Is Coffee so bad?

Many in the medical field are now warning their patients to get off coffee. Why is that? Well, because coffee increases blood pressure and screws with your blood sugar levels mostly. And, let's get real... most don't have "just" black coffee right? There are many, many things that go into it. Creamers, different sugars, artificial sweeteners... in some cases, those add-ons are even more harmful than coffee.

And, I know... most start rolling their eyes when I mention this, but for real, coffee is one of the crops with the most pesticides. In addition, if you are having said coffee in a kcup, or using a white coffee filter, you are dealing with even more harsh chemicals. Kcups need stabilizers and other chemicals to make them shelf stable. White paper filters are made white with toxic bleach and leach fibers into your drink.

Why should you care? Well, it increases your toxic load. So, just that bit of coffee from these products can mean the difference between feeling sick or not. Here again, no one is going to admit it to you, but this is true.

Did you know, coffee is one of the most highly pesticide-laden product of our time?

• The pesticides along create havoc in our bodies with the proper absorption of nutrients from our food.

• Coffee is very acidic and therefore rough on the digestive system.

• Yerba Mate is loaded with pre-biotics and nutrition, actually healing the digestive tract rather than tearing it down.

• Yerba Mate affords many health benefits that coffee does not have like adaptogenic and antioxidant components.

Coffee is also quite acid-forming. So, if you are dealing with any kind of inflammatory issues like pain, arthritis, eczema, gout then staying away from coffee is a must. If you have any kind of gut issues like bloating, acid reflux, irritable bowel, I know I am not the first to tell you that coffee will exacerbate those issues also.

When I was trying to lose weight, I would drink coffee in the afternoon, around three pm. And for sure, it took away my appetite for about half an hour, but after that? It came back with a vengeance. I would need to eat everything in the refrigerator. When I became a nutritional counselor, even though I couldn't point to a study that said all of this, I would plead with my clients to not drink coffee in the afternoon. They would immediately see results. Here is a before picture.

Yerba Mate is super simple and economical to use. You can get it in teabag form, use a travel cup or go the "authentic route" with a mate gourd and bombilla. That is my favorite since I love the "feel of it!" Like someone with a favorite coffee mug, you just have to find what is right for you.

Here is the scoop on coffee VS Yerba Mate.

Hands down, and in all categories, Yerba mate is more healing for the body and softer on the system.  That's it in a nutshell. If we are talking about acid response or inflammatory response, yerba mate will do the opposite of coffee. It will actually help heal those issues.

Get off coffee and switch to Yerba mate. 

Most people dealing with weight loss, have trouble in the afternoon staying away from sugar, so they reach for a cup of coffee. What they don’t realize though is that coffee might make the cravings come back even stronger. Coffee gives you the jitters and makes you “wired but tired” whereas yerba is a smoother lift and will not leave you shaking in your seat.

When I was trying to lose weight, yerba was definitely one of my go-tos. Drinking coffee not only gave me the jitters but it also gave me a voracious appetite. So, yerba mate was like finding a hidden treasure. It helped me release the three pm M&M run. In other words, I could drink some yerba, have a bit of fruit and I was good. I didn't need to run to the office break room and secretly stuff my face because I was looking like a junkie at my desk, all sweaty and shaking.

Another reason people go for coffee is to get a bolt of energy. Sometimes it is lack of sleep, or stress, or some kind of food that was "off" there is a dip in energy, or even worse, an inability to shake exhaustion in the morning, and coffee is "needed" to bring the energy levels up to normal. This is another mistake as coffee might give you a bit of a rush, but later comes the crash and it is always worse.

Yerba gives you a feeling of "active relaxation" where you have energy but there is not crash. The best part is that the increased energy also comes with an ability to focus your brain in a way that coffee doesn't do. Rather than a scattered buzz from coffee, yerba stimulates and focuses. You will get more work done.

Let's talk poop!

Ok, you knew I was getting to this part, right? While yerba mate is known for being enjoyed by the Gauchos, who are the cowboys in South America who needed to stay awake all night to watch the cattle, the women of the city adopted yerba mate for their own reasons!

Not only did yerba reduce appetite, but yerba helps you poop! That's right, for any issues with constipation, get on a regular diet of yerba. It keeps the bowels healthy and keeps the bowels moving nicely. I think you get the picture, and I won't go into more detail.., but, if you have any issues with this topic, drink yerba and if you need more information on this, we are happy to chat! Just send us an email.

Getting off Coffee - What about the Headaches?

We have found that most people making the switch, do not get the headaches associated with stopping coffee. In fact, at the time I was pregnant and was forced to give up coffee, I went on yerba mate and never once had a headache.

It is an easier transition than you might think, but if you are worried, we have a step by step approach.

We suggest that you add yerba into your routine before you get off coffee completely.

1. Have your regular cup of morning coffee in the morning.

2. Follow it up with yerba. Have a cup of yerba.

3. For the next few days, switch back and forth like this until you get to the point where you are only having one coffee in the morning.

4. In the afternoon, if you need another cup of coffee, go to half cup of coffee and then only yerba.

5. When you are ready, in the morning, you can do the same, go to a half cup of coffee and continue in the same way.

6. After 4-5 days, drop either the am or pm coffee, and a few days after that, you will be able to get off the coffee altogether.

Test this for yourself!

Yerba Mate has the same caffeine boosting effect as coffee, but there is not the big “drop off” that normally occurs with coffee. You will not get a headache or hunger.

Watch for "organic yerba mate."

When creating SoulMate Yerba Company, I made sure that the yerba we used would be organic. No need for toxic pesticides. A lot of bottled yerbas are not organic, and because of that, might give you other issues. So, always look that the label says "organic."

Many use coffee for the big burst of energy it provides, not realizing that there will be a crash and possibly cravings that also come from it (you know the sugar and carbs). Organic Yerba Mate is different - yes there is caffeine however the boost of energy is natural (better for our bodies) because there are no jitters and no “come down.”

No beverage compares to yerba mate when we are talking about health benefits, including nutrition. Yerba boasts 24 vitamins and minerals and 15 amino acids! All organic and natural.

Yerba mate is like green tea “on crack.” 

Let us know what you like about drinking yerba mate after you make the switch.