Experiment: Completely Quitting Coffee!
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free skin care · Thu Nov 03, 2016 2:16 pm

Hey everyone!

I am a serious coffee drinker, I drink way, way too much. I was drinking as much as 5-8 cups a day (not really on purpose, I mostly mis-measured my mug, lol).

I drink it from a drip machine, which I read produces the most amount of caffeine. I use a little bit of honey to sweeten it, and sometimes add cinnamon.

I noticed slightly dark circles under my eyes, and have decided to give up on coffee. For the last month or so, give or take a week of relapse, I've tried to stay under 1-2 cups a day.

I'm wondering though, I know teas (green, white, etc.) have a ton of health benefits, including anti-aging skin benefits, but they also contain caffeine (with the exception of rooibos, maybe that gives you the best of both worlds). I'd rather not use "decaf" tea, because I read that they use some sort of chemical to remove the caffeine which is not healthy, even if it says "naturally decaffeinated". You have to look for a special method of decaffeinating teas to be safe.

So I'm definitely giving up coffee, but what about tea? Any thoughts? I'm thinking I should switch to rooibos. I also know tea has much less caffeine than the coffee I drink (depending on steep time).

I also make herbal teas with things like ginger root, rosemary, etc. Those don't have any caffeine.

Oh, and I have trouble sleeping. Surprising, right?

I'll report back with any changes in case anyone was thinking of doing something similar.

Thanks

free skin care · Mon Nov 28, 2016 10:00 am

Hi Johndoe,

I am actually implementing a similar caffeine-conscious approach to coffee and super teas etc.

I love coffee too so I sympathize with you on that and I note your concern with the chemicals used in the decaf process and I agree conventionally decaffeinated coffees are to be avoided. Fortunately, there is Swiss water decaf which retains the benefits but removes the caffeine. I like bulletproof decaf coffee but there are lots on amazon.

Have you looked into cocoa? Its loaded with polyphenols and antioxidants and does not have high levels of caffeine but it does contain theobromine which is a stimulant.

My beverages throughout the day are swiss decaf coffee, cocoa and matcha green tea (the caffeine content is offset by the high L-Theanine content). I drink these for their brain and skin benefits. The only caffeine I really consume is in the matcha as there seems to be negligible amounts in the decaf and not high amounts in cocoa.

Roiboss is great stuff. I drink a roiboss and honeybush combo from TeaPigs in the evening and sometimes some camomile.

free skin care · Sat Dec 03, 2016 10:00 am

In our household we drink fresh artemisia annua (homegrown)made into tea. It has been used as a cure all in China for a long time but we have found it is great for assisting deep sleep and keeps aches & pains at bay. Warning: it taste awful!

free skin care · Sat Dec 03, 2016 4:36 pm

I understand wanting to cut back. When I stopped drinking my beloved late afternoon coffee.. boom.. years of insomnia went totally away. so a tip for anyone who drinks coffee in the afternoon and has sleep problems.. it is the coffee..

However, green tea and white tea have great anti aging properties. Lately I've been grinding up cloves and putting them into my tea since they have the highest concentration of polyphenols.

Yet, I will never totally cut out my coffee in the mornings and early afternoon There are many health benefits attributed to coffee as well.

It is all about balance.

free skin care · Sat Dec 03, 2016 6:46 pm

White tea is amazing. Apparently it contains more anti-aging compounds than green tea! I'm using Miracle Matcha - which is white tea powder.

free skin care · Mon Feb 06, 2017 4:09 pm

Good for you! Wish I could but I only have 2 cups per day so it should be easy for me. It's liver toxic so I wish I could.

free skin care · Tue Feb 07, 2017 3:09 am

bugaboo wrote:

Good for you! Wish I could but I only have 2 cups per day so it should be easy for me. It's liver toxic so I wish I could.

I've read concerns over green tea and the liver but I've only ever seen positive coffee-liver connections...

free skin care · Wed Feb 08, 2017 5:27 pm

Some coffee brands make coffee with caffeine reduced by 50%...perhaps that will help someone( I know of Kroger,Gevalia and Green Mountain making them).

free skin care · Wed Feb 08, 2017 8:02 pm

I don't think coffe is good for healthy for the bone. For women especially. On the other hand tea is great.and it is said that Green tea is better than red tea

free skin care · Wed Feb 08, 2017 8:14 pm

I drink lots of green and white tea mixed with other teas as well and in the morning with slices of ginger and lemon.

I do not believe that green tea consumed as tea causes liver problems. I looked on Medline and found
"A study published in "The Journal of Nutrition" in January 2009 found that consumption of high levels of green tea extracts did not affect markers of liver function in healthy men. The green tea extract consumed in the study was approximately equivalent to consuming between 6 and 8 cups of green tea per day. Although a few previous studies using mice and isolated case studies suggested that green tea might increase the risk for liver problems, the study authors noted that it is likely these adverse liver reactions were at least partly due to other, unrelated factors, such as genetics or other health problems, and not simply green tea consumption." Also on Livestrong

A Rutgers study examined 10 individuals who had liver problems from consuming a high level of diet pills containing green tea extract. It is possible the problems came from something else in the pills or from the high concentration of a particular component of the extract. Anyway do not take green tea extract pills or any diet pills for that matter.

free skin care · Thu Feb 09, 2017 3:29 am

^ Yes the concern for green tea and a deleterious effect on the liver is due to the concentrated pills, often used in weight loss, and not so much with daily green tea consumption.

