Coffee quitting advice needed

[sunnymomma]

Hi all-I 've been about 70-80% raw for a couple of months and am doing great-planning on making the big leap to a 100% for the 30 day challenge and I know that means quitting the caffeine bean. :eek: Any advice on how to minimize the headaches and fatigue forthcoming? thank you so much in advance for your wisdom.

[MZ B]

This is a great concern for me also. I can't wait for the replies.

[Frugal Raw]

Salt baths. Go find a nice, relaxing scented salt bath mixture and soak! The salt will help pull out the toxins in a more gentle fashion.

[Eva]

The way I see it, there are two really good options (and surely others I haven't thought of as well)...

1. Wean yourself off with other methods, such as a cacao smoothie (raw cacao nibs have caffeine but not a ton... it's dark chocolate) in the morning or yerba mate then green tea then white tea (yerba mate has almost as much caffeine as coffee, green tea less than that and white tea just a teeny bit)

OR

2. Give yourself 3-7 days where you have no outside concerns such as work or whatever or AT LEAST be gentle on yourself! Or... start on a Friday and give yourself the weekend for the worst. It's really bad if you were super addicted, but it's pretty quick for most people.

My mom's sitting across the room and also got off of coffee recently... I just asked her what her best tip is. She said having black or green tea to start, then the Yogi tea in the detox flavor is really helpful (no caffeine). She says cutting coffee out helped her get rid of other "comforts" that harmed her. She said after 10 days she was home free after about 30 years of lots of coffee every day, but the headaches during especially the beginning of that 10 days were BAD.

[justinesmith]

I had to go cold turkey ~ I've had a love affair with soda since I was a fetus so weaning wasn't an issue. If I slowly stopped there would be no stopping. My headaches were horrifying but I haven't had one since. Good luck ~ I hope the best for ya.... :)

[rawkchicster]

ditto what they said. :) I had a horrible coffee addiction and went 100% raw on November one, which meant no coffee at all... I went to black tea (i know now, not raw) then green tea, then white tea. I think Yerba Mate instead of black tea would work just as well though :).

Good luck, if I can do it, (I drank 10 cups/day doing a graphic design job!) then ANYONE can!!

[rawkchicster]

oh, for the black tea (i usually did chai), I would put an icecube in it to cool it down to 115º or so, then add stevia and cashew milk (so the cashews wouldn't cook.)

[Ginger]

Make sure you are well hydrated to help with the headaches. You don't have to give up coffee, just switch to RAW SUPERFOOD COFFEE!! :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/FooD/mint_choc_chip_coffee.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/FooD/bcesd.jpg

[robertandenith]

Make sure you are well hydrated to help with the headaches. You don't have to give up coffee, just switch to RAW SUPERFOOD COFFEE!! :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/FooD/mint_choc_chip_coffee.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/FooD/bcesd.jpg

omg this looks delicious!!!!

I find myself drinking ice cold waters to avoid headaches and problably eating a lot of fruits for energy.

[raweater]

How do you make raw coffee? I assume this is with no actual coffee at all?

In any case if you want a non raw way of quitting coffee, try getting some Teeccino (www.teeccino.com), it's coffee imitation made from cafeine free plants. They have 7 flavors, I like them all except the plain (coffee flavor) one.

One trick to quit caffeine is to start making your coffee from a 75/25 mix of coffee/teeccino for a week, then go to 50/50, then 25/75, and then 0/100 and you can then quit the teeccino if you want to be 100% raw, or keep drinking it if you want to be 90-99% raw.

[Ginger]

Best Coffee Ever recipe here:
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=29006

[spicyfull]

I gave up coffee years ago.....but I still LOVE the smell of coffee, so when I go Shopping......I linger around the Fresh Ground Coffee Aisle and get My Fix.

Great advice given......AND THIS TOO SHALL PASS...

[sunnymomma]

Wow, that is quite a drink!! I checked out the recipe-i think I still have some learning to do-but thanks so much all for the ideas and support. Does Mate tea have caffeine in it?

