Nov102009
Caffeine Hiatus
Filed under food by Kim at 2:20 pm on Nov 10 2009
When I got sick a few weeks back, one of the things I was told was to stop with the caffeine. I am not a huge caffeine drinker; one diet coke a day, maybe two. I’ve always been a little sensitive to it, such that more than one cup of coffee sends me & my attention span into a place usually inhabited only by small terriers during a thunderstorm.
I was told in Nutrition class that intake of phosphoric acid in soda has been related to wacky things happening to your mineral levels through the pathways of absorption & elimination. It seems like the research on this is still pretty inconclusive – but it also seems like there are far better things to drink than soda out there.
At any rate, I had a habit, and when I stopped, there were repercussions. A full day of horrible headaches, though I have had worse. Then it was over and for 19 days I was fine. Until today, when I am ready to prop my eyelids open. Is it really worth continuing my caffeine hiatus? If I can make it to 5pm when I can hit the road then I guess the answer is “yes”.
1 Jenon 10 Nov 2009 at 3:32 pm
I’ve realized lately I’ve gotten more and more sloppy about this. I went strictly no-caffeine for a while after I was diagnosed with UC, then started letting it in once in a while. Now I have at least one caffeinated drink a day, and if I skip any I get a headache. Dumb. =/
It’s going to take a lot to pry Caffeine Free Diet Coke from my fingers, though.
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Kim Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Caffeine Free Diet Coke not being sold in most fountain drink places makes it so I don’t drink it much. Generally when I’m at the store I think “God, I don’t want to lug this home.” 🙂
I’ve started drinking the flavored seltzer waters, sugar free, that they sell in generic format at most grocery stores. No dark acidy stuff, but still with some flavor!
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2 Meganon 10 Nov 2009 at 9:50 pm
I drink tea constantly. Then I chase it with Coke Zero. And more tea. My real addiction is Starbucks Chai. I’ve been battling that one for 10 years now. I get off for a few months and then have just one . . . . AND it’s all over. I’ve been on a run with it lately and it certainly hasn’t helped reduce the waistline at all, so I’m trying to get off it again. But the chai I brew at home has no calories. Tea, tea, tea. I drink too much tea.
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Kim Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 10:54 am
I guess I’m in luck that I just don’t like Tea that much.
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3 Fredon 10 Nov 2009 at 11:16 pm
I found it a lot easier to wean myself gradually off of caffeine when my sole caffeine source was tea, not sodas or coffee. If I was charting a path for you, I’d say go to black & green tea first, then just green tea, then to decaf green.
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Kim Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 10:54 am
If only I liked Tea.
But in a way I don’t really need a path – I mean I just haven’t had the stuff in weeks at this point. I just need to get more sleep. 😉
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4 Beckion 11 Nov 2009 at 10:41 am
I stopped caffeine years ago and seem to be able to stay awake. But then I eat really well and exercise, too, which I think keeps me awake. You can do it!
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Kim Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 10:55 am
God – my sleep would be so much better quality if I were working out every day.
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