21 Day Optimal Energy Challenge

The principle of the 21 Day Optimal Energy Challenge is simple, yet profound. If for 21 days, you take yourself off of stimulants that stress your body and exhaust your endocrine system, two things will happen. First, you will develop a new relationship to those substances that will change your habits and awareness of your body with lasting effects. Second, you will know the difference between balanced energy that feels good and stays stable and erratic energy driven by stimulants that leaves you feeling exhausted and unstable. That knowledge will stay with you afterwards to help steer you towards choices that support optimal health.

The two primary stimulants used in the modern diet are sugar and caffeine. By using Teeccino Caffeine-Free Herbal Coffee to replace coffee and by only eating foods that don't have added sugar, you will keep your blood sugar balanced. If weight loss is your objective, you'll see those extra pounds starts to melt off as your natural energy levels rise. The rules are easy, the program is simple to follow and you won’t have to stick to a restrictive weight loss diet other than to eat nutritious whole foods.

AFTER 21 DAYS:

• YOUR TASTE BUDS WILL BE RETRAINED
• YOU’LL BE MORE IN TUNE WITH YOUR ENERGY SUPPLY
• YOU’LL BE MORE SENSTIVE TO THE EFFECTS OF STIMULANTS
• YOU WILL BE IN CONTROL OF YOUR ENERGY BALANCE

KEEP IN MIND:  This is just for 21 days. You can do it!

The Goals:

1. To wean yourself off your dependency on stimulants like caffeine and sugar that cause stress, weight gain and ultimately fatigue.
    
2. To stabilize your blood sugar so you can control your appetite and lose weight.
    
3. To give your adrenal glands a rest from caffeine so they can rebuild your natural and plentiful energy supply without stimulants.
    
4. To take control of your cravings that don't serve your health.
    
5. To retrain your taste buds to enjoy other flavors like sour, savory and bitter rather than the American diet of sweet, sweet, sweet. 
    
6. To avoid caffeine withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting coffee "cold turkey", such as headaches, fatigue, and irritability.

The Challenge

• Remove caffeine from your diet using the Teeccino Kick the Caffeine Habit Program in a maximum of 14 days. (See tools below)
• Eat only natural sugars as they occur in fruit and vegetables where they are bound by fiber.

Let’s Get Started!

Wean Yourself Gradually To Avoid Withdrawal Symptoms

Start by blending your normal coffee 3/4 to 1/4 Teeccino Caffeine-free Herbal Coffee in the filter. Gradually reduce the percentage of your coffee over a two to three week period until you are drinking 100% Teeccino. You should be able to avoid the painful withdrawal symptoms and also gradually adjust your body to less reliance on stimulants.

Use the following proportions if you make a 10-cup pot of coffee daily:

2. Reduce Your Sugar Intake:

Sweets to Avoid:

• Avoid any foods with added sugar such as muffins, cookies, cereals, sodas, juice, candy and chocolate. 
• Stay away from cane sugar, honey, maple syrup and both fructose and agave syrup.
• Avoid all synthetic sweeteners including NutraSweet, Splenda, Sweet & Low, etc. Watch out for hidden sugar in ketchup, mayonnaise and other condiments.

Sweets you can eat:

• Non-caloric sweeteners such as Xylitol, Erythritol, and stevia found in natural food stores.
• Eat as many apples a day as you like when you want something sweet. Other seasonal fruits may be enjoyed such as berries, tangerines, oranges, kiwis, grapes, melons, and pomegranates.
• Go easy on super sweet fruits like bananas, mangos, and pineapples.

