Herbal coffee: the morning cup you can keep

Losing morning coffee is one of the hardest parts of starting AIP, and it is the objection that stops more people than almost any other. Coffee comes from a bean and a seed, so it is out during the elimination phase. That loss is real, and it is worth naming honestly rather than waving away. This brew does not pretend to be coffee. It gives you something close enough to keep the ritual: the warm mug, the roasted bitterness, the few quiet minutes before the day starts. Keeping that ritual is part of what helps people stay the course.

What you are drinking is roasted dandelion and chicory roots with carob for body and a date for a little sweetness. It is caffeine-free by nature, so it suits any hour. Dandelion and chicory roots are a source of inulin, a prebiotic fiber that can feed beneficial gut microbes. One honest caution comes with that: inulin is a high-FODMAP fiber, so if you are managing SIBO or are FODMAP-sensitive, this brew can bother you, and you may want to go gently or skip it. Keep the framing modest either way. This is a supportive, comforting drink, not medicine.

Make it slowly and let the smell fill the kitchen, the roasted, earthy note that stands in for the one you miss. Pour it into a real mug, hold it a moment, and let the morning begin the way you want it to.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon roasted dandelion root
• 1 tablespoon roasted chicory root
• 1 tablespoon carob powder
• 1 pitted date
• 3 cups water

Method

Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Strain out the roots and the date, and serve hot.

This is a quick stovetop brew, so it needs no air fryer or Instant Pot variation.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*

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*Provenance: method rebuilt in ARM's own words from the our-words-summary of acleanplate.com's herbal coffee. Source file: /Users/Christopher/Documents/Claude/01-Projects/ARM/aip-source-archives/a-clean-plate/herbal-coffee-85-amazing-aip-breakfasts-eileen-laird.md. The recipe originally appeared in Eileen Laird's e-book '85 Amazing AIP Breakfasts', now out of print; that original authorship is credited here as well. Ingredient list and quantities used as factual reference. All ingredients are fully AIP Core (roasted dandelion root, roasted chicory root, carob powder, date, water); no swaps needed. SIBO and FODMAP inulin caution carried from the source and flagged. Caffeine-free noted. Source nutrition numbers carried as unverified per the source.*