[Vivafree2]

Dear Sunny! Everybody are different. It is not always a caffeine intake - sure the headache and mind pushing to finally give in to craving - but it is also a taste. I wasn't strong on coffee but i was drinking it regularly and it was easy just to stop doing it by having one cup less a day and avoiding triggers. But it was easy for me - other things are not and i think that is the biggest mystery of all. I often read testimonials and see " if i can do it you can do it too" Coffee is some sort of addiction and we are hooked differently. I would suggest some caffeine even small black coffee and gradually less and less of it until you will be ready to say" I don't want it". Substitutes will put your mind into missing coffee more and struggling with cravings can be a real pain. This is my way of getting rid of all caffeine in my life - it took approx. 4 weeks, but food addiction is still with me and i can not find a balance here. I managed cigs first and coffee second similar way. After all coffee is better than soft drink! There is a chicory coffee and robois tea. David Wolfe mentioned blending coffee beans in your smoothie... never tried.

[Eva]

1. Here is a recipe for a chai latte (not perfectly raw but not cooked or caffeinated)... No it's not coffee... But it could be helpful to the emotional part... It's rooibos chai (a red tea with no caffeine. I get it at www.teavana.com, but I'm sure other places have it) made like you would any other herbal tea. I boil the water on the stove to steep the tea, then let it cool for a moment. While it's cooling a bit, I use a cheapie blender (NOT a VitaMix!) with about 3 parts water to 1 part almond butter with vanilla bean/extract and agave nectar to taste. I blend it for a solid minute or two until it's really frothy just like a latte. Then I mix the two together and put nutmeg and cinnamon on top. Everyone who tries is loves it and cannot believe there's no milk or caffeine. :)

You can do something similar with the "haute" chocolate TeaVana has to make a hot chocolate. I mix some cacao or carob in with it too, but everything else stays the same but the nutmeg on top.

2. Green smoothies really help with cravings of any kind. If you're not already drinking those, it may be worth starting right away!! For various physiological reasons, your body craves stuff that's healthy much more when you're drinking them...

I can't wait to hear how it goes! You can do this... You've got a whole team of supporters here!

[megazelle]

Hi Sunny Mama!!
I'm a raw mama. too. I'll be joining you on the January challenge.
About the coffee thing. I have quit coffee a few times, only to go back to it eventually. But I can tell you this, the headaches were terrible for three days, then were all gone, I felt amazing after they lifted.
Back tea has way less caffeine and may have helped me a little.
Three days seems like an eternity to have a bad headache, especially when we have our kids with us.
Best of luck and I'll be with you along the way!!
Looking forward to more helpful advice also........:o

[mamabird1953]

I really want to give up coffee as well. The headaches scare me. I have terrible withdrawls. This is my new years resolution...we'll see....I don't believe a word I say.

[sunnymomma]

Hi! thanks so much for all the suggestions-so I decided to stop dithering about it and had no coffee yesterday or today-I got the Yogi tea detox flavor and that helped some-had a headache yesterday and today-and have been sleeping like crazy. Oh well, hubby is home and made dinner for the kids today while I slept-hoping tomorrow is a less sleepy day but it's snowing here. I figured I would just stop the coffee while I still had some time before going back to work on the second, and maybe getting the coffee quit out of the way before the 100% challenge would be good for me.
cathy

[chilove]

Hello there,

I got off my long standing caffeine addiction when I went raw by cutting back gradually. First I eliminated Diet Coke and then I switched from coffee to black tea. I had two cups of black tea in the morning for awhile and then I cut it back to 1.5 cups, then one cup, then I switched to green tea, then I cut that back to half a cup. Then I finally quit. It was completely painless and wasn't difficult at all. It just takes some persistence.


Blessings,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[Eva]

Sunnymomma!! That's sooo great that you're giving yourself the time to do this while you have somewhat of a break. And how lucky to have your hubby taking care of some of the details while you get the much-needed sleep! :)

[Stina]

Green juice in the morning stimulates my body in a good way instead of the taxing way coffee does. Now I'm stopping by the local health food store for a shot of wheat grass juice instead of a mocha latte.

