Lola Berry's health hacks: Coffee alternatives

First the good news: coffee is jam packed full of antioxidants. These aren't affected by high temperatures so every time you have a coffee you're giving yourself a hit of antioxidants.

On the flip-side, coffee raises blood pressure more than many other things we consume. And too much coffee can overwork your adrenals which leads to excess cortisol (that's a stress hormone), which can make it that extra bit hard to drop any kind of tummy weight.

How much is too much? Well it all depends on the person but generally I tell clients to enjoy their coffee mindfully, like really enjoy the flavour and experience. Try to limit your coffee intake to one or two per day. And if you still need that "pick me up" later in the day, go for what I like to call the "clean caffeine" which is green tea. Granted it's not nearly as strong as coffee but you'll still get a bit of a kick from it.

If you want the comfort of a hot drink minus - or with less - caffeine, here are five of my go-to drinks.

1. Lemon juice in warm water. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of hot water. It's quite acidic and can erode the enamel of your teeth, so try not to swish it about too much. Or as weird as it sounds drink it with a straw. This is a brilliant way to support liver function.

2. Chai tea with almond milk. If you're wanting to save time it's an easy one to do at home, even just with a chai teabag. Pop the kettle on, steep the tea and add a dash of almond milk if you like it creamy. I sweeten with either maple syrup of stevia, but honey works well too.

3. Herbal tea. I love having a calming tea every night before I go to bed. Often it's a mix of lavender, oat flower, lemon balm and lime flower. There are so many great teas out there. Try them out.

4. Healthy hot chocolate. This really hits the spot! I use raw cacao, cinnamon, chilli, almond milk, coconut oil and a few drops of stevia. Recipe below.

5. Hot nut and date milk. Combine macadamia nut milk with cardamom, cinnamon and a few fresh dates. Blend it up then heat it in a pot. Best little warming hot drink.

RECIPE: Lola Berry's healthy hot chocolate

Serves: 1

½ tsp of raw cacao powder

1 tsp of extra virgin coconut oil

3 drops of stevia (or 2 tsp of honey/maple syrup or coconut nectar)

sprinkle of cinnamon

1 cup of almond milk

Pop everything into a pot and heat. Then top with a little more cinnamon. Delish!