3.  Healthy foods you can enjoy:

• Baby carrots, low salt nuts, unsweetened yogurt, nut & peanut butters on slices of apples, low fat cheese, salads, whole grains, and proteins like tofu, fish and chicken.
• Natural foods with a low glycemic count. Check out low glycemic foods with a score UNDER 50 at: http://www.lowglycemicdiet.com/gifoodlist.html

 Dessert:

• Drink Teeccino Mediterranean Herbal Coffees like Vanilla Nut, Hazelnut, Mocha, and Chocolate Mint for a satisfying dessert without all the calories. Add frothed milk and if desired, sweeten with stevia or Xylitol.
•  Make a bowl full of fruits with vibrant colors. Add plain yogurt and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

4.  Healthy beverages to replace caffeinated sodas, coffee and tea:

• Drink Teeccino, instead of coffee, in the morning and afternoon for an energy pick up.
• Instead of sodas, drink mineral water with a squirt of sliced lime or lemon or a splash of your favorite unsweetened juice.
• Refresh with Iced Teeccino: Chill brewed Teeccino. Add milk or non-dairy milk and pour over ice. Sweeten with stevia or Xylitol.
• Drink caffeine-free herbal teas. Rooibos is an excellent alternative to black or green tea. It’s high in anti-oxidants and other health benefits. Try Tulsi teas too that help relieve stress.
• Teeccino's new Tee-bags making brewing anywhere easy and convenient. Take them with you in your purse or pocket so you will always have a cup at your fingertips. Also, check out the Bodum Bistro Brewer, the Swiss Gold One-Cup Brewer and Mini Minit One-Cup Filters for more options on brewing single cups at home or on-the-go.

5.  Dealing with Energy Slumps:

We all experience them when we least want them. Those moments when we wish we could take a nap but we're in a meeting, or taking care of others, or have a deadline to meet. Here's how your can deal with them to get steam generated that will keep you going:

• Drink Teeccino Herbal Coffees when you feel a mid-morning or afternoon energy slump. Try making a Teeccino smoothie with some fruit and protein powder to replace a meal or snack and give you longer lasting energy.
• Eat an apple to stave off hunger and for a quick, energy-producing snack. They are high in fiber and will fill you up.

5.  Helpful Herbal Tonics & Supplements:

Herbal tonics, also known as adaptogens, help rebuild adrenal health and can help you restore your natural energy more quickly. The definition of adaptogens, a term coined by the Russians when they were looking for herbs that gave their astronauts and athletes physical advantages, is:

Adaptogenic herbs have been shown to increase energy and endurance, increase resistance to stress, whether the cause is physical, chemical or biological, and normalize physical systems by strengthening the immune system, the nervous system and the glandular system. Adaptogens enhance the body’s ability to recover and may be taken on a continuous basis without causing any harm.

• Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus) and panax ginseng (Panax ginseng or Panax quinquefolius) traditionally combined with licorice are considered adrenal tonics. Both are classified as adaptogens. 
• Other adaptogens that can be of help to weakened adrenals are astragalus, schizandra berries, rhodiola and ashwagandha.

Our preferred method of taking herbal extracts, is to buy them in liquid form. Then simply put a dropperful of each one in a 1/2 cup of juice in the morning.

You might also consider some herbs to help detoxify the liver, kidneys and bowels.

• Milk thistle, or the extract Silymarin from milk thistle, is a proven liver protective herb that prevents the entrance of liver toxins into the interior of liver cells. It also stimulates the regenerative ability of the liver and increases the formation of new liver cells. Since the liver’s job is to detoxify drugs and toxins like caffeine, your liver will work more efficiently once it is no longer taxed by detoxifying caffeine.

Many people use caffeine as a laxative in the morning and need help reestablishing normal bowel movement. On the 21 Day Optimal Health Challenge, you can wean yourself off of a dependency on caffeine to stimulate peristalsis, and create healthier habits that will produce bowel movements normally.

• Teeccino, with its rich inulin content and soluble fiber, can usually accomplish this task alone since inulin supports the bifidobacteria in the colon and soluble fiber helps form a soft stool.
• If more assistance is needed, a bulk fiber such as chia seeds and psyllium seeds will gently promote normal bowel function and can even help reduce cholesterol. Add chia seeds to your yogurt and salads. Take Fiber Harmony to get your daily dose of psyllium seeds for fiber and heart health.

