In keeping with one of my quarter-year resolutions, I have adopted a few new healthy habits. In fact, I have a “100 Tips for a Better Body Book” and I’m slooooowly adding a few of the suggestions into my daily routine. (Let’s not discuss the fact that I’ve had this book at least two years and am about half-way through!)
One of the first tips recommends substituting your morning coffee with a cup of hot water mixed with juice from half a lemon. (Sounds terrible, doesn’t it??) Since I live in the middle of a lemon garden I thought I’d give it a try. I’ve done this for almost one week now, and ya know…whatever. I feel no better-no worse-no less tired-no less awake, and it doesn’t taste as disastrous as it sounds!
But, and I am admitting this only to you, my friends, I cheated. I did. Instead of substituting the hot lemon water for my morning coffee, I added the lemon water to my morning beverage buffet.
Oh, come on! What would you do?
Hot Lemon Water
Espresso Italiano
Cappuccino from Il Cedro
I never claimed to have will power!
However, on the positive side, there is now evidence proving your morning joe is good for you!
So, what about you? Are you a one-cup-a-day drinker, a day-long sipper, or a hot lemon water kind of morning person?
Let’s compare notes!
I did this morning drink before when I’ve done detox programs in the past. I never drink much at all in the morning except a small glass of room temp water. But just last week I bought some lemons at the market to start adding to water, tea, etc – b/c I heard it’s a good think to clean your insides and build immunity.
OK…you know me…1-2 cups in the morning. I really have been doing better these past few months, and just limiting myself to 1 cappucino in the morning. ( the change might have had something to do with the gunky work coffee pot that gets cleaned like twice a year…YUCK!) I will have an instant cappucino in the afternoon or sometimes a hot chocolate as a pick me up. I really do love my coffee and can’t see eliminating it either.
For the past several years I start the morning with cup of green tea which I usually have even before rising from bed (I put the tea kettle on then fill a little pot and take it back to bed). Coffee at that time is too jarring.
I love coffee too, but only between about noon and 6PM. My favorite is a little cup of espresso loaded with sugar so it’s like candy or a cappuccino.
I noticed your pic of espresso Italian looked like it had cream in it. What’s with that? And is it true Italians think it is gauche to have cappuccino after noon?
Lemon schmemon.
There’s plenty of time throughout the day to drink such stuff…the morning is for coffee (American or Italian) or cappuccino for me. Maybe freshly squeezed orange juice. Maybe 😉
My sister does the lemon water thing. I’m definitely a coffee in the morning person. I do have decaf coffee though – does that count as being healthy? :S
Well, I don’t consider myself a hard core coffee drinker but rather a foo foo coffee drinker (except when in Italy). Yes, I frequent that place…. S@#$b*@k’s on a weekly basis. I could go daily but limit myself for caloric and budget purposes. I’m not a pretentious person though you would question that when you hear my order: Venti non-fat sugar-free caramel macchiato stirred extra hot. It sounds bad but it really isn’t. fat-free/sugar-free (keep calories down to maintain girlish figure); stirred-to mix up the coffee & milk as I don’t like the strong taste; extra hot so it lasts a long time. I get this every Wed. morning on my way to work to a 2-hr. staff mtg. Arrgh.
I’m a huge Ice Tea drinker, it must have lots of ice with lemon. Oh how I missed it while in Italy. Thank goodness for Hard Rock Cafe, they took care of my vise.
Cherrye, glad to have you back posting on a regular basis. You haven’t updated us on your B&B in a while, how is it doing? Is it what you expected?
I love my morning coffee. I use nonfat milk to feel less guilty.
I’m always amazed because I never drank coffee before I moved to Italy. Now I’m a strict 3 cups a day drinker and I feel 10 years younger!! Just kidding, but you always find Italian Research on how good Italian coffee is for you. And hey it seems to be working for the locals….It has to better than all the coke I used to drink..
I’ve always been both a coffee and tea drinker. I used to have two cups of American/northern European style coffee in the AM followed by 1-2 mugs of tea after lunch. I’ll drink espresso but I don’t love it – and I loove my mug of American coffee in the AM.
