powder  is rich in antioxidants, particularly flavonoids, which support heart health by improving blood flow and lowering blood pressure.
• It also provides a mood-boosting dose of magnesium.
• Some research shows cocoa powder can help with insulin resistance and lowering triglycerides.

Instructions

• 1 cup milk (dairy or plant-based)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A pinch of cinnamon or cayenne (optional)

Throw it all in a saucepan, stir together and heat until desired temperature is reached.  Pour it into your favorite mug, then sip and enjoy!

From soothing herbal teas to antioxidant-rich matcha and golden milk, there are plenty of warm drinks that offer a variety of health benefits beyond the typical coffee break. These beverages are not only comforting and delicious, but they also provide unique opportunities to support your health, however you need to support it!  So, don’t focus on one, but rather, which one would be beneficial at the time.  Sometimes I want soothing tea for my digestion, other times I want a nice comforting cup of hot cocoa to boost my mood.. Whether you’re craving something sweet, savory, or refreshing, there’s a warm drink out there to suit every mood and moment. Happy sipping!

Stay Happy, Stay Healthy

This blog was written by Chris Henigan MS, RD, LDN, co-founder of Simple Start Nutrition.  For more blog posts and nutrition information follow @simplestartnutrition on Instagram and Facebook.  Also feel free to contact us, by visiting our website (simplestartnutrition.com) to schedule an appointment to discuss your nutrition related needs.