Giving Up Coffee [Archive]

katchmoleen

07-20-2009, 07:41 AM

Well whoever told you that coffee does not affect your blood sugar is wrong!

http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20040726/caffeine-hamper-blood-sugar-control

For me it is a cup of strong english breakfast tea with cream. Boy I really miss it, but I went cold turkey off that beverage and drank a few cups of weak green tea to taper off the caffeine when I went all raw. I find I do not need the lift anymore. I still miss the beverage itself and just the enjoyment of holding and sipping it on a cold day. I think I do feel better overall though.

RawKnitster

07-20-2009, 01:30 PM

I refused to give up my morning coffee at first, but like you I lost interest in it. The cleaner I got from eating raw the more affects I felt from the coffee. Still the habit can be tough to kick. Start off with a replacement. Rooibos tea with raw honey and almond milk was my substitute. Eventually I lost interest in that, too. Now I only have it occasionally, the rooibos that is, coffee...never. I'm afraid one cup of coffee and I would be addicted again. Plus I never want to go through the caffeine withdrawal headaches again. It only lasted a couple days, but once was enough. :)

So many reason to get off the coffee. You can do it!

Sierra2020

07-20-2009, 03:21 PM

Robbay

07-20-2009, 03:27 PM

Like you a cup of coffee has been in my life for a long time. I am having that headache now and will be glad when it's over. I have tried Tenncico Java and I like the flavor. It is totally not coffee and safe for a raw diabetic.

Robbay

07-20-2009, 03:34 PM

Thanks for your reply. I am just coming out a fog and I find it not too bad. I think it is the switch to raw food and being on my third week. I did find a nice beverage called Teeccino Java . Very nice.

SaHisa

08-26-2009, 08:37 AM

I am so very sorry to read about the sad, sudden and tragic loss of little Coffee. How very heartbreaking.

DebB

08-26-2009, 09:18 AM

I was so surprised when my husband gave up his life long coffee! He now drinks Celestial Seasoning's Roastaroma and says he likes it better than coffee. Just tossing that idea into the ring. *Ü*

katchmoleen

08-26-2009, 09:25 AM

He's in a better place.....namely NOT in my body.

Marin Mom

08-26-2009, 10:56 AM

I still like the smell of coffee but feel better for kicking the habit. It is the only thing I detoxed from (body aches and headaches for a few days) when I went raw and the hardest thing to give up. I know it was the coffee which caused the detox since I had tried to give it up before. I am so glad I no longer need it for a pick me up in the morning. It also gives you bad breath!

AdrienneD

08-26-2009, 12:23 PM

I too am hoping to give up coffee! As you are experiencing, I too am no longer interested in drinking it, it is simply a habit!

I made one this morning...took one sip and couldn't stand it anymore. The first thought I had, "I don't even like how coffee tastes.." I love the smell when it's brewing, but the flavour...just no..

For the remainder of my fast giving up coffee is my number one goal. It is the LAST thing I use animal products in. That in itself is let's say..idiotic? I am lactose intolerant but if I have coffee there MUST be milk. So ending two bad habits at once eh?

best of luck!

- Adrienne

solarliving

08-26-2009, 04:11 PM

I'm on my 3rd day of no coffee. I definately felt a big difference on the first day. Less toxic, more centered and calm. I've been brewing up 2 teabags in my coffee maker. 1 green tea for a little caffeine and 1 roobios. This helps me avoid the headache, then I just switch to herbal tea next week. I gave up coffee for 8 months at one point and felt really good. I had naturally energy. I can't remember why but I had a cup one day and ended up getting hooked again. I do remember getting dizzy after that 1 cup after I hadn't had any for a while so coffee does affect blood sugar. I know I read that somewhere as well.

08-26-2009, 06:51 PM

I am 10 days off coffee (cold turkey, was pot-a-day for years) and feel great and liberated. I just used some ibuprofen when I couldnt take headaches anymore.. Only needed that for a day then the headaches the second day were tolerable... I am also 100% raw for a week now, so I am feeling way more energy now and am just not interested. My body tells me that coffee (abuse) is bad for it and is thanking me for finally listening...

mamabird1953

10-01-2009, 11:07 AM

We've been a little poor lately so a freind bought us a can of coffee. Yuban! Yuck. I'm use to drinking french roast. So, this is really helping me get off coffee. I'm down to one nasty cup! Yaaay! Been doing it slowly.

Northener

10-01-2009, 03:27 PM

I gradually lost interest in coffee...just seemed to happen over time. :)

cara4art

10-02-2009, 01:37 AM

Green smoothies got me off coffee - seriously! I haven't looked back either and never miss it. I was drinking one cup per day, and on my body, even that was too much. Life is MUCH better without it. If I really want something hot, dark and dense, I'll maybe have a chai-like tea without the milk in it, and this only when it is very chilly out. The rest of the year I can do without hot drinks. Never thought I could do this, but after going mostly raw, it is actually pretty easy for me now. One does adapt!

sbaker

10-03-2009, 01:21 AM

not raw..but Pero is great. I add agave and make it with almond milk. It's made from malted grains i guess.

mamabird1953

10-03-2009, 09:35 AM

Been doing one cup for a couple of days now. I have a horrible headache. So, I''ll do the one cup for a few more, then bring it down to half a cup for a few. I've always loved coffee my whole life nearly, probably like most here in america, but its been tasting nasty and toxic to me. I guess it shows how much our body talks to us if we shut up and listen.

