swapping coffee for cacao
i honestly can’t remember when i started swapping my coffee out for cacao during my ovulation phase or my luteal phase. i think it came to a point where i felt actually crazy after drinking coffee - heart palpitations, panicky, sweating, random feelings of anger… the magical elixir of coffee should not make me feel this way!! i also started to examine why i was choosing it every morning. i barely gave myself the time to check in - did i need coffee? did i want coffee? how did i sleep? will this make me feel okay through out my day? what is ahead of me on my day? all of these questions are nice to consider before putting anything into your body that may not agree with you.
once it was decided that i would experiment with no coffee i needed an alternative. living in new england, i’m pretty much cold all the time except for maybe two months out of the year (it’s so fun…) so i need something warm in the morning. also, in terms of my ayurvedic constitution (vata) having something warm helps with my energy and overall being. a lot of australian bloggers i follow rave about their cacao so i figured i would try it.
plain old cacao like this one from Navita’s Cacao is bitter but not as bitter as say, when you make hot chocolate on your own with coco powder. it’s also important to note that cacao can be very ceremonial and you can order ceremonial grade cacao which is charged with Reiki or other positive energies. cacao in general has many health benefits such as supporting ibs symptoms and reducing inflammation, as well as offering potassium, iron, and (my favorite) magnesium. You can also add any adaptogens you wish to your cacao. My favorite is here - Spirit Dust.
my favorite cacao by far is from Flying Bird Botanicals. They have many different flavors and i’d say Vanilla Rose is my favorite. Rose is so calming and grounding in my opinion. I started drinking cacao on day 1 of my cycle as a way to invite myself into the inner winter phase. when i started exploring the removal of coffee/caffeine during ovulation or my luteal phase - cacao became a nice replacement. Of course, there is always tea (Roobois with a splash of almond milk is amazing)… but there is something about that warm cacao goodness that makes me feel so warm, grounded, and open!
to make your own sacred cacao drink follow the recipe below!
sacred cacao latte
ingredients
Organic Cacao Powder - 2 tbs.
Milk of choice
Maple syrup - 1-2 tbs.
Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp.
Ashwaganda (optional)
Favorite mug
to prepare
start by pouring your milk of choice - almond milk is my fave - in your favorite, fun mug, to measure.
pour the cold milk into a small pot on top of the stove (you can also use a fancy milk frother if you have one)
heat the milk and as it starts to heat up, add in the cacao, cinnamon, maple syrup + optional adaptogens
if you are using your milk frother, there will already be a nice foam on top. if you are using the stove top method use a handheld frother or even pour the mixture into your blender to create that nice froth on top!
pour into your mug, add another dash of cinnamon, close your eyes … set your intention for the day + sip!