Do you rely on coffee to emerge from morning grogginess? Do you find yourself in the downward spiral of needing more and stronger cups throughout the day to keep your energy elevated? Do you ask yourself, "Might there be a better way?"
Start With a Glass of Warm Water to Hydrate and Awaken
After waking up in the morning, the simplest way to invigorate your mind is to drink a glass of warm water. Water replenishes your body with adequate hydration and promotes metabolism and circulation. Fatigue, dizziness, and mental fog may be signals of dehydration, and hydrating yourself at this time is the best way to boost your energy.Three Energizing Breakfast Foods
Having a nourishing breakfast is a crucial factor in waking up your body. The following three breakfast foods can help you quickly revitalize your energy and replenish mental and physical strength.Related Stories
Congee contains various enzymes that aid digestion. Eating congee helps replenish fluids, prevents blood thickening, and prevents constipation. According to Wang Shixiong, a famous physician from the Qing Dynasty, "Congee is the best supplement in the world."
Essential Breakfast Foods for Sustaining Energy Throughout the Day
Breakfast should be nutritious and balanced to maintain energy levels throughout the day. Three essential types of breakfast foods include:Breakfast Food Taboos
- Greasy or deep-fried foods can lead to obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
- Dry, hard foods that can cause indigestion.
- High-sugar pastries can result in excessive stomach acid, leading to symptoms such as nausea and stomach pain, making you uncomfortable throughout the day.
- Cold drinks before breakfast such as iced coffee or tea, fruit juice, and milk fresh from the fridge. While you may not immediately feel discomfort, these beverages can gradually cause your stomach to become cold and weak. In clinical cases, people often experience fatigue, abdominal pain, bloating, and weight gain without any specific illness, which can be attributed to consuming cold drinks in the morning.
Three Tea Drinks Rival Coffee and Boost Alertness
To invigorate your mind in the morning, you can replace coffee with the following tea options: black tea, Pu-erh tea, or peppermint tea. Black tea and Pu-erh tea also have digestive benefits. However, there are some considerations when consuming peppermint tea.Black tea is fermented and gentle on the stomach, making it suitable to drink after breakfast. It contains tea polyphenols, dietary fiber, vitamin B1, and abundant antioxidants. Black tea can help improve alertness, prevent colds, enhance antibacterial capabilities, reduce greasiness, aid digestion, stimulate appetite, and strengthen heart function. It also has slimming and fat-reducing effects.
Pu-erh tea contains less caffeine than coffee and is fermented, making it gentle on the stomach and increases its antioxidant effects—known to fight oxidative stress and reduce inflammation. It is suitable for morning and evening consumption for people of all ages. Pu-erh tea contains various amino acids, vitamins, catechins, and minerals, which contribute to warming the stomach, reducing fat, lowering blood pressure, and providing overall health benefits. According to experts' research, the special fermentation process of Pu-erh tea also produces natural enzymes that can break down abdominal fat and reduce triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood.
Peppermint tea is cooling and refreshing in nature and promotes sweating. In TCM it is mainly taken for conditions such as wind-heat colds, lack of perspiration, headache, red eyes, fever, and sore throat. Drinking peppermint tea can boost alertness, but it should be avoided by individuals with wind-cold colds. It is also not recommended for those with weak qi as it may induce excessive sweating. If you drink peppermint tea, use a small amount of peppermint, avoid boiling it for too long, and consider adding spices like cardamom or nutmeg— these aromatic and warming herbs can further invigorate the spleen and the mind.