[GoingtoRAW]

I had to go cold turkey ~ I've had a love affair with soda since I was a fetus so weaning wasn't an issue. If I slowly stopped there would be no stopping. My headaches were horrifying but I haven't had one since. Good luck ~ I hope the best for ya.... :)

I had to go cold turkey on the caffeine too. Luckily the headaches only lasted a few days and weren't too severe. It was just a low grade kind of dull ache. I just kept telling myself that the headaches were a good sign that I was cleaning out the caffeine and that the headaches would eventually stop. I think within 3 days they were goine. Good luck. You can do it!!:D

[Bananapie]

If you are a long time coffee drinker and do not want to "white knuckle" it I would highly recommend doing a few days to a week of black or green tea. My husband has been a regular two cup drinker since he was thirteen! every time he has tried to quit coffee he gets a rip roaring headache unless he does a week or two of black tea fallowed by a week or two of green tea. He finds this allows him to get off the coffee with out monster headaches and crabbiness. Of course some people like me who have never been super regular about coffee can go cold turkey with no problems. Of course hubby is not a sugar addict and can stop at one or two cookies. So we all have our vises, I love how being 100% raw allows me to overcome vises and allow life rather than food to be my focus. Good luck Happy New year!

[trinity082482]

Have a baby! lol

Silly advice I am sure :D

I struggled with coffee for a year raw and I am pregnant and can't even stand the scent. *Vomit*
:rolleyes:

[tanishamarshall]

I wish I had some great advice but I don't. I personally went cold turkey when I stopped drinking coffee and I didn't know that I would have severe headaches for 2 weeks straight. I went to the emergency room about 3-4 times because I thought I was dying but it turns out that it was my body reacting to me not having coffee. All I can say is be prepared for a rough week or so and rest as much as possible. I wish I could say more I just hope you don't go to the hospital, for no reason like I did, those headaches can make you feel like it's the end of the world.

[mamabird1953]

I drink at least 6 cups a day. I think I'll cut back a half cup every other day. Then try some of the recipes. Good luck to us Sunnymomma!

[joyfulGIRL]

I had to go cold turkey ~ I've had a love affair with soda since I was a fetus so weaning wasn't an issue. If I slowly stopped there would be no stopping. My headaches were horrifying but I haven't had one since. Good luck ~ I hope the best for ya.... :)

I agree with Justine. Had to cut it cold turkey or I would always find an excuse to keep "weaning".

Yes, it sucked. I felt really, really bad. But after getting through it, I don't crave it anymore and haven't had it since.

good luck!

[Burberry87]

I tried to quit coffee and caffeine cold turkey and was absolutely miserable... tylenol helped some but I was just in a bad mood all day.

So I just drink one or two cups or green or white tea a day with a tsp of honey. Not raw, but I really can't see it hurting much especially if you're not committed to 100%. I haven't had coffee for several weeks now, and I used to drink at least 5 cups a day.

[baltochef]

I was finally able to quit drinking caffeine permanently in April of 2006..

This was my fifth attempt at removing caffeine from my diet during the previous 5 years..

Each of the previous four times I was successful for periods lasting from 3 weeks to 8 months..

This final time I first eliminated Diet Coke, & then all soda regardless of whether or not it contained caffeine..I did this when I learned of the dangers & addictive properties of artificial sweeteners early in 2006..

Then without consciously deciding to quit using caffeine; one day I realized that I was not drinking very much of the expensive flavored coffee drinks that I had become more or less addicted to..

I would purchase a 20 oz. cup of mocha in the morning before starting prep work in the kitchen, drink several sips, & get caught up in my work to the point that 75% of the time the coffee would be room temperature when I next went to drink some..

For whatever reason the appeal of the cold coffee, even with all the sugar in it, was not that great..Even topping up the cold mocha with hot regular coffee soon lost it's appeal..

It was at this same time that I became aware of eating raw, & I thought that I'd try to quit drinking caffeine again, hopefully for the final time..

