Caffeine Issues

[jjpancho311]

Hello! I am very interested in changing my diet to raw but I am concerned about giving up caffeine. I only drink a cup of coffee in the morning, a cup of iced tea at lunch and dinner. The rest of the time I drink water or hot teas. Do I have to give up the caffeine?
Thanks,
Jennifer

[Revvell]

Totally up to you. There are no "have to's". If you wish to drink caffeine, do so.

Here's something you may find of interest though:
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4885&highlight=caffeine

[askcassyfirst]

I just gave up coffee again. It is something that I go off and on with, despite maintaining a high raw diet.

Feel free to read my journal entries for the past four days, as I have discussed this subject at length, as well as including a couple of articles in there, to keep me on focus with why I don't want to drink it.

Personally, for me it is about the ritual of a warm beverage, and friends and family. The problem is, it does a lot of detrimental things to my body. It is contraindicated due to my PCOS, it makes me anxious, gives me breakouts, and so on...

Eating high raw, for me is about healing. It is about keeping my body clean and free from the issues I have struggled with since my teens.

I wish you luck in your decision to drop the coffee!

Cassy:)

[rawpriestess]

Boy, caffeine is a tough one,

I started drinking coffee when I was 4, now let me explain.

We were very very very poor, and my mom couldn't afford much milk (thank goddess) so she would make herself coffee, then pour more water through the coffee to make us "our" coffee, which was a very watered down version, although it wasn't watered down enough to keep me from getting addicted at a very early age.

I finally decided to actually quit coffee when I hit 40 and I was drinking 3 triple grande breve's a day a $10 habit in 1993, that was alot back then (in my day, by cracky hehe)

Anyway, so I quit cold turkey, I will NEVER do that again, and I would never suggest it to anyone, wayyyyyyy too drastic on your system.

I was deathly sick for 4 days, and if I'd have had a gun in the house, I would have killed myself. It was that bad. couldn't keep anything down, yikes.

So, I didn't drink coffee for 7 years until I started dating this guy who managed an espresso stand, and after about 1 1/2 of smelling that stuff, I had a cup, and got hooked instantly. (like I didn't know better???)

Finally gave it up again, after about 4 years, but the one way I gave it up without terrible withdrawls, and this is how I suggest to everyone who wants to give it up, is to mix 1/2 coffee 1/2 decaf, drink all you want, then each day or each week, or however fast you want to do it, mix 1/4 coffee 3/4 decaf, then 1/8 coffee 7/8 decaf etc. You will find that you naturally don't want as much coffee, or at least it works for me and all my students this way.

If you are also into the dairy, (like I was/am) (I would drink breve's which is half and half steamed instead of milk but like a latte'-- how decadent!!

I would start using almond milk and half and half mixed, same ratio, and eventually I was drinking 100% decaf in 100% almond milk, and I just wouldn't want as much, some days I'd go without, but I would allow myself to drink it if I wanted, then I would drink a coffee, then later in the day an herb tea instead of my second cup, then I would drink only 1/2 a coffe and then 1/2 a tea as my beverage of choice, pretty soon, I would drinkonly tea, then it was easy to drink the tea less hot and less hot, until I could just sun tea or warmed in the dehydrator tea.

Anyway this whole process can take you as long as you need it to, it took me about 3 months the first time I tried it, the last time it took 3 days, and no withdrawl headaches, or anything.

so, although it isn't 100% raw off the bat, you might try it.

I am usually an all or nothing type of person, but for some reason, I could do this with coffee, not sure why this works, but doing with other foods don't, hummmm, I will have to meditate on that.

Anyway, good thread, as I'm sure caffeine in either coffee, pop, chocolate or diet pops is a tough one for many people.

[sweetgoddess]

Hello jjpancho.
I, like Cassy just spent the better part of the last week detoxing from caffiene.
Coffee is a hard one to even want to give up, because it is so habitual, "soothing" and addictive.
But I can tell you this, if you research coffee's effects in your body, you just may get the "want to".
I gave it up because I knew it was creating toxic havoc in my body, and also I knew I would be unable to get the full benefits of a raw diet while drinking it.

What helped me let it go this time was guzzling a ton of water as soon as I woke up, to the point of fullness and carrying a big jug of water around with me the first hour I was up.
Before when I was raw, I switched to organic tea and drank that instead, until I was ready to let that go. That seemed a lot easier to me to let go of.

RawPriestess suggestion of mixing it with decaf is wonderful too. I have friends doing that right now and it works well.

One other thing I can tell you, is that I love the other side! It was so worth it. I am delighting in the fact that when I open my eyes in the morning the last couple days, I am wide awake, just like when I was a child.

Obviously, it is up to you alone what you should or should not do, what does or doesnt serve you. Whatever you decide I send you my best wishes.

[anthony11]

Individual reactions to caffeine vary, but rawness aside, it seems that you're ingesting caffeine at least three times a day, even more if your "hot tea" is real tea, if you eat a lot of chocolate, etc. I submit that that volume of stimulants probably isn't ideal for one's body, and you might think about cutting back and/or switching to green or herbal teas.

[skeenan37]

Thanks so much RP for the suggestions! I will try it.

I, too, started drinking coffee as a child. My parents were huge coffee drinkers and I would always grab their mug and drink it. Now I drink 2 to 3 pots a day!! My husband (who does not drink the stuff) makes my coffee for me each morning and brings my first cup to me in bed!!

I have been very bothered lately about my addiction to coffee. I guess since I'm interested in raw eating and having good health that giving up this bad coffee habit follows.

sk