Giving up Coffee!

Earlier this year I decided to stop drinking coffee.  Now I know there have been numerous debates as to whether caffeine is either good or bad for you.  New research from an Oslo University concluded that reducing your intake can lower the risk of heart disease and strokes.  I guess most of us find comfort in a cup of coffee, especially as the winter months creep in.  It's also an everyday social activity ... meeting for a coffee, inviting neighbours / friends round for a cup.  My reasoning was that the dark circles under my eyes weren't going away, and my energy levels, if I'm honest weren't great either.  Okay hands up here though... I have to admit I do burn the candle at both ends though not through partying, those days are well past me, it's from taking on too much and not saying 'No'.  I'm betting the majority of you can recognise yourself there too.  

Turquoise Coasters
As I got busier and busier, I'd drink more coffee.  My thinking was I'll stop for a coffee break, breaks are good for you, recharge the batteries etc etc although I never did stop, I just kept sipping on the go.  Lunch times wouldn't happen, because now I really was too busy to stop, in a few hours the kids would be home from school, I'd want to spend a little time with them, whilst having yet another cuppa,  before going into the kitchen to prepare dinner, and my 'things to do list' just seems to grow out of nowhere.

Something had to change, I'm creature of habit and although I am aware of the health benefits of drinking more water, especially as an asthmatic needing to keep hydrated,  it really didn't appeal to me.  I went for it, drank more water but I felt there was something missing.  I missed the comfort of holding a hot mug, so I turned to herbal teas.  Having tried lots of different flavours, it came as no surprise to me that I like the berry flavours the best.  At this time of year I'm drinking herbal tea with Echinacea, to decrease the odds of developing a cold this winter.  Having made the switch from coffee to decaf, and finally to herbal teas and water I felt my energy levels increase, and really quickly.  I didn't have to wait weeks for a result, thank goodness, or I would probably have given up!   Have the dark circles disappeared?  Well not completely but there's definitely a vast improvement, it can only keep getting better.



In the summer I made a little wallet to carry my teabags in, as most of the varieties I was buying weren't packaged in their own little envelope, like the posh ones do.  A few of my lovely friends were intrigued with my little tea wallet and yes, I made them some too.


The worst part about getting bags under your eyes is finding the shoes to match
Adrienne E. Gusoff

2 comments:

Sam said...

Love your teabag wallet - great idea! I can highly recommend Yogi Cinnamon Tea (try health food shops) :-)

maricesworld said...

Mmm, I love cinnamon! I will definitely be on the look out for that, it'll be a nice change from berries, Thanks Sam ;0)