Now I’m pregnant so I’ve been trying to cut down. I’m down to one cup of American coffee in the AM and 1 mug of strong tea in the PM – but even then I feel a bit guilty. My friend in Australia gave up caffeine completely while pregnant (and alcohol and soft cheese) – I just dont have her amazing willpower. Probably the kid will come out and order a cappuccino. 🙂
2 cups of Joe for Joe in the AM (I feel like I’m writing in code) then there’s always the after lunch espresso:) – It’s good for you Cherrye! I’ll tell you one thing, that cappuccino looks a lot better than that lemon-water-soapsudlooking thing:) Please don’t say you’re going to start substituting your vino now too.
I have the healthiest regimin of all: ice water. 🙂
Erin. The hot lemon water thing is a little bit addictive! I’ve been having one in the morning (along with coffee or cap) and then one after lunch instead of an espresso.
Andea – Ummm…hot chocolate sounds good. I know a lot of people here love Italian hot chocolate, but, either I’ve never had it “good” or I don’t like it. It is sooo thick and not very sweet. Give me Swiss Miss!!
J – I like green tea, too…but in the afternoons! It is funny that in the land of coffee, I drink more tea than I do in America! Boh! The “cream” you see in the espresso cup is from the coffee. Our B&B coffee maker makes pretty good coffee, and it comes out that way…nice and creamy! If you want, you can add some of the froth that you would put in a cappuccino in an espresso and it is called a macchiato. I sometimes prefer these to cappuccini because the coffee is stronger, but it isn’t bitter.
Sorry…it is true. Italians only drink cappuccini in the mornings. I don’t understand why. Peppe says it is because cappuccini are heavier than espresso and so they don’t like that later in the day…again…boh!?! But – I dpn’t mind breaking the “rules.” If I want a cappuccino later in the day, I have it. The capuccino polizia haven’t shown up yet!! 🙂
Michelle – notice I said I “added” the lemon water to my morning routine. I didnt exnay the coffee! One good thing about American coffee, though is that I can drink it all day – afternoon – night and still sleep. I tried that ONCE with Italian coffee and I didn’t sleep ALL NIGHT. Seriously – not even 5 minutes did I sleep. Won’t make that mistake again!
Delina – Does decaf taste the same? I have never had it!! Although I am thinking that when we start having babies I might try it…I dunno…
Linda – your drink is my drink…except the “sugar free” part. I like the caramel macchiatos with skim milk (but I still let them put the whipped cream on top) ha ha I really miss foo foo drinks here. I brought some vanilla with me from Texas, though and have been enjoying the ccasional Vanilla Cap. Peppe loves them. We have a hometown “Italian cafe” in Beaumont that I much prefer to Starbucks. I am getting thirsty thinking of them. They are $$$ though, aren’ they?
Nadine – ditto. I use skim milk for cappuccini and in America I LOVE the flavored creamers…but I try to get at least low-fat options!
Jeff – I think Italians could find research to back ANY of their habits! lol But, I think coffee has some good benefits (see the three links!) I started drinking coffee after college when I went into the workforce. It was the “think to do.”
Kataroma – I had to laugh at the image of your baby craving cappuccini!! LOL. I’ve never read the “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” so I don’t know all of the things it is recommended you give up. I do know that coffee will be the hardest for me, though. I mean, I love my vino, but coffee is a must! Why is soft cheese bad?!? Man oh Man!
Joe – I started substituting my red vino for grape juice and I feel GREAT! J/J…That one isnt going away! The water lemon looks aweful doesn’t it?? The first time I made it and it had all of those suds I threw it out cause I thought the cup had detergent in it!! lol The cap tasted better, too, but the lemon water really isn’t bad! Really…
Amber – You DO have the healthiest habit of all. I am trying to drink more water, but then I can’t get any work done cause I gotta go to the restroom all day!
I have the eternal half cup…I try to drink it hot then I get busy and it gets cold I refill it with hot coffee and then have a bit and it gets cold…I don’t think I ever actually have a full cup of hot coffee! But I LOVE the stuff!