Quote:

Does this mean you have to worry every time you have a spot of tea? According to Sonpal, probably not. "Green tea is incredibly safe for the most part," he says. "It's rare for hepatotoxicity to occur with daily normal consumption. It's when you start taking highly concentrated doses that we run into problems."

http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/healthy-drinks/too-much-green-tea-or-matcha-could-lead-liver-damage

free skin care · Sun Feb 12, 2017 8:08 pm

Hi there guys.

So a reason caffeine, specifically may cause puffiness or water retention in the face is due to the fact that Caffeine raises the hormone cortisol, the body's natural stress response hormone. What it does, is release more sugars into the blood stream. Sugars are carbs. Carbs attract water. Thus water retention. This is why our faces look like crap in the mornings, because of the cortisol morning response. This is also why we look bad when we do not sleep well. The stress of lack of sleep causes a substantial cortisol response that lasts all the while we are sleep deprived. Cortisol is an incredibly important hormone, but there are ways of reducing it. (by the way, stress such as anxiety ALSO raises cortisol)..

ways to reduce it, get better sleep, limit caffeine intake.

If you truly want to fight aging, you must have a routine that is with a strong daily sunscreen. This is your number one bet. Two, sleep well. Drink tons of white tea as well as rooibos tea.

Last and hardest one is long term caloric restriction as well as methionine restriction.

Look into the studies on the two of the last types of restriction I mentioned. good luck

free skin care · Mon Feb 20, 2017 3:34 pm

Probably why I don't have puffiness, my cortisol is low. I wouldn't mind a little puffiness so my eyes wouldn't look so hollow.

free skin care · Mon Jan 28, 2019 2:36 am

Hi, are you still caffeine free? Is it as beneficial as you thought?

johndoe1125 wrote:

Hey everyone!

I am a serious coffee drinker, I drink way, way too much. I was drinking as much as 5-8 cups a day (not really on purpose, I mostly mis-measured my mug, lol).

I drink it from a drip machine, which I read produces the most amount of caffeine. I use a little bit of honey to sweeten it, and sometimes add cinnamon.

I noticed slightly dark circles under my eyes, and have decided to give up on coffee. For the last month or so, give or take a week of relapse, I've tried to stay under 1-2 cups a day.

I'm wondering though, I know teas (green, white, etc.) have a ton of health benefits, including anti-aging skin benefits, but they also contain caffeine (with the exception of rooibos, maybe that gives you the best of both worlds). I'd rather not use "decaf" tea, because I read that they use some sort of chemical to remove the caffeine which is not healthy, even if it says "naturally decaffeinated". You have to look for a special method of decaffeinating teas to be safe.

So I'm definitely giving up coffee, but what about tea? Any thoughts? I'm thinking I should switch to rooibos. I also know tea has much less caffeine than the coffee I drink (depending on steep time).

I also make herbal teas with things like ginger root, rosemary, etc. Those don't have any caffeine.

Oh, and I have trouble sleeping. Surprising, right?

I'll report back with any changes in case anyone was thinking of doing something similar.

Thanks

free skin care · Mon Jan 28, 2019 2:45 am

I never drink coffee because I don't like bitter taste. If I choose black tea or green tea, and scented tea, such as rose tea and jasmine tea, are excellent drinks.

free skin care · Tue Jan 29, 2019 2:33 pm

Thanks for that. For me, it's "morning coffee, afternoon tea".

wenning wrote:

I never drink coffee because I don't like bitter taste. If I choose black tea or green tea, and scented tea, such as rose tea and jasmine tea, are excellent drinks.

Tue Jun 09, 2020 10:08 am

Definitely replace your coffee consumption with tea!

As a life-long consumer of caffeine I never thought to give up coffee.

It was my bread-and-butter throughout my life (high school, college, work, you name it).

However, as you eluded to in your post coffee isn't really the ideal companion in excess.

I noticed I would get very jittery whenever I drank even two or more cups of coffee and it wasn't the pleasant kind of jitters.

Coffee does wake you up but in a sudden and very abrupt manner.

That's not really the way you want to start your mornings.

So, then I decided to switch over to tea and I have to tell you: it's been nothing short of a life-saver.

I feel less dehydrated, the caffeine in tea is much "gentler" as compared to coffee.

Drinking tea every day has done wonders for my stress levels and has helped to inspire a sense of euphoria and calm in my life.

This was not the case in my coffee-years.

So, yes, please do substitute your consumption of coffee with tea and do let us know how it turns out for you.

Fri Feb 05, 2021 3:33 am

When I drank three cups of coffee a day, I could be productive, but I did;t sleep well. After I stopped drinking coffee, my sleep didn't improve. It took me almost two months. Now I only drink coffee when I see my friends, and the rest of the time I replace it with juice.

free skin care · Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:08 am

Every once in a while I consider giving it up, but then what's left? I don't drink alcohol, and I've eliminated sugar and several other inflammatory foods. I don't have any trouble falling asleep, but staying asleep after about 5am is a problem.

Mon Mar 27, 2023 7:12 pm

It seems to me that every person has thought about how to stop drinking coffee. But often, coffee is a ritual. When you are tired, when you want to feel warm and cozy, other situations - you have made coffee your companion. When you understand this, it will become much easier for you to start changing your habits.
I used to always drink coffee at work and at home after work. And I began to have a headache, and only coffee could save me from a headache. Once I had to urgently leave for another city after work, and I did not have time for coffee. And I didn't have a headache that day. So be careful about your health

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