To counteract brain fogginess while quitting caffeine, take these recommended herbal extracts and nutritional supplements:

• Gotu kola, rhodiola and gingko biloba can help clear that brain fog and restore your normal brain clarity.
• Nutritional supplements that support adrenal health are the B vitamins and in particular pantothenic acid (B-5). 
• Co-Q10, chromium, potassium and magnesium aspartate can help provide a real energy boost by increasing metabolic efficiency.

Health Educators Speak Out About Caffeine And Sugar:

Brendan Brazier,
The Thrive Diet:

“If stimulation is used when it will not help you achieve something of value, it is an uncomplimentary stress. I consider coffee drinking an uncomplimentary stress. I view it as a form of credit, similar to shopping with a credit card. You get energy now that you don’t actually have, but you pay for it later – when the “bill” or fatigue hits. Simply drinking more coffee to put off the inevitable is like paying off one credit card with another: It will catch up with you sooner or later. You’ll most likely pay a high interest rate as well, needing more time to recover than if that energy had not been borrowed in the first place.”

“Food cravings, usually for sugary or starchy foods, are often telltale sign that the diet lacks nutrients or is tired. Cravings and chronic hunger, if not addressed, will lead to weight gain and fatigue in the short term and, in the long term, any number of health problems.”

“Nutritional stress, for the average North American, is by far the greatest source of uncomplimentary stress…Not eating enough natural, unprocessed foods rich in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, high-quality protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and good bacteria (probiotics) is a major source of stress on our bodies…Not having enough nutrients in our diet is a form of nutritional stress and therefore produces a stress response.”

Mariel Hemingway,
Healthy Living From the Inside Out

“If you use caffeine throughout the day, then time and again you’re forcing your adrenals to respond as if there’s an emergency. It’s no wonder that when this becomes a habit it puts great wear and tear on the body…Without a regular intake, you feel withdrawal symptoms, such as powerful headaches. During one notorious episode when I quit coffee cold turkey at the height of my habit, I forgot all my lines on the TV show I was filming and the crew resorted to holding cue cards saying, “please have some java!’. Coffee had such an effect on my wiring that without it, I was turned upside down.”

Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin,
Skinny Bitch

“We all know how difficult it is to stay away from sugar. But if you don’t exorcise this demon from your diet, you will never be a skinny bitch. Take a look around your kitchen and become aware of all the places the devil is lurking. Probably in places you wouldn’t ever expect to find ‘him’. Read the ingredients of your breakfast cereals, breads, crackers, junk foods, everything. Sugar is like crack, and food manufacturers know that if they add it to their products, you’ll keep on coming back for more.”

 Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons,
Potatoes Not Prozac

“Yes, you can be addicted to sugar, to sweet foods and to white-flour products that your body responds to as sugars. This addiction is physiological and affects the same biochemical systems in your body as do drugs like morphine and heroin. You can actually get high on sugar. Eating it can make you feel euphoric immediately afterwards. If you don’t have your regular sugar “fix”, you may experience withdrawal symptoms. Yes, You can become physiologically dependent upon the effect sugars have on your body.”

Dr. Ron Rosedale,
The Rosedale Diet

"Excess sugar poses a far greater threat to your body than excess fat (which isn’t good either, but is not quite as bad as sugar – diabetes can kill you faster!). When sugar combines with the proteins in your body (called glycation), it triggers chemical reactions that can be very damaging to healthy cells and can cause aging, disease, and death. Sugar burning also promotes the formation of potentially high amounts of toxic chemicals called free radicals, unstable oxygen molecules that can damage cells and ultimately lead to numerous diseases. My hunch is, the body probably burns off sugar first as a defense mechanism to protect you from the potentially lethal effects of sugar. Thus, if we bombard our bodies with sugar-producing foods, it becomes harder for our bodies to switch to fat-burning mode.”

The information in the 21-Day Challenge is for educational purposes only. If you have a health condition, please consult with a physician. The information in this challenge is not meant to used in place of a doctor’s advice.