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I'm caffeine free!

Ouch. My condolences.

My doctor recently ordered me to stop eating fried food and ice cream, and to lose 40 pounds. But I'd much rather hear that than have him tell me that I have to stop drinking coffee.

As for comfort food, can you substitute potato chips? Hush puppies? Vanilla ice cream? Mmm... I could go for some.
 
I quit caffeine cold turkey in February. The headaches the first week were horrible!! I was a pot of coffee and several diet cokes a day junky. I just recently went back to my wicked ways.

The Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger and Sleepy Time tea are rather good. I also recommend the Republic of Tea's Kiwi Pear. I think it comes in a decaf version.
 
LibraryLady said:
For various reasons, my doctor has commanded me, yes commanded, to cease and desist all consumption of caffeine. This includes:

Coffee :mad:
Tea :(
Cola :eusa_wall:
Chocolate :bricks:

I need help. I need to find herbal tea that does not taste like dishwater. I need to find something to perk me up in the afternoon at work. I need to find a man. Oops wrong thread. I need to find comfort food that works like chocolate.

All suggestions welcome!
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How about beer?
 
Celestial Seasonings makes a very good chai, and it comes in a decaffeinated version. Red Zinger and Lemon Zinger are also good. Stash makes a nice blueberry tea, if you like that sort of thing.

I empathize with you. I'm sensitive to caffeine and should cut it out completely, but haven't been able to wean myself away from it. I like having a brain that works!
 
I drink a lot of coffee. Every year, in January, I go cold turkey for 3-4 weeks.
I have never noticed any withdrawal symptoms, but I do sometimes find myself standing by the kettle wondering what to do next. It's the habit of having a cup of coffee in my hand rather than actually drinking it, that I'm missing. I find a cup of boiled water actually makes a perfectly acceptable substitute, though I do miss the aroma.
 
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ther is always the possibility of substituting dexedrine (or similar) to make up for that missing something :p
 
Soapy Sam said:
I drink a lot of coffee. Every year, in January, I go cold turkey for 3-4 weeks.
I have never noticed any withdrawal symptoms, but I do sometimes find myself standing by the kettle wondering what to do next. It's the habit of having a cup of coffee in my hand rather than actually drinking it, that I'm missing. I find a cup of boiled water actually makes a perfectly acceptable substitute, though I do miss the aroma.
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Your mention of the hot water as a substitute reminds me of quitting cigarettes. I found it helpful to have a toothpick handy to handle as one would a cigarette.

But, Soapy Sam, is there a particular reason why it is in January that you go off coffee?

I'm certainly very much habituated to having coffee in the morning. I may be addicted, but I do not care if I am, as the worst thing coffee could do to me is kill me, and I'm going to die anyway (as we all are).

I think Library Lady is wise to be looking for replacement caffeine-free hot beverages, as it will help to go through the same well practiced motions with a mug of hot drink.
 
DoubtingStephen said:
I finally remembered the name of the Celestial Seasonings tea I used to like, it is called Red Zinger. It is very flavorful, but it may be an acquired taste.
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To say the least. Celestial Seasonings does make many good herbals, but too many of them taste like hibiscus. They put hibiscus in everything they make to some extent. And one has to REALLY like hibiscus to like Red Zinger. Really like it. A lot. Someone mentioned Stash Tea. Their teas are excellent and these days they offer a headspinningly extensive variety of teas, including many very good herbals.

LibraryLady, white tea has very little caffeine, even less that green, but if you're required to cut down to zero, that might not even be an option. Generally, if you don't mind flavored teas, the decaffeinated versions don't taste like decaf.
 
Zero caffeine. Nil. Nada. Nothing. A void where caffeine used to be. Until further notice. I was specifically warned not to do decaf. It has caffeine.

Day 4. Headache is almost gone, crabbyness is still here.

:mad:
 
Wow, that's harsh. I sympathize. I really do.

*takes a giant gulp of Sunkist soda*
 
Ewww. Sorry to hear that. When I was first diagnosed with Meniere's, I had to drop all caff, too. Also salt. Spent a couple days in pure agony ...

Got better though, and after a couple of months, started experimenting with what I could and couldn't ingest and still function.

Found out I could regulate the caffeine, but salt was trickier (so MUCH stuff you buy is so very salty), and learned, oddly enough that Aspartame affected the tinnitus strongly.

Caff substitutes: Well, decaf coffee and teas ain't bad, especially if you shell out a few more bucks for the good stuff. What's that nasty stuff Mormons drink in lieu of coffee ... Postum? It tastes sort of coffee-like, but takes getting used to. I like Red Zinger, and some of the other herbals, but mostly, they're just not 'beefy' enough to satisfy my taste. I do enjoy the Celestial Seasonings peppermint tea, especially good for settling an unruly stomach.