Mary Kay

10-03-2009, 02:26 PM

I only ever drank a cup-a-day at my peak of addiction, yet it took me a month or so to wean. I 'quit" ---er sort of. I had an employee who would give me three sips-a-day. I still had fibrocystic breasts and the reason I quit was because I heard that in 80% of women who quit, the fibrocystic breasts go away....anyway, since I didn't get headaches on days he didn't work, I figured I was okay/not addicted..

FINALLY, I quit the three sips-a-day. and one month later, noticed my fibrocystic breasts were gone. THREE STINKING SIPS!!!! still affected me.

This was years ago, and I learned then that caffeine causes your cortisol to spike. cortisol gets to your progesterone receptors first and blocks progesterone. Nature's way of saying, if you're stressed, your progesterone will be lowered and you will be out of balance and will not get pg and bring a baby into this stressful world. Not to mention it makes you more acidic, more estrogen dominant, more prone to cancer and other illnesses...It's a Domino Effect......

Anyway, moral of the story: even small amts mess with your hormones.

I do drink a couple cups a year. I still enjoy it when I do. But I literally can only drink a small amt, because if I have say, a large cup, I am instantly addicted and will get a headache the next day and have to wean over the period of a couple/three days.

Dandy Blend is a good substitute. It is not raw, but it is made with dandelion root and chicory, beets....and is roasted at 250 F to minimize the acrylamides. When I quit, I kept adding more and more decaf and then I started adding Dandy Blend or something similar. Now I rarely/occasionally drink the Dandy Blend etc..

My kids and I like Roastaroma tea too.

HTH,

Mary Kay

MTknitter

10-12-2009, 04:06 PM

I'm a newbie here. So glad to find a particular thread for OUR age group. I happen to think for those of us who are older (and have more damage to our systems from years of a SAD diet) this change to raw foods is the MOST exciting thing. For you coffee people, I have been coffee-free for my second month now. I ADORED my cup of OG FR RST, made in my French Press pot. I loved it. I had drunk it for ten years or so. WHAT a difference. My skin, whites of my eyes are now WHITE, a light feeling, no high from coffee but then no LOWS when I need some either. I experienced more of a toxic problem when I quit than I dreamed. Headache for about a week, muscle aches/pains, leg restlessness for a few days especially at nighttime. But I got through it. I must admit, I didn't think I'd experience much toxic side-effect because I felt that most of my diet was so organic and good. I was wrong. I was toxic and the coffee was bad, bad for me. I FEEL GREAT. For those of you who are still struggling, caffeine is a toughie and I sympathize but keep it up!!!!
When I get desperate I drink warm cups of Dandy Blend, an instant dandelion beverage. Its good. I don't like the fake coffees, none of them. Perhaps for some of you who havent' found a coffee sub that you like, try Dandy Blend. I think its rather good.

mamabird1953

10-12-2009, 04:39 PM

I'm still batteling my coffee addiction. Gosh...it's sooo hard. I go up and down from 1 to 2 cups. I have come down from about 6-7 cups a day. Now the first cup I drink tastes good but the second is hard to finish. It starts to taste nasty and I find myself re-heating it a few times just get it finished. That's never happened. So, I guess my body is rebelling now, which is a real good thing!

cara4art

10-12-2009, 05:56 PM

Hi mamabird1953!
You're doing great weaning off of coffee - getting down from 6-7 cups daily to one or two is awesome right now! The fact that you are noticing that that second cup is tasting nasty is a very good sign - your body is starting to recognize the coffee as something you totally don't need. Keep weaning off, and as I mentioned earlier in this thread, daily green smoothies really DO help! Soon you will feel GREAT minus the coffee. Might not seem like it right now, but after your body detoxes the coffee(takes a couple of weeks, during which you may well feel less energetic and more headachy some days)you WILL notice much more even-ness of energy, and without that speedy feeling that strong coffee gives you. When you've been truly off for a few months, take a sip of what you thought was delicious coffee, and notice how NASTY it tastes! I did, and thought, "how the heck did I manage to swill a cup of this stuff daily?" - LOL! You can be sure I stayed off!

RawHealthyBeauty

10-13-2009, 09:30 AM

That's wonderful about not drinking coffee. :)

I had to wean myself off of coffee at one point. Glad that I did!! I noticed a huge difference.

