i gave up coffee

[anthony]

I guess the ultimate change will come once I'm good with tea and no longer soooooo miss coffee... to change from black tea to green tea (zero caffeine). I will have to do a whole bunch of tasting at T2 though to find one I can use as a daily driver.

 

[Teasel]

Green tea still has caffeine in it, less than black tho.

 

[Friday]

I will have to do a whole bunch of tasting at T2 though to find one I can use as a daily driver.

Oh darn :P The fun part.

Something delicious, especially in summertime, is an iced green tea lemonade. Around here you can tap a vein for one at Starbucks (Um. $5 for lemon juice, water, (sugar, if you like, I don’t) tea, & ice? Nope! How ‘bout 15 cents worth of ingredients & a carafe in the fridge? Voila merde, $5. Madness). When I’m avoiding having a beer, because waistlines or driving, I’ll top it with club soda or tonic water for a bit of sparkle.

Some of the green teas are very robust... less in caffeine, more in whatever the hell is in it hits you where you live. Tea Ceremony tea is often so strong/earthy/deep it makes espresso look like it didn’t even bother trying. Meanwhile jasmine tea -especially white & green blends- is so delicate it’s almost like drinking cucumber water. Most greens fall somewhere in the middle towards the mild side. So, just a thought, if you’re missing some oomph with black tea? You might try a few of the more robust greens before switching over entirely. One of those Why didn’t anyone tell me THIS was out here when I was banging my head against the wall?

The green tea lemonade? Also doesn’t mind other bartendery tricks like thyme tips, mint leaves, lavender, & other fresh herbs on the off chance you’ve got a window garden... or even a shot or three of big antioxidant juices like pomegranate or blueberry.

 

[littleoc]

Sounds like you may have been unintentionally using coffee as a coping strategy? Maybe for something simple, like avoiding sleepiness or feeling focused? Not the biggest deal on the planet, except that you may have been a bit dehydrated sometimes.

Caffeine causes the liver to release sugars, too, which can feel pretty rewarding.

I admit I still have a cup occasionally, like a little treat. :P But I unfortunately have to add a lot of milk to be safe. Cream is great. Because it was banned from my diet, I ended up MORE sensitive to caffeine! And weirdly enough, adding sugar to decaf defeats the purpose. And, as my mom says, there’s no point to decaf :P

Coffee ice cream is still one of the best flavors, though. I’ll never say no to that

 

[anthony]

Sounds like you may have been unintentionally using coffee as a coping strategy? Maybe for something simple, like avoiding sleepiness or feeling focused? Not the biggest deal on the planet, except that you may have been a bit dehydrated sometimes.

No... coffee was just because I really liked the drink. I don't smoke or drink alcohol often nowadays... so coffee was my thing. There are times I haven't had coffee for weeks, especially summer months. So no... not a coping strategy.

Green tea still has caffeine in it, less than black tho.

Yes...but there are some in that green family that you can near eliminate caffeine from. And I mean so minute, they class them as zero. But yes... there are some that are nearly identical it seems to black tea.

If I go to green, it will be a near zero caffeine version, and not from China, which I've read can be a problem in relation to toxicity of lead and other chemicals in the ground there due to lack of industrialization laws and pollution aspects. I may even go to another herbal type if required, to get that zero caffeine version. Lots of exploration with this one...

Pretty new obviously to this tea thing... but hunting around and will taste test as I go... as I want a very healthy tea eventually. A slow directional move towards it. Something better for my organs than coffee is.

 

[anthony]

I notice that some use both artificial and natural additives. Argh!

 

[jaccat]

Redbush (Rooibos) is a good tea alternative, it tastes much like tea and is naturally caffeine free. I never liked coffee but when I was younger I was drinking 8 or 9 cups of tea a day with 2 spoons of sugar in each. I cut out the sugar years ago- reduced it over a period, half a spoon at a time, but a few years back realised the tea was causing me stomach aches, not to mention it wasn’t helping with the insomnia. I like tea too much to give it up, but cut down on how many cups a day I was having, then switched my morning cup to redbush. Most days now I only have one cup of tea with lunch, and because it’s a treat I buy loose leaf blends and make it in a pot.

Benefits to the reduction were no more early morning stomach aches, and though it didn’t work a miracle on the insomnia, cutting out the evening dose of caffeine was a help. Nowadays, on those rare days when I do overindulge (almost always when out in cafes with friends), the excess caffeine makes me really hyperactive. Fortunately my friends think its hilarious when the usually reserved me starts behaving like a total idiot.

 

[blackemerald1]

I used to be a big coffee drinker. I'd have the occasional tea too but usually just coffee. The stronger the better. :)

I gave up coffee and tea in 2013... so I became very boring according to other coffee & tea drinkers.

I missed both badly for a while but eventually the cravings eased and I adjusted. But I still like the smell of coffee... I just don't want to drink it.

I increased my water intake substantially because it's amazing how all of those cups of coffee added up to a fair amount of fluid intake. But the diuretic effect was noticeably less of course.

And drinking water has become just as satisfying as drinking coffee now. It quenches my thirst so job done.

I'm not a water snob I don't buy water. We are blessed with decent water so I drink it straight from the tap or refill my water bottle many times a day from the tap. So it's vastly easier than making tea or coffee.

I think I am healthier now. I'm definitely less hyper. I have less headaches and am a little calmer. I'd hate to be me with coffee now...

My dental cleaning is faster and cheaper. :)

The social aspect can be a bit disruptive. Having a cup of coffee is a social thing. But lots of sports ppl don't drink it so it isn't too bad now.

When I have visitors at home - I have to remember that other people do drink it and tea too so I tell them to bring their own lol...and make their own... or put up with really stale stuff from my pantry cupboard usually from the last time they visited ...shrug... :)

 

[Skywatcher]

I noticed that coffee had been starting to have a negative effect on me so I sort of started this system of drinking one cup of black dark roast coffee in the morning followed by a day of constant tea drinking (which used to be coffee). This mostly eliminated the jitteriness. On days that I am having more anxiety symptoms, I do calming teas. On the other days I do a nice black tea chai. I have also started exploring all of the different tea types and started to go bagless at night when I have more time. For Christmas I received a single serve variety of teas and it has really helped me learn what I like and what I hate. Also, my therapist is huge on the health aspects of tea and has educated me on what different types do, such as the ones that are anti-inflamatory and good for anxiety or depression.

 

[anthony]

Redbush (Rooibos) is a good tea alternative,

Thanks. Will look into it.

 

[Lucycat]

I used to drink numerous cups of coffee a day. A couple before going to work, several during the day another or two when I got home. However that has all changed since I retired.

I really like the taste of our tap water and drink lots of that. I have a cup of coffee, that Rory brings to me in bed each morning. After that I drink water all day, and maybe a glass of wine with dinner.

It was not a conscious decision to reduce the coffee, but I think it may be a good thing.

As for tea - I really don't like it.

 

[antman6]

I have experimented with daily coffee consumption quite a bit, and have found that 2 cups or more gives me the jitters. I don't like the taste of decaf but if I do 1 cup of a 50/50 blend with regular it tastes great. The effects on my anxiety drinking 1 cup of half-caf coffee is negligible, but the energy boost is enough to get me going.

The praise coffee gets in the media is astounding. I don't think we know how good it really is for us, aside from a study here or there. I would think that some of the claimed benefits would be from its antioxidant content, which green tea dwarfs in comparison.

Coffee gives me heartburn, but I love the smell and taste too much to give it up..