Saturday, June 26, 2010

Giving Up and Moving On

No, I’m not quitting my job. However, what I did quit is my outrageous addiction to Starbucks’ grande lattes. What motivated me to quit was not the delicious and soothing caffeinated warmth that my beloved lattes provided me with, but rather their after effects. I begin to realize that my lattes were the gastronomic equivalent of frenemies. I was constantly nauseated, bloated, gassy and sometimes if the combination of espresso to dairy products was in perfect proportions... well, let’s just say gastric distress cannot be ignored. My warm hug from a Starbucks cup was beginning to feel like an uncomfortably tight embrace. Since giving up Starbucks, I feel like I’ve given up a part of my identity. How can I manage to be the same nurse without a Starbucks cup affixed to my hand? It would be like Dr Grumpy sans Diet Coke. It just doesn’t seem right. Having said that, it has only been 6 weeks – in terms of Starbucks sobriety, I’m still in the infancy stage. Maybe I’ll have one bad shift or a sleepless night and I’ll go running towards the shiny green logo. But because I’ve made my attempt to give up my Starbucks dependency somewhat public, I feel obligated to continue to tread the path of less caffeine for as long as possible. Plus, my wallet is beginning to feel a bit heavier and I’m liking that better than my midsection doing the same!

The question remains, what should be my new (and healthier) signature beverage?

26 comments:

Unknown said...

I have no suggestions for you because I admittedly am night shift nurse and as a result a starbucks addict with no hope of sobriety. Sorry... but I will wish you luck in your endeavors! You are a brave soul. haha

woolywoman said...

Black coffee. There's more coffee in the cup when theres no other crap. It's cheaper, it has more caffeine, and you don't have to jack around looking for cream and sugar. When it goes cold, add ice, and it is iced coffee. It does not spoil. It is perfect, it is love, it is proof that G-d wants us to be happy.

Nurse J said...

my facility has free diet coke on tap for the nurses. i think thats pretty damn cool.

Rachedy said...

I'm with Grumpy. I drink diet cokes all day long. My co-workers make
fun of me, tell me I'm going to have all sorts of diseases. It's my only vice.

ED INTERN said...

OJ Had to give up my favorite hazalnut java and have replaced with OJ. Tropicana no sugar added no pulp with calcium.Lots of different types you can choose from.

OMDG said...

Black coffee. I think it's perfect. It's hard core. It says, "I'm a no nonsense nurse, don't think for a moment that I'm going to take your crap."

lisa said...

Rockstar.....

the purple stuff if you can find it and don't mind calories. Otherwise, the blue can stuff is wonderful. Awake ALL shift.....

RehabNurse said...

I'm all for black (or very light on the light) coffee too, Maha.

Diet Coke (and any other carbonated beverage) plays hell with your bones if you overindulge. Coffee tells you if you've had too much--racing heart, etc., so you cut back.

I couldn't live without coffee.

Crazy Newt said...

Looking for a new beverage? I suggest water laced with methampetamines.

Drink of champions, it is!

Erica Rose said...

I suggest yerba mate. It tastes like hell at first, and looks like swamp sludge as well. But holy moly, that stuff is amazing! I drink it iced w/ a shot of vanilla to balance it bitterness. Amazing energy w/out the jittery palpitations that coffee can cause, and revs up your metabolism too. I hope you try it and love it!

Moose said...

Green tea. It's full of caffeine, it's good for you, and it's damned tasty. Some folks like it with a little honey. Hot, I like it plain; cold, I put a teeny bit of Splenda in it. YUM!

Cartoon Characters said...

I have the same reaction from starbucks. It is like death to my intestines. I am sick for at least 4 hrs after drinking 30cc of Starbucks, or any other similar type coffee. It took a while to develop the sensitivity. I don't know what it is about Starbucks...
However...it is all in the type of coffee. Try a few different kinds/brands and you will probably find one that you can still tolerate. I think it is in the way it is processed.

Glee said...

Get on the green tea wagon, my friend!

Anonymous said...