Later on, I couldn't accept the fact that coffee wasn't that great so I had some. Drinking coffee gets me cranky. So staying away from that brew for sure now. It's amazing that I have neen drinking that stuff for years! I can see the difference between having coffee and not having coffee.

You'll be glad that you gave up coffee, I know I am for sure!

VeGenesis

10-14-2009, 04:44 AM

:eek: Hi . With the Raw Food Diet is it best to give up coffee? As a diabetic I was told that coffee didn't affect my blood sugar and it has been one of my last pleasures . I have been on the Raw Foods for two weeks and have noticed a decreased interest in my morning coffee , but the old friend habit has kept me pouring a cup. Like to hear your opinions.

First of all Robbay - You are doing great!

The very fact that you are asking the question is a very good sign.

For me the last two non raw foods were coffee and an egg! It had been so much of my former life that it just seemed "right!"

Perhaps my solution will help you. I began to realize that my raw food "diet" wasn't working. I kept "giving up" the food I loved and then I was mocked by a couple relatives via email. But each thing that I "gave up" my body did feel better.

Like you I HAD diabetes. Pretty bad... I then was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and things went down hill from there.

I finally realized that I did not like to diet! I did not like giving up what I had liked for nearly 40 years! I realized that as long as I felt I was "giving up" stuff I would be holding on to my old lifestyle, along with my Diabetes, Celiac, Heart Disease and very High Blood Pressure (and a ton of other stuff!). What I needed was a lifestyle change!

So, I looked at what I wanted to be. I wanted a Raw Vegan Lifestyle based on Genesis 1:29 (NO Heat!). I took Vegan and Genesis and slammed them together and formed "VeGenesis!" I told my wife "I am a VeGenesist!"

From that day forward I looked at My Life differently. I was a VeGenesist - I embraced a VeGenesis Lifestyle!

"The Success Trait is...

* Do everything you Should do...
* When you should do it...
* If you like it or not!"

-David ben David

I started thinking about what I SHOULD do as a VeGenesist! This was my choice, MY lifestyle. Not a diet, a way of life! Coffee and eggs were not a part of my lifestyle of no heat!

I heard the same thing about coffee and diabetes, but blood sugar is not the only measure of your health! Coffee does some pretty nasty things to someone suffering diabetes... You just don't notice them as much on the SAD diet.

30 days after I went all VeGenesis Lifestyle, my doc took me off all meds. No more shots, no more pills... I finally got to the point I trusted my body and stopped taking my blood sugar and B.P. all the time. Why should I? As a VeGenesis it is always normal!

I know it sounds nit-picky embracing a new lifestyle with no heat rather than giving up what you like because of a diet - but as you say the words then this lifestyle becomes your own, your choice!

I hope this helps - just remember that this is your choice and your lifestyle.

If you ask me, I never did like sticking myself over and over again every day!

I am a VeGenesist now!

MysticTree

10-14-2009, 04:49 AM

I'm giving up caffeine (4 litres of cola a day habit) this week and haven't had any since Sunday lunchtime. I felt horrible the first two days and now that has eased off so I hope other detoxing is getting a look in now!

Georgina
I'm still a bit irritable though ;oP

Adream

10-14-2009, 01:01 PM

Wow, this thread is right up my alley. I'm over 50 and have given up coffee. When I thought that I'd just have a cup or two on a Sunday morning (it just smelled sooooo gooood!), I really paid for it. I had a wicked headache for two days - and I rarely get headaches. I usually drink white tea with agave and a bit of coconut milk. I love English Breakfast tea, but the caffeine leaves me with a headache as well.

This was years ago, and I learned then that caffeine causes your cortisol to spike. cortisol gets to your progesterone receptors first and blocks progesterone. Nature's way of saying, if you're stressed, your progesterone will be lowered and you will be out of balance... Not to mention it makes you more acidic, more estrogen dominant.... Anyway, moral of the story: even small amts mess with your hormones.

I do drink a couple cups a year. I still enjoy it when I do. But I literally can only drink a small amt, because if I have say, a large cup, I am instantly addicted and will get a headache the next day and have to wean over the period of a couple/three days.

My kids and I like Roastaroma tea too.

HTH,

Mary Kay
I can relate to all of the above. Wish I could find Roastaroma...

My skin, whites of my eyes are now WHITE, a light feeling, no high from coffee but then no LOWS when I need some either. Perhaps for some of you who havent' found a coffee sub that you like, try Dandy Blend. I think its rather good. My husband and I noticed that too, between the raw food and eliminating coffee, the whites of my eyes are now very WHITE! Love it. I'll have to look for Dandy Blend. I'm going to Trader Joes and Whole Foods tomorrow ~ maybe I can find it as well as Roastaroma?