So I started purchasing smaller & smaller cups of mocha, until one day in April 2006 I quit cold turkey..I did this knowing from previous attempts that the headaches could be severe..In the past the headaches had been migraine-like & lasted for no less then 3-4 days, sometimes as long as a week..

This last time thankfully the headaches lasted for only 2 days, although they were again of severe, splitting, migraine-like intensity..

Since April 2006 I have only fallen off the wagon 4 times..Each of these instances occurred during the first 6 months after quitting..I'm convinced that it was not the desire for a caffeine buzz that prompted me to purchase the mochas..It was the overwhelming craving for sugar in the form of chocolate syrup that led me to buy them..

Since the last mocha I have been successful in not putting any form of liquid caffeine through my lips..I cannot say the same about chocolate..Chocolate & sugar in any form still remain my major addictions, although starches rank a close second..So I guess that I am still ingesting a minute amount of caffeine into my body, although not enough to result in the type of withdrawal symptoms that I've had in the past..

As I type this I am on my second full day of 98% raw, something that had previously eluded me in my raw quest..

This time around I have given myself permission to fail..I will attempt to not be as harsh with myself as I have in the past..If I do fail, it will be to realize that I am not perfect, only human..Hopefully, I am taking the baby steps necessary to being 100% raw; something I truly wish to accomplish..

To all those who have successfully quit drinking coffee & teas--Great Work!!

To those of you still attempting to do so--Keep Trying!!

The buzz from caffeine will not be what you miss..You will miss NOT feeling the crippling, depressive effects that caffeine & all stimulants create in the body..Since the depressive effects from caffeine consumption last about 10 times longer then the stimulant effects, your body & brain will feel alive in a way that you have not experienced since drinking caffeine..

Good luck,

Bruce

[sekhmut]

I went from drinking about ten cups a day to nothing... sore head for two days, had the shakes too, but wasn't too bad. Now all I drink is water (both hot and cold), home made almond milk, smoothies, and juice. Feel heaps better for it too. Guys at work think I'm mad for having hot water when they all have coffee, but nevermind... lol

[jacsam]

I probably shouldn't even be responding because I've never drank coffee but I do like chocolate.....sooo......from what I understand raw chocolate still has caffiene in it, so I'd say, go for the chocolate, raw that is!!:rolleyes:

[mamabird1953]

For the last two days I've had a total of 6 cups of coffee. Usually its about 6, somtimes 7 cups a day. I went to bed last night with a headache and just woke up with one. Coffee rips apart my stomach and doesnt even give me a buzz anymore...so why drink it? I'm addicted but, its time. I can do this...And I will! Today I'll have 2.5 cups total and reduce by half a cup daily. Maybe it will lessen the headaches. I'm sleeping more the last couple of days as well and my nerves are shot. I feel like crying...poor me...

[baltochef]

mamabird1953

The headaches will get better, just persevere!!

For me, this last & final time quitting caffeine my headaches lasted for a full two days..I woke up with a migraine-like headache the morning after drinking my last cup of mocha..

This headache never abated until waking up two days later..A round the clock, 24-7 headache that even prevented me from getting more then a catnap the first night after quitting..

I don't recall the headaches being that severe the previous four times I went through caffeine withdrawal (other then a few hours here & there)..

As I look back on the five times that I put myself through caffeine withdrawal, I can only come to the conclusion that my body was more than ready to be relieved of this drug addiction..

If the previous times quitting were easier, relative to this last time, then perhaps my body was signaling my brain to sit up & take notice that perhaps it would be a good thing NOT to ever start drinking caffeine containing drinks again..

The only other times that I have ever felt so awful were the two times that I seriously over indulged in alcohol..

Good luck!!

Bruce

P.S. I too remember the sour stomaches that resulted from over indulgence in drinking coffee..I don't miss them at all..

[mamabird1953]

Thankyou Bruce for your encouraging words. I can do this. I'm down 2.5 cups today and tomorrow 2 cups.