Another vote for green tea. So sorry to hear about the Starbucks though. I do enjoy a good coffee frapp once in a while. :(

Street Philosopher said...

Diet Pepsi, or regular Coke. Possibly Brisk iced tea, lemon, sugar free.

Angela said...

I vote for tea as well.

xx
Jaxs

ERP said...

You will definitely feel the heavier wallet. That is about what, 4 bucks a day x 30 x 12 = 1440 bucks a year!
I just make one cup of basic coffee with milk in the am. All seltzer water after that.
Well, except for beer and wine but that is for after work....

Anonymous said...

Another vote for tea!

Anonymous said...

It really should be tea- it has a lot of healthy something (flavenols?) in it and also has some caffeine. Diet Sodas have nothing of any nutritional value so I'd take them off your list of possibilities.

Anonymous said...

Actually black teas have more caffeine than coffee, green teas are usually less than half of coffee.
Are you reacting to the milk or all the sweeteners maybe? Also espresso has a lot of oils due to the brewing method, this is also true of frech press or mocha pot coffee. You might try coffee made with a paper filter. There is also a cold brew method, but it takes time and a special set up to do but is often easier on the stomach of people who can't tolerate other coffee. This is assuming you want to continue to drink coffee.
Otherwise I would suggest tea, black for caffeine or green or herbal if all your looking for is a warm morning ritual.
And I am a total coffee nut. I roast my own and I have a commercial espresso machine in my house. I never drink Charbucks it upsets my stomach.

StorytellERdoc said...

Do you have a Tim Horton's nearby? Half the price even. Although I am all for you cutting out such a drink! One cup of coffee in the am for me...then all water. Great post, btw.

Just a little snarky said...

I like the energy shots. There are many brands, with many concoctions, some with caffeine, some without, some with sugar, some without. And I can often get them for $1. I advise caution, a whole shot will keep me awake for 24 hours with no side effects, so I have 1/2 or 1/3 shots.

ROSIE said...

In a pinch I go for black coffee, but I'm gettin' very partial to Tazo Chai tea, w/o milk or sweetener. It's got its own spicy sweetness, got some caffeine, and gives me my hot liquid fix without killing the gut.

Jenn said...

Another green tea vote here!

Grumpy, M.D. said...

I go with tea.

Tiffany said...

HAHAHAHA!!! LOVE THIS POST!!! I am a barista at starbucks, near a hospital, and we get a TON of hospital staff on their way to work. I commend you for kicking your starbucks addiction, I know I could never do that, not to mention our many hospital starbux addicts. I thought I would post a comment and give you some suggestions!!

As the comments above I would suggest greentea. it has natural caffiene in it, and has many antioxidants. I would also suggest a grande, 4pump Vanilla, 2 scoop matcha, soy or Nonfat (less heavier than our standard 2%) green tea latte. Its made with matcha powder (which is concentrated green tea powder) if the vanilla is too sweet for you, you could lessen the pumps. Same for the matcha powder scoops too. I would also suggest doing your regular latte with soy or nonfat, because as mentioned before, its less heavy than our standard 2%. Also if it is the caffiene that is causing your gastric problems you could switch to half caf. Which is half caffiene, half decaf coffee. Combine this half caf idea with nonfat or soy, it may help with your issues. I would also suggest one of our tea lattes. Either our Earl grey tea latte, or awake tea latte. Both are black teas and contain natural caffiene. If you were to get the Earl grey, I woudl suggest 5 pump vanilla, or you could increase/decrease the pumps according to your taste. For the Awake tea latte, our standard is to make it with classic syrup, which is essentially just sugar water. Its gross. So I would suggest vanilla instead of the classic syrup. As with my other suggestions, you could switch to soy or nonfat. Also, with the Earl grey tea latte, and awake tea latte, they are half water,half milk, the tea bag and the syrup. So you would be getting half of the ammount of milk that you would normally get in a grande latte, or a grande green tea latte (we make those with just milk, so it would be the same ammount of milk as your grande latte)

I hope i havent confused you too much :) lol...if you go into your regular sbux, and tell them your predictiment they can also help you make something new. Hope this helps!! good luck!!