I love coffee. A few years ago i started tracking my ph, i was very acid, and shifted to a more alkaline diet. after researching it, i found coffee is extremely acidic, and gave it up. Being raw now, i mix almond milk, raw chocolate powder and agave or honey, warm it slightly (not over 105) and this warm coco is my coffee replacement. That sounds great! I also enjoy So Delicious Coconut milk. I don't know if it's raw or not, but it is delicious (deserves it's name! ;)). I use it to make soups, like Raw Mushroom soup, and it would surely be good in this conconction, Sierra. The weather has turned chilly; I think I'll make a cup this afternoon!

Adream

10-15-2009, 08:52 PM

My wish came true ~ I found Roastaroma at Whole Foods, and Target! I bought 3 boxes...I hope I like it! :D I'll find out tomorrow morning; I'll brew a cup & adding coconut milk and agave nectar.

Adream

10-16-2009, 08:57 AM

My wish came true ~ I found Roastaroma at Whole Foods, and Target! I bought 3 boxes...I hope I like it! :D I'll find out tomorrow morning; I'll brew a cup & adding coconut milk and agave nectar.
I officially love it.

lucky lemons

10-18-2009, 09:32 PM

Hi, Robbay - good for you that you are giving up coffee - it was the best decision I've made for my health in a long time. I gave up my two to three cup a day (plus tea in the afternoon) coffee addiction about a year and half ago, just before my first foray into raw food. My withdrawal symptoms were that I had a bad headache for about 4 days. After that, it was over. I didn't even miss the taste of coffee, but like some others here I still enjoy the smell. I still drink green tea (I know its not raw but it has health benefits) and I find it to be more than enough caffiene when I need a pick me up in the morning, but it's not strong enough to be addictive like coffee is - meaning that I can wake up and gage whether I need caffiene or not as opposed to that GIVE ME COFFEE NOW feeling I used to have. I have joint issues, as well as digestive problems which were two other majors reasons for giving up coffee. Good luck! :)

hanakhan

10-20-2009, 01:52 AM

lucky you! im still struggling to find a good healthy alternative for coffee. Atleast I have cut down a little bit of it.:o

Notpinsky

10-31-2009, 03:43 PM

Hi TP, Congrats on letting go of the bean and your one week goal! I'm at the beginning, and in one week I hope to be there too.

I hear people talking about Roastaroma and Teccino (sp?) and wonder how tea and maybe a dandelion or chicory blend tea would fit into the Raw Plan? I guess technically hot or boiling water cooks it right? minimally? ideas?

Since people are mentioning Trader Joes as a source for coffee substitute I'm going to mention www dot Herbalcom dot com as an uber-cheap source for bulk dandelion and chicory. Roasted dandelion root and chicory is a great bitter brew but I'm trying to think of something that is not a "cheat" on the Rawness.

RawHealthyBeauty

10-31-2009, 04:12 PM

I've read Alissa's book and tea is really not a part of the living on live food concept on page 39 as if one wants to be 100% raw.
To break the coffee habit is to go cold turkey, let it go gradually, or a substitute to let go of coffee and to let go of the substitute eventually as well...

snoops

10-31-2009, 07:36 PM

...and there are no raw police. A lot of us drink tea in our quest for a raw lifestyle. You do what you can...

katchmoleen

10-31-2009, 08:49 PM

I drink tea once in awhile but still consider myself 100% raw. Tea is not really a food to me. To each his own. It will help me stay raw on these cold winter days, that is for sure! Right now the wind is howling and the poor little trick or treaters are getting blown all over the place.

RawHealthyBeauty

11-01-2009, 07:57 PM

I did drink tea at first to say laters to my coffee habit. Then later, I didn't drink tea after I found out that it isn't the raw thing to do. So I'm wondering if just using fresh herbs and just infusing it in the fridge or having it sit in the sun would be okay?

JaneHamson

11-02-2009, 06:11 AM

I gave up coffee few months ago. now im drinking honey with hot water :) good for my weight loss programme.

islesgirl

11-02-2009, 07:32 AM

I love coffee. A few years ago i started tracking my ph, i was very acid, and shifted to a more alkaline diet. after researching it, i found coffee is extremely acidic, and gave it up. Being raw now, i mix almond milk, raw chocolate powder and agave or honey, warm it slightly (not over 105) and this warm coco is my coffee replacement.

Good morning (maybe afternoon or evening?), Sierra. Just had to thank you for your post with your recipe for cocoa. I had it this morning to replace my usual coffee and it was delicious. I put another mug into the dehydrator to "warm" at 105'. Any idea how long it will take? Have a great day.

So, how are the rest of you doing in your effort to give up the java? I am so happy to know today that I will never have this "monkey on my back" again!:D

Sue.

Blue Berry

11-03-2009, 11:45 AM

I’ve quit coffee many times so I’m not stranger to withdrawal symptoms (ha ha - it’s kind of like self abuse doing it more than once). I only drink a cup a day and maybe a bit more on weekends with hubby when he brews a pot. I would be happy to quit the daily routine and allow myself a cup on the weekend… or maybe none at all… I haven’t decided yet. My goal is to get healthier and not get any chronic health diseases that are so prevalent in today’s society. My parents are getting on (78 and 79) and I want to be there for them and that would be hard to do if I am sick myself.:D

Ilse W.

