My Love/Hate Relationship With Coffee

My issues with coffee

Like some of us, I struggle with anxiety to a fairly high degree, and the pandemic certainly didn’t help it to go away. Anxiety looks different for everyone, but for me, it shows up as analysis paralysis and the inability to make decisions, constant negative self-talk, an inability to think clearly, chronic people-pleasing, crippling insomnia, and feeling like I’m in a constant state of panic. To sum it up, anxiety definitely turns me into the worst version of myself. 

When deciding to try making some lifestyle changes to help improve my anxiety, I had to take a pretty hard, close look at what was helping, and what was not. One of the first things that came to mind was my relationship with coffee. I loved it and relied on it each morning to zap my brain awake, but what about how it made my heart race within 20 minutes? Or how my limbs would shake and I’d sweat for hours, and how my mind seemed to start racing with non-stop intrusive thoughts? How long would I continue to ignore how awful coffee was actually making me feel? 

How I discovered mushroom coffee 

So, 7 months ago I decided enough was enough and I quit drinking coffee. But it wasn’t easy. I really missed all the good parts of coffee… the delicious taste, the stimulating smell, and how it warms my soul every morning.

I briefly tried matcha and green teas, which I knew were full of healthful compounds and antioxidants, but it just wasn’t the same and they didn’t get me going like coffee. So after doing some good old fashioned Instagram research to see what the kids are drinking these days, I heard about mushroom coffee. I figured why not give it a try, sounds like there’s tons of benefits to drinking superfood mushrooms, and who knows, maybe it’ll be the perfect morning cuppa for me. 

The first brand of mushroom coffee I tried was Ryze. I didn’t not like it, but it didn’t taste like coffee and it definitely wasn’t as good as coffee, but I put up with the earthy, slightly burnt flavour and the thick layer of mushroom powder sediment left in the bottom of my mug each morning. Next I tried FourSigmatic’s mushroom coffee called Think, and while it was actually delicious and tasted just like coffee… it basically was just that. Coffee. Ground coffee with mushroom powder mixed in. Unsurprisingly, I felt most of the same side effects I’d get from coffee, but perhaps to a slightly lesser degree.

Overall, though, after about 3 months of drinking various brands of mushroom coffees, I did start to notice that I was starting my days feeling more calm, relaxed, focused and less anxious. Must be the mushrooms! If only these mushroom coffees didn’t taste like mushrooms…

Then 3 months ago at the Planted Expo in Vancouver BC, I discovered, by the grace of the mushroom coffee gods, a fabulous looking mushroom coffee company called Eightbillion. After having a great chat with their fantastic team members John, Noel and Holly, and tasting their mushroom coffee JostArriba, my jaw literally dropped to the floor. 

I could have sworn I was just tricked into drinking a regular cup of coffee! It tasted just like a delicious cup of good quality coffee. It is easily the best tasting mushroom coffee I’ve ever tried! Safe to say I bought myself some JostArriba and it’s been game-changing for me. 

1. It tastes like coffee, not mushroom powder mixed with instant coffee
2. It has clinically tested brain-boosting ingredients & medicinal mushroom extracts that have scientifically proven benefits provided in clinical doses, such as ashwaganda, l-theanine and coffee berry to help improve mood, calmness and focus, and lower anxiety
3. Unlike many mushroom coffee brands, JostArriba contains freeze dried coffee instead of spray dried, which makes it 100% water soluble, which means no sediment left in the bottom of your mug 

After one week of drinking JostArriba  I was feeling more focused and alert than ever before in the morning. Plus the most important benefit I noticed was that my heart wasn’t racing and my anxiety wasn’t spiking 20 minutes after drinking it. Not to mention no sweating at all, no shakes, no gut rot. None. At. All.

I’ve been consistently drinking JostArriba for 3 months and it gives me full-body energy within 20 minutes of drinking it, and I feel so much calmer and level-headed throughout the day. Coming from someone who really struggles with anxiety, I can’t express enough how meaningful this is to me! Being able to go back to enjoying my morning coffee without feeling terrible after has been truly wonderful.

Finally, for the first time in my life, I am at peace with my coffee: I can enjoy every sip of JostArriba with no anxiety, only enjoyment, energy, focus and calmness.

Watch me enjoying JostArriba and start my every morning with energy, focus, calmness and deliciousness: What I Eat In a Day! Healthy Vegan Recipes

PLUS: Try JostArriba for yourself and save 20% off your first purchase with my promo code STEAMYVEGAN at www.eightbillion.com/steamyvegan. Thank me later!