I Gave Up Coffee For Matcha 2 Months Ago, and Here's What Happened

Dear coffee, I love you. I love your taste, your aroma — but I can't see you as often anymore. After two months of giving up my regular cup of joe, I can say that I feel better than ever. I still have the occasional coffee here and there, but only because I crave the flavor and smell, not because I think I need it. So why did I stop in the first place? I noticed that when I had coffee, I only felt more tired afterward. I felt faint, even if I was making sure to drink enough water. My jitters took hours to subside, and when it came time to sleep, I was restless. Once I did fall asleep, my rest was broken and all over the place. My solution? Part ways with coffee and try out matcha.

Coffee is a natural diuretic, which means it's dehydrating — and anything dehydrating can age you. That doesn't mean a cup of coffee will accelerate your wrinkles, but a continuous poor diet definitely will. Matcha, on the other hand, is loaded with antioxidants, which might be the key to fighting all sorts of diseases, from cancer to type 2 diabetes. And on the less scientific front, Jennifer Lopez avoids coffee to keep her energy up and her skin glowing — for me, that's reason enough.

Once I dropped my daily coffee, I experienced benefits within just a week, and I knew I couldn't go back. My skin started to clear up, and I started to notice a glow from the boost of antioxidants. I also noticed my energy didn't dip throughout the day, so I was less likely to reach for another coffee in the afternoon. Surprisingly, I found myself more able to control sugar cravings — an effect I was not expecting at all.

Am I saying that coffee has no health benefits? Of course not. Two recent studies published in the Annals of Internal Medicine confirmed coffee's most important health benefit: it can help you live longer. But every body is different. The only way to know if you'll feel better with or without coffee is to try going off it yourself. If you experience similar symptoms with drinking coffee and want to stop, start small. Bring yourself down to one cup a day if you currently drink more, then slowly start to skip days. See how you feel and make changes as you go. There is no one way to be healthy, youthful, and energetic.