11-03-2009, 03:24 PM

About the heating to 105 degrees in the dehydrator...why not put it into a pot and heat it on low heat on the stove until it reaches that temp? It's easier and much quicker!:)
As to tea...the benefits of dandelion tea far outweigh the "bad" that it's not raw.
Helps detox the liver! Same goes for other teas. Plus, I love plain hot water....is that also not raw? NO raw police!

islesgirl

11-03-2009, 08:10 PM

Got through my second day without coffee. This time I can only really complain about the headache. I'm not indulging any thoughts about drinking it. I have really made up my mind this time to let it go. I feel free already.:D

Sue.

islesgirl

11-09-2009, 01:23 PM

This is the first day I have thought so much about having tea or coffee with nut milk and honey. I am trying hard not to dwell on it because I haven't had any caffeine since a week ago yesterday. Today is tough though. Oh well, I still have plenty to do to get through this day. And I am going to find some of that stuff called "Teechino" for days like today. I am also giving my innards a rest and doing a "dry-fast". No plans for tomorrow yet....just see how this day goes. But [B]no coffee!:D How goes the battle for the rest of you?:)

Sue.

RawTruth

11-11-2009, 01:06 AM

What worked for me was substituting.

I loved coffee. I knew enough to withdraw slowly to avoid the headaches, brain fog, and crankiness. What I did was substitute increasingly-larger amounts of decaf in each cup in order to first get take care of the caffeine addiction - first, 3/4 caf with 1/4 decaf for a week, then 1/2 and 1/2 for another week, etc. No headaches. But, I didn't want to keep drinking decaf - it's still bad.

When I really thought about it, it was the habit of drinking coffee that I was hooked on (well, after the caffeine addiction, of course). It was the ritual of either making it or going into the coffee shop to buy it, holding it, carrying it, driving with it, all those situations where it was a constant companion.

So, after I'd weaned off of caffeinated coffee, I substituted herbal tea. Yes, I was newly raw and all anguished about How can tea be good if it's heated? Then, I got over it, because, folks the eating of a raw foodist who drinks tea is still 1000% better than the best eating of SAD-folks!! Some tea was not going to hurt me. Especially after the way I'd eaten in previous years!

After a while, I lost interest in tea. Water was the sole beverage for me.

Now, I do think tea has its place. Either enjoy it was a hot beverage or as an herbal medicinal. But, yes, coffee is deadly. Revvell had it nailed in the very 2nd? post.

Last note -- tea is NOT a food, ya know! We're raw FOODers! Herbal teas ---> <shrug>

momof6

11-15-2009, 06:14 AM

Hello All.

I have tried many times to break myself of this ritual I adhere to during the early morning hours before the sun and children wake. What I find the hardest to break though is sharing this pot of coffee with my husband. It is the ONE thing we do together everyday, work day, weekend, holiday whatever. It's "our" time.

But yes coffee makes me CRANKY and I can clearly feel its effects. I think it is time to try again. Many years ago I would begin my day with a quart of orange juice, yummy. Coffee really isn't that yummy, especially black!

RawTruth

11-15-2009, 05:13 PM

It is the ONE thing we do together everyday, work day, weekend, holiday whatever. It's "our" time.

How 'bout kissing, cuddling, and snuggling over a glass of OJ? ;) Now that's some way to start the day!

islesgirl

11-16-2009, 09:26 AM

All it takes is one cup and I am back on that roller coaster. I think I will go buy some Teechino (a few different flavors) and try mixing them with my own coffee (half & half) and see if it helps. This is so difficult for me. I am always with others who drink it and the social ritual has such a pull for me. I let myself get sucked back in. I have tried other things for the past two weeks. I tried Camomile and then another day I tried Chai Tea. Blech! We usually go to Tim Hortons or McDonalds - that's what the other guys always pick, and neither place has come up with anything I can drink other than H2O which just grates on my nerves. If I could find a bottle of unpasteurized grapefruit juice - that would be great. I guess I could make something up at home (something that tastes really great) and then take it with me or maybe I could go to one of our better grocery stores and see if they carry a nice raw juice that is "legal". Gotta try that!

Sue.

maddiesdaddy

11-16-2009, 03:23 PM

I still haven't gotten past the habit myself first thing in the day. I tried the green tea substitute and it was a bit lacking in taste. I have found a product that takes a litle getting used to flavour wise (Uncle Lee's Body Slim Dieter Tea ). The flavour seems to be alot heavier than other teas. You must try it sparingly at first as it really flushes your system. It is as close to a coffee replacement as I have found to date. They sell it in most Supermarket and Drug stores for around $8 for 30 bags. I really like it in the winter because I drink it without milk or cream and it stays hot longer than coffee in my travel mug.

