Living Without Tea or Coffee

In modern society nearly everybody I know drinks tea or coffee in the morning to wake themselves up. I personally do not drink tea or coffee and I don't feel like it benefits me, although I do drink it occasionally. The last time I can recall that I drank a common hot beverage was probably more than me 3-4 months ago. I do understand that sometimes it's the social aspect which appeals to tea and coffee drinkers.

What do we know about tea?
Caffeine content: 14 - 70 mg
165 million cups drank every day in the UK alone
There are recommendations for tea temperatures, to maximise flavours: 

• Green tea: 80C 
• Black tea: 95C 
• Oolong tea: 85C 
• White tea: 70C

Traditionally, milk was poured in first to protect china cups. Some people still prefer this more traditional method of making tea.


What do we know about coffee?
Caffeine content: 27 - 173mg 

Contains micronutrients. 100ml cup:

• Potassium: 92mg
• Magnesium: 8mg
• Manganese: 0.5mg
• Ribolfavin: 0.1mg

Arabica coffee is drank by 70% of the world, which is milder than the other kind of coffee, robusta. After oil, coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world.

Energy Drinks are high in caffeine too, and are not advised for small children.

''With the growing popularity of energy drinks, many parents have become concerned about how much caffeine their kids are getting. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that adolescents get no more than 100 mg of caffeine a day. Younger children shouldn't drink caffeinated beverages on a regular basis.'' 

-Nutrition and Healthy Eating, Healthy Lifestyle, Mayo Clinic 

(May 13, 2014)

 

Symptoms of Too Much Caffeine: 

• Headaches
• Restlessness 
• Anxiety

If you're consuming +500mg a day cutting back is advised.

 

How I have lived without Caffeine, and How You Could Too 

Personal Tricks and Tips

- Drinking a glass of water first thing  in the morning keeps you hydrated

- Cut out snacks which may tempt you to a caffeinated drink (such as biscuits and chocolate bars)

- You don't have to snack on junk food to stay full of energy

- Mono meals are great for sustaining high energy

- Sugar is just as harmful to the body as caffiene - reducing this helps reduce unwanted hyperactivity in children

Let's start with Morning Time...

I have a nice cold glass of water to wake me up in the morning, sometimes adding a little bit of lemon (if I have some that is!). And I always make sure I eat within the first half an hour of being awake. 

I like to plan out my day. When I get to about mid day I do start to feel a little bit tired specially if I'm at home and the kids are home with me. To overcome this, I like to make sure I eat quite a lot of fruit and other stuff that I feel keeps me alert.  This should be high energy, but low in caffeine and sugar (though natural sugar found in fruit is good in moderation). Bananas contain potassium which can help with concentration and give you an energy boost.

Midday

And me and my children will sit there an eat mono Meal, I guess there's not much of a Meal more of a snack and we would choose whatever fruit they want to eat and will be quite a lot of it. I don't tend to have chocolate bars, crisps or anything like that in my house because I just feel like they give you a high and then you crash. 

Finally, Evening Time

It's tempting to wind down with a nice hot mug of tea, but you can swap this out for non-caffeinated tea (Decaffeinated: 0-12mg) or a milky drink, such as hot chocolate. Stay away from dark chocolate in the evening though, as this is also high in caffeine content. Surprisingly, green tea is also fairly high in caffeine, though nowhere near as high as tea or coffee (Green Tea: 24-45mg). Herbal teas such as Chamomile or fruity teas can have a calming effect, and ovaltine is just as relaxing if you prefer a malty flavour.

Reducing Sugar Helps Too

Reasoning behind why we got rid of anything sweet an artificial is I found my child with get really hyper very fast, and his behaviour was a lot worse. I find being active even just walking around the house or running after the children very helpful in keeping me awake and alert.

I hope this has been helpful but I personally think you don't need to drink coffee and tea in your daily life.

Sources
http://www.zest-standrews.com/9-interesting-facts-serious-tea-coffee-drinkers-know/

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20049372