When HW and I were in Germany, we had a glorious mint crop beside the garden and we often made fresh mint tea that was delicious iced down in the summer.

Chocolate -- don't know what to tell ya there. Carob is sort of chocolatey, but ain't quite right. I found that to make it taste right, it took LOADS of sugar (another whole problem).

I know it's kind of a non-sequitor, but exercise helps.

Hang in there!
 
cgordon said:
Ewww. Sorry to hear that. When I was first diagnosed with Meniere's, I had to drop all caff, too. Also salt. Spent a couple days in pure agony ...
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Meniere's is nasty. Sorry to hear that.

Caff substitutes: Well, decaf coffee and teas ain't bad,
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I can't have decaf!

What's that nasty stuff Mormons drink in lieu of coffee ... Postum? It tastes sort of coffee-like, but takes getting used to.
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Yeah, bought a jar, trying it out.

I like Red Zinger, and some of the other herbals, but mostly, they're just not 'beefy' enough to satisfy my taste. I do enjoy the Celestial Seasonings peppermint tea, especially good for settling an unruly stomach.
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Someone suggested Roastaroma to me, so I ordered some. I hate peppermint, but I'm exploring other flavors.


Chocolate -- don't know what to tell ya there. Carob is sort of chocolatey, but ain't quite right. I found that to make it taste right, it took LOADS of sugar (another whole problem).
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It's the texture that's the problem. I have to find something with the right texture.

I know it's kind of a non-sequitor, but exercise helps.
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*gulp* Plan to join a gym on Saturday--another directive from the monster doctor.

Hang in there!
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Doin' my best.
 
Give it a week or two, and the desire will pass.

Last year, I stopped drinking cola (I don't like tea or coffee), because I decided I drank too much of it.
The decision went something like this:
me: *finished* bottle of Pepsi
me: *does some quick math, realizes that the 2 medium cokes ad McDonalds during breakfast and the bottle I just finished 9my second of the day) adds up to a lot of pop*
me: *looks at clock, realizes it reads 10:00am*
me: "Screw this, I'm done."

It's been 11 months. I don't miss it.
I actually did the same thing for a month a year prior, because someone bet me I couldn't.
I'm debating cutting out soda completely (I went that way for the first 2 months after the events described above), but it's cheap and easily available, and tastes better than water.
Although V8 isn't bad.


So, my sympathies, and like I said, the cravings will pass. I know.
 
If it's the caffeine itself you miss you cannot sustitute for it and you should stop trying.

If it's just the sickly, burnt flavour of coffee you miss you could try what the swedes did during various times of depression or war: Dry and roast some beetroots as a coffee substitute. :p
 
LL, don't accustom yourself to Postum, you will suffer post-postum depression.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87823968

As for carob, and coffee substitutes, I would look up those topics in "On Food and Cooking" by McGee, 2nd ed. As I said, I would look them up, if some bum had not made off with my copy. You may find the American Dietetic Association site useful, or consult an actual R.D. dietitian. (All other dietary "certifications" are suspect, at least for the kind of advice you need.)
 
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soylent said:
If it's the caffeine itself you miss you cannot sustitute for it and you should stop trying. {snip}
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May I expand, some teas have chemically-related stimulants. Caffeine-free is not stimulant-free.
 
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Also, beware Mountain Dew (and some other light-colored sodas) as they have caffeine in them as well.

Why try to find a substitute for coffee (that tastes like it)? You can't! I've never understood the idea of non-alcoholic beer either.

Powdered Power-ade or Gatorade might satisfy the need for a little flavor in the water. Just use about 1/4 of what they recommend.
 
LibraryLady said:
Yeah, bought a jar, trying it out.
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Really?

There was a story on one of the NPR shows a few weeks ago about Post (General Mills? kraft? whoever it was....) stopping production of Postum worldwide. The story claimed that the last remaining jars were flying off the shelves and being sold on e-bay for ridiculous prices.

A quick query of ebay bears this out. So, I'd suggest NOT developing a taste for it.

Tho, during the great coffee scare in the 70's my parents bought lots of postum. I liked it - nice rich toasty bitter taste.

FWIW - I've been going through coffee withdrawal this week as well. I have substituted Yogi Mayan Cocoa Spice tea. Its a bit like weak coffee with a slight chocolate taste and a bit of heat (like some kind of pepper). Its good stuff, but still has a tiny bit of caffeine.

ETA: a quick google for postum brought up this stuff: http://www.perous.com
 
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