RawTruth

11-16-2009, 05:15 PM

Islesgirl and maddiesdaddy:

Teeccino -- Maya Cafe Herbal Roast - Dark Roast -- is the best coffee substitute and 100% organic http://www.teeccino.com/ProductsList.aspx?ProductCategoryID=1&ProductCategoryName=Teeccino%20Herbal%20Coffees. It has chicory and bunches of other twigs & nuts. :p You can either perk it/drip it like coffee or get some open top refillable tea bags and steep like tea. The latter was my favorite way of doing it when I was transitioning and is how it's used at Hippocrates Health Institute as a transition from coffee. It's dynamite with homemade almond milk and a drop of stevia. Here's a site for the bags http://sheepish.us/optopfiteaba.html. And here's stevia that has no alcohol or glycerin http://www.steviasmart.com/stcllistex.html

It's really a mindset. You're putting yourselves in precarious situations -- a group meeting for coffee, of all things -- and trying to white-knuckle it by sheer self-control. This reminds me of when people are newly raw and they have a hard time staying raw when eating out at restaurants with family and friends. I always tell them -- not my original advice; it was Victoria Boutenko's -- to stay out of restaurants for the first few months until their habits of eating are firmly established. Then, venture back out but only when you have control over where you're going to eat. Take your supplies and make sure they have salads. In this case, how 'bout if you take control and set up you and your friends to meet at a place that has a wider variety of beverages -- definitely not the Golden Arches! -- so you can get some tea.

Or, yes, definitely bring your own.

Also, let them know that you're trying to stop drinking coffee and would like their support. Make sure you tell them you're not judging their coffee habit, but it's very important to you to succeed. If they're really friends, they'll help you.

Getting together isn't really about the food or the drink. It's about companionship, friendship, community, support, and not being alone in the world. Shifting the focus away from food/drink is a challenge, but it CAN be done. I've done it myself with family gatherings, getting together with non-raw friends, and even business meetings. It depends on how committed you are and how willing you are to take control of your circumstances and not just have tempting situations "happen."

BTW, you didn't ask, but I'd stay away from the Dieter Teas. They're laxative-like and shouldn't be used regularly.

islesgirl

11-16-2009, 05:22 PM

What I am noticing more each time is the immediate changes brought about in my body when I have a cup of coffee. I really feel the nervousness in my stomach right away. Then I feel this generalized unease for the rest of the day - even though I get an "energy" boost. I am also much more hungry and I always end up eating SAD food. I don't sleep through the night - have to go to the bathroom much more often. And I get more depressed. This time I did much better. The cravings weren't quite as prolonged or intense. So tomorrow, hopefully, I will fight the monkey off again and start fresh. What else can I say? Just that I will try again - hopefully a little stronger this time. This time it has been 5 days of drinking coffee, not 2 or 3 weeks.:)

Sue.

RawTruth

11-16-2009, 05:33 PM

Just bear in mind that you're not weak -- you're addicted. Taper off. Don't put strain and judgment on yourself. Go easy, go slow. Again, I suggest replacing 1/4 decaf and the rest of the cup 3/4 caffeinated coffee.

You know how bad it is for you -- it's sure been described in this thread completely! -- that's not the issue. You simply need to have a plan for how you're going to transition off and then what you're going to substitute with so that you don't start up again.

Good luck. Just plan, be kind to yourself, and you can do it.

maddiesdaddy

11-16-2009, 05:40 PM

I totally agree with lessoning the temptation by avoiding difficult situations when starting out. My weakness is the home brewed pot of coffee. The tea, albeit not perfect, removes the initial shock of no coffee. More of a crutch than anything. My hope is the ability to replace all with my green smoothies. Things would be much to easy if I didn't have these challenges along the way!..

RawTruth

11-16-2009, 05:46 PM

Things would be much to easy if I didn't have these challenges along the way!..

Ha ha ha ha ha!! Tell me about it!!

But ... we wouldn't then have an opportunity to become stronger and better than we are now. It's only through being tried and tested that our true character comes out, ya know!

You can do this. Believe me, compared with all the other things that can be happening to you, this is a piece of cake. Ooops! Well, raw cake, that is.

islesgirl

11-16-2009, 06:14 PM

Thank you for your encouraging words RawTruth. Perhaps you are right - quitting cold turkey may not be the best way for me to do this. I don't know.

islesgirl

11-26-2009, 02:27 PM

I have been drinking lots of green smoothies today - packed with nutrients. So this should help me get through the day. "One day at a time" is how I have to think at the moment.:)

jbosari

05-03-2010, 11:47 AM

I'm not vegan, but I've been doing some research for a writing piece. Being a writer, I fit the coffee-fueled stereotype. I have always considered coffee might be bad for me, but reasoned that I could not find a good, logical, factual basis for giving it up. Well today I found one, so I thought I would share it with those of you trying to give it up. I think it will go a long way towards motivating you to kick the habit.

One of the reasons to eat raw foods is to avoid the acrylamide that forms during cooking. This substance develops when plant-based foods are cooked, especially at high temperatures or for long periods of time. It's also a powerful carcinogen when consumed in large quantities.

