Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Getting Off Coffee-Alternatives to Too Much Caffeine


What is "too much" caffeine? Is addiction real? I think addiction to caffeine is real. I have lately been tired of always dreaming of my next cup of coffee all day long. The aroma of it prepping in the Keurig, the anticipation of the rush of caffeine, and worst of all, that 2-3 cups was not enough became the breaking point and ultimate reason to abruptly quit drinking coffee. Addiction is addiction. When it became a necessity is when it's time to end the constant cravings and intruding thoughts of coffee! 

However, quitting coffee cold turkey is generally not advised due to the possible side effects and "withdrawal symptoms". I have since switched to (organic!) green tea which has many health benefits. It's been 48 hours since I have had my last cup of coffee. Tapering down by switching drinks is good because it saves money from drive-through coffee towards much cheaper options. 

Another yummy alternative to coffee while still taking in a bit of caffeine, is (dark) hot chocolate. Can I convince myself it's a "health food"? Probably  nut due to the higher saturated fat content, however, various sources suggest that chococlate lowers blood pressure and boosts good feelings. As Aristotle suggests, moderation is key, so I am adding dark hot chocolate several times a week to maintain a certain level of caffeine while convincing myself it's not as bad as my (former!) drive-though addiction(s). 

I am not quitting caffeine "cold turkey" by simply stopping all caffeinated drinks. Though many of the online blogs advise to beware of caffeine withdrawal, moving from 2-3 cups of coffee (half-caff) a day to three cups of green tea (moderately steeped) hasn't resulted in much more than a bit of fatigue and an every so mild back of the neck pain. 

I do recommend green tea for it's health benefits! 


    Dark hot chocolate (71% cacao) and green tea with honey are good!


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