Caffeine free

r2015

I've just returned from seeing a specialist at the hospital and I have been told to cut out caffeine. Completely.

And beer.

Considering my liquid intake for the past 10 odd years has been 3 mugs of tea and 5 mugs of strong coffee a day and 4 bottles of Lucozade sport at the weekend plus the odd 4 pints of beer a week, (I had to record what I was drinking) what is left to drink?

Everything I like to drink contains caffeine.

I hate water and all the diluting juices.

Suggestions before I die of dehydration.

At least it is only for a few weeks to see if it is the caffeine that is causing my problems.

welshbookworm

I hate squash and most fruit juices!
I go for sparkling Elderflower or Ame drinks
Redbush tea is a caffeine free tea that is similar to ordinary tea which might be tolerable.
It might be worth experimenting with other herb teas as well. But not mate (contains caffeine)

hanb

I developed an allergy to caffeine a few years back and was gutted!! But, decaf tea and coffee are readily available almost everywhere nowadays so it's not too much of an issue. They even sell decaf coke (gold bottles) but mostly only in big bottles or multipacks.


There's also plenty of teas that are caffeine free (or very low caffeine) anyway - have a google for white tea, green tea and black tea (can't remember the order they are as I just buy decaf regular stuff It's all I have at home and no one has ever claimed to notice a difference. You might notice some headaches and sleepiness or a while though, I did!!

Fallen-Angel

We switched to decaff tea and coffee several months back, can't tell any difference in the taste and your body gets used to the lack of caffeine quite quickly

Rooibos tea is lovely!

WeAreGhosts

I also can't have caffeine. It's sometimes a pain when out cos some cafes don't stock decaf tea, and some even charge more for it (even though it's the same price as regular tea in the shops).

You can't really taste the difference with decaf tea.

I like Kenco's decaf coffee.

Also, there's tons of herbal/fruit teas available. I like blackcurrant ones, and apple.

Cider doesn't contain caffeine.

calleyw

Don't forget that decaff coffee does still have a very small amount of caffeine in it.

So between approx between 1-5mg depending on how strong the coffee has been made.

Don't forget chocolate contains caffeine.

Yours

Calley

Retrogamer

Water. I know you said you hate it but we should be drinking to stay hydrated and water does it very well.
It's more a necessity, rather than something to enjoy.

I hate most water as well but when i'm really thirsty i'll drink it no problem. Once you get used it to, it's not so bad.

summerspring

r2015 wrote: »

I've just returned from seeing a specialist at the hospital and I have been told to cut out caffeine. Completely.

And beer.

Considering my liquid intake for the past 10 odd years has been 3 mugs of tea and 5 mugs of strong coffee a day and 4 bottles of Lucozade sport at the weekend plus the odd 4 pints of beer a week, (I had to record what I was drinking) what is left to drink?

Everything I like to drink contains caffeine.

I hate water and all the diluting juices.

Suggestions before I die of dehydration.

At least it is only for a few weeks to see if it is the caffeine that is causing my problems.

:eek: Your poor tummy!


How about milkshakes/smoothies?
San Pellegrino flavoured fizzy water
Ginger beer (fentemans is nice, they also do other fizzy drinks which taste good)
herbal teas, - there are many, many flavours available


Don't forget, as calleyw says, chocolate also contains caffeine, except for possibly white chocolate.


Btw I used to hate plain water too, but now I drink pretty much nothing but water, so it is possible to get used to it.

Rummer

How about herbal tea? I do not like fruit teas however mint and fennel are tasty and caffeine free. Plus there are loads of flavours to try.

If plain water is not your thing try it with a couple of slices of cucumber or lemon in it to give a slight flavour.

jenniewb

I've gone through caffeine free periods in the past, at the moment I'm on 1-2 cups of (mild) coffee with caffeine and the occasional bottle of Pepsi Max (though the latter option rarely happens in a month). I've gone through times where it's been higher and I seemed to survive mainly on Pepsi Max, strong tea and green tea.


I would say cut down not totally out to begin with- cut by half and then half again and so on- it's a major jump each time but it tapers off rather than a sudden leap into fatigue and neverending mind thumping headaches.


Try to keep a tally or chart of what you are trying to do, you could tally all the cups you've had, but trying to scare yourself out of caffeine addiction/dependence is just going to make you feel depressed about things. Try to log what you have achieved rather than what you have not. Maybe a chart with however many cups you used to have per day and then what you have had instead? Or how much money you've saved if you were buying drinks out or existing on posh pod-bought coffee?


Decaf is an option but IME, give yourself a good few weeks without any coffee (or caffeinated drink of choice) and stick to something completely different so for example, milk or milk based drinks or their soya/non-dairy based milk alternative, lemonade or diet lemonade, orangeade, squash or juice, diluted juice or even just plain water and then introduce caffeine free coffee or whatever, it'll be easier to swap over this way as your going to find it far harder to compare the tastes and blow out of proportion the lack of caffeine and how different it tastes.


Also, make sure your fully aware of what has caffeine in- some things like chocolate, Tiramisu, Irn Bru and so on can suprize people. Most will have caffeine listed on the package but some wont.

GwylimT

I only drink decaff, it doesn't taste any different, some still contain small amounts though so contact the manufacturer for clarification. Lots of teas however are naturally free of it.