It turns out that coffee beans contain acrylamide because they are roasted at high temperatures. Next consider that caffeine quickly enters the blood stream and disperses throughout the body. It's like an express-train delivery system for cancer. Yikes!

I am somewhat relieved to find out that longer roasting times tend to degrade the acrylamide formation. Unfortunately it also degrades the nutritive value of the coffee. Roast Magazine has an interesting piece on the different methods manufacturers are using to try to reduce acrylamide in coffee.

I can't say I'll give up coffee altogether, but I'll certainly stop drinking that regular roast my husband prefers. I'll stick to my Starbucks and hope the antioxidants in those blueberries do me some good!

Teebag

06-13-2010, 02:02 PM

I have decaffeinated myself many times over the years, and have gone through the headache routine more times than I care to remember. The one thing that has kept me away from caffeine for good is the raw diet, especially the green smoothies, regular exercise and a full night's rest. I used to drink coffee everyday to the point where I depended on it for energy, thus letting go of regular exercise and proper eating habits. It's a common misconception that coffee brings mental clarity. Yes, it may blow out a few cobwebs, but it is an unnatural and unhealthy state. There is nothing like waking in the morning totally recharged, simply from eating right, exercising right and sleeping right.

wouldrichest

07-11-2010, 12:19 PM

Tru

07-11-2010, 04:37 PM

One suggestion I've received is to basically try switching over to cold-pressed coffee, I'm excited about trying that option as I work my way down. :)

montyloree

07-14-2010, 10:05 AM

It's amazing... maybe not that amazing that coffee gets this much discussion.. lol..

It's a hard one to give up... that's for sure...

It took me 2 weeks of headaches and no productivity, and then 4 months of cravings to give it up.. that's pretty difficult considering.

I don't miss it now... however there are some days that I could use the rush.

DawnD

07-14-2010, 06:22 PM

I have been wondering what my story will be about giving up coffee. I have been raw for about 11 months now and know that I need to break the habit but each day I say, "Not today". I do love my coffee time first thing. I have been oil pulling for about a month (thanks to the wonderful thread on RFT) and sometimes I forget to make the coffee because my mouth is occupied with something else. I oil pull the very first thing in the morning. This may be the thing that helps me change up my habit.

Another thing about coffee (and I don't know if it has been discussed in the thread) is that it is so acidic to the body. Raw food alkalizes and then we put coffee in there to set us back. We need to strive to raise our alkalinity for healing and continued health. Anyway this is my motivation to try to give up the habit once again. Maybe I will oil pull and then have a cup of warm lemon and water. That's definately alkalizing and cleansing.

annabella

07-21-2010, 09:41 AM

I tried giving up coffee a week ago at a bad time.... I am finishing up an independent project involving a lot of computer work/focus and I feel like I need to put off kicking this habit in order to get everything done.. it is a bit frustrating but I'm not willing to compromise my work for it just now! Going on a 10 day juice fast after this is over and hopefully will see the light at the other side.. I've found this to be by far the hardest thing to give up when switching to mostly raw...

rawtobe

07-31-2010, 10:34 AM

I don't drink nearly as much coffee as I used to yrs ago (I used to start the day with double Turkish coffee, that would give me heart failure now) but now I drink Krakus Instant coffee substitute (a couple times a week) it contains extracts of roasted barley, rye, chocory and beet roots ...

topazbreath

03-27-2012, 11:22 AM

I wanted to continue having coffee socially as a treat while going raw. Yesterday I had cup of coffee with a friend and it took over my body and I reacted like you would to alcohol. It made me really hungry and I overate and then my digestive tract was so messed up from dealing with that and the toxins in the coffee that I couldn't eat for a day and felt incredibly ill. I think my bodies already become to sensitive to toxins to endure coffee anymore. Goodbye good old social pass time.

Has anyone tried consuming commercialized soy-milk after going raw? I had alittle bit of that in my coffee and processed soy milk's always creeped me out a bit so I'm wondering if it wasn't that.

aviatrix79

03-29-2012, 07:09 AM

A good way to quit coffee is to slowly replace it with roasted dandelion tea, which tastes a lot like coffee but has no caffeine. Say you have four coffees every day, have 3 coffees and one roasted dandelion tea. Then start making those three coffees weaker and weaker each day. Eventually, your dandelion tea's going to taste better than your coffee and you'll look forward to that one. Then switch to two coffees and two teas then next week, then one coffee and three teas until you give it up completely. Then if you want to go completely raw, switch to a normal dandelion tea (not roasted).

climbing

03-29-2012, 10:29 AM

I used to drink 3 pots of coffee a day... POTS, not cups. I'm amazed I didn't die. Before that, way back in the day when I was still really unhealthy and a SAD eater, I drank like.. no kidding up to 10 Dr. Pepper a day... (god I can't even imagine it now)...so my caffeine issues are long and strong.

I'm over it though. Especially after I got a lump in my breast from the coffee. I have a cup once in a million years now on a special occasion but never more than that. It's just not worth the nasty things it does to your body. When I have coffee I can SMELL it on me... not a coffee smell but this nasty acidity smell...

Fasting helped me get over pretty much every unhealthy food habit I had. It's amazing what fasting will do for you.

MysticTree

03-30-2012, 01:19 AM

My mother gave up coffee last week and has switched to high raw. I'm so proud of her.

breathless

03-30-2012, 07:22 AM

That's wonderful, Georgina!

Bobbo

03-30-2012, 10:22 AM

I don't drink coffee anymore. It's amazing how my body doesn't want things that I use to have regularly now that I have started eating raw. I am loving hot water now and sometimes I will add some honey.

climbing

03-31-2012, 09:49 AM

It is amazing isn't it? The more raw I eat, the more my body lets me know exactly what is good or not good for it.

househugger

06-11-2012, 01:58 PM

This may be a dumb question but here we go anyway. . . Does decafeinated coffee still count as coffee? Sure there's no caffeine but are there any other possible harmful affects to it -I'm particularly concerned about my vascular health.

I was coffee free for about a month then I decided I'd have a cup of decaf. Now four months later I'm still raw but having a cup a decaf a day.

I watched Forks over Knives yesterday. Absolutely fascinating.

MysticTree

06-11-2012, 02:11 PM

Decaf is, I think, worse than regular coffee because of the processing. Since you are drinking decaf you could probably switch it out to something else quite painlessly. Most of what you have is a psychological need for it. Water really does taste good and juices also. Really good looking watermelon slush puppy type drink on raw on $10 a day yesterday or was it today . . . Not sure!

househugger

06-12-2012, 02:02 AM

I had no coffee today and didn't miss it. Maybe I'll go for a month without coffee again, like I did in January, then it'll be another month and hopefully it will continue on and on. Right now though it's one day at a time.

MysticTree

06-12-2012, 02:21 AM

I'm13 and a half months clean of diet coke :)

RawLibrarian

06-13-2012, 11:32 AM

I stopped drinking coffee in 2006, when I started a yoga teacher training course. I started drinking chai made from green tea at that time, and still do. While it does have caffeine, it has far less than coffee, and green tea has antioxidant qualities.

delmar

06-13-2012, 03:58 PM

I'm13 and a half months clean of diet coke :)I quit that and all artificial sweetener around the time I came here in February. Still doing coffee though. I have sort have been doing the one change at a time thing.

lynch

06-13-2012, 10:12 PM

My mother is also a diabetic person and she always wants to drink coffee instead of meat, but the doctor says that it can make your blood pressure high and as your blood become high your sugar would also increase.

phak-i-tu

06-15-2012, 11:06 AM

I am thoroughly hooked on coffee and unless it's an espresso, I always drank it with milk or cream. (or a spoonful of vanilla ice cream...) Since I've gone raw, substituting that milk with rice or nut milk has not been difficult and that works with tea too. I'm thinking that the longer I stay raw, the less I shall need it. I never liked it 'warmed over' and would always rather do without it than drink instant. It's in the mornings that it's become such a ritual. For most of the years of my marriage, my husband and I made it 'cowboy' style, where one just stirs the coffee into boiling water, turn the heat off and let it sit till it clears on top. That morning ritual, combined with the smell of a morning wood fire and the dew-laden plants on the open desert around us, for almost 30 years, is one of those 'ordinary things' I needed most when I became a widow, to keep from going bonkers. BUT, the drink itself can be replaced with another some day, if it falls off on its own. I am already drinking much less of it. Now, from the perspective of the 'low income,' (which gets you the same reaction these days as if you'd said you have an STD) 'de-caff' is too expensive and tastes yucky, 'Roastarama' is too expensive as are other possible replacements or in my case, in the rural Southwest, can't be found anyway. So, I'm just going to stay raw and let the path itself fix whatever needs to be fixed at it own pace. I'm sipping a Cafe Bustelo now, with a twist of lemon. I can actually do it without the sugar now, which is victory enough for the first month raw.

happylife

07-30-2012, 06:33 PM

I am going to try the Roasted Dandelion tea. I have been hooked on coffee for at least 22 years. Thanks

rainwaterd

05-21-2013, 12:02 PM

Personally, I feel something is off with coffee. I love it and had an intimate relation with coffee in the past. With just one cup of coffee in the morning I know my sleep patterns and resting heart rate are affected. Very subtle, but I can be very sensitive and aware of things. Giving up coffee was more difficult than quitting smoking, which I quit about 40 years ago. I start every day now with an 8 ounce galss of water and a 12 ounce glass of orange, beet, carrot juice. I've heard that orange juice has very small amounts of caffeine. This juice is more energizing than coffee for me, without the let down. I think they use coffee enemas for Gerson cancer treatment.