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I Give up!

I’m giving up coffee in my quest to be healthier! I have never been able to be completely off of dairy as I drink cream in my coffee. So I thought I’d bite the bullet and try it for a month. I’m also giving myself permission to drink it again if I don’t see any significant health benefit. I looooooove my coffee. But if i don’t try, I won’t know! I’ve drank about 20 cups of tea today just to keep myself from drinking any coffee…

Mostly I just want to see what happens if I don’t take any dairy in at all. I’m convinced that pasturized dairy is bad for you regardless of the humanitarian issues. So no more dairy for me!

Also, in the way of explination, I have fibromyalgia and am trying to heal through natural means. So far so good. I’ve been doing this for about a year (working my way to higher and higher raw) and I do feel a lot better. I’ve lost some weight, although it’s not falling off of me. My asthma is significantly better, and I just feel better overall. So I’m taking the next step in the journey!

Thanks for listening :)

Comments

  • FruginiFrugini Raw Newbie

    You could try a non-dairy milk. There are a lot of choices: oat, almond, hazelnut, soy, and my personal favorite, hemp. Hemp especially is very thick and creamy; I assume it would work the same as regular milk in coffee.

  • You’re right! Dairy is bad for you! If the only dairy in your diet is a coffee creamer, you might want to try a soy creamer like Silk or Westbrae brands for starters. Although processed soy products are not nearly as healthy as fresh nut milks it would be a good ‘transition’ product. Also, there is a recipe on this website tagged ‘coffee creamer’ that sounds like it might do the job. As for the coffee drinking, keep in mind that there are worse things you could put in your body and instead of giving it up cold turkey try limiting the amount you drink each day or forfeiting coffee one day for tea instead. This reminds me of a great line in the movie What About Bob – “Baby steps”

  • Yeah, I’ve tried them all… I only like my coffee a certain way… with real cream… and yes, there certainly are worse things I could be drinking/eating/etc… like I said, I’m going to try it for a month and see what happens. And I’m a true coffee addict, I can’t just cut down… baby steps are one of my mottos, so I completely agree! I’ve actually wrestled with this for a few months now. Finally came to the conclusion that I really need to try it and see what happens. So far just some headaches, but not bad. I’m sure it will take a little detoxing.

    Thanks for all of your advice and words of wisdom!

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    I quite drinking coffee about three weeks ago for the same reason. But I was using soy milk and the reason I wanted to quite was to not have to rely on something to make me feel good in the morning as well as bringing my raw percentage up.

  • iknikn

    I wish you all the best on your journey without coffee. I was the same way as you Nothinkingbehind. Love coffee with real cream and really strong. I gave up coffee back in May. It wasn’t easy! I was a very heavy coffee drinker, one espresso in the morning, one big mug of coffee in the office before lunch, one cappuccino with lunch, or that was my lunch, and another big mug of coffee around 3 pm. And I made the coffee out of real finely ground espresso coffee. Very strong! For a week I had the most horrible withdrawal symptoms. Pounding headache, muscle ache. My legs and lower back hurt me so much that I couldn’t walk for a few days. I felt like I was cut in two with a saw at my lower back. Awful! I heavn’t noticed any changes in my mood now that I don’t drink coffee. I don’t feel better but I don’t feel worse either. I still miss coffee, the ritual in the morning, the smell, the taste…. just love it.

    I might go back to coffee but just not yet. and not to the extent where I drink so many cups a day.

  • lzhptlzhpt Raw Newbie

    I was a lifetime coffee drinker. I just got to a point being raw for so long, i didn’t want it anymore just recently. I always drank it black. I switched over the summer to cold-brew and just loved the taste so much better and i was having much less-just 1/2 cup a day. Then I tried stopping and going to a green smoothie instead, but being Vata-my body wanted WARM in the morning and all that in my smoothie just made me feel terrible so i went to green tea with lemon. both the warmth and the sour of the lemon are very balancing to vata doshas and now that the weather is getting colder, I see no problem with herbal teas. It’s been 3 weeks now and i really don’t even want coffee. i love my tea. The green tea has a bit of caffeine in it, but it doesn’t jazz me up like coffee used to. Teavana has some lovely herbal teas. BTW-it was an older post and something Zoe said just clicked and helped me reach that goal. I must say though. I tried 7 times since going raw to quit. Your body will lead you. If you’re slumping, have that tea.

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    I was a life time coffee drinker too, and it took me ages to quit, I just couldn’t see how I would possibly function without it. Luckily I quite and found out it wasn’t such a big part of my personality after all! I didn’t have any bad withdrawals because I was all raw except the coffee at the time. I just shrunk down about a dress size and felt so alive.

  • CalebCaleb Raw Newbie

    Coffee is the thing I have had the hardest time giving up. I have cut WAY back though. Now when I drink it I feel more acidic-buzzy. It’s strange. Tea doesn’t quite cut it for me wither, plus I tend to sip that more and it goes cold.

    If you are going to drink it try other sweeteners like liquid stevea or vanilla. I am not sure about the syrups they use in coffee shops, but you may want to look into those. The non-dairy creamer never really did it for me though, so when I do indulge I use dairy. I am down to only a few times a week, sometimes less. Considerably down from EVERY morning and evenings sometimes as well and that was three cups at a time. Now I only have one when I do have it.

  • I have Fibromyalgia and asthma too. I have been 50-75% raw for 2 months. I was a huge coffee and soda addict. I also really liked my beer prior to my diagnosis 1 !/2 years ago. I cut down on soda and coffee slowly but still was drinking it daily until about 5 weeks ago. I had to decrease my caffeine intake slowly so I did not get a withdrawl headache.

    I am trying to get up to 100% raw to get off my meds. Are you still on any meds? My asthma is better and I have more energy most of the time.

  • jeshuabrownjeshuabrown Raw Newbie

    I have to chime in here. I noticed myself begin an addiction to coffee-then abruptly quit drinking it for a week. Then I had half a cup and felt like i was having a heart attack+. I must tell you. my father drank coffee for 30 years, and is now is the hospital for ulcers+blood loss, attributed to the acidity of coffee. Please, this is not a product EVER worth drinking!

  • Glad to see I’m not the only one that struggles with this! I haven’t had a cup at all, nor do I really want any. Don’t get me wrong, I still love coffee. But I am feeling better already and I’m glad for my decision. Doesn’t mean I won’t ever drink another cup of coffee again, but I don’t plan to make it a part of my daily routine. Caleb – Do you ever drink tea? Not even in place of the coffee, but do you like tea? I’ve always enjoyed tea, but never in place of my coffee. Maybe drinking it iced first to get used to it? I know what you mean though, coffee and tea are not in the same catagory at all. Rawcure – I am on still on one daily, but off of the hard stuff. I’m planning to be off of that by spring at the latest, I just want to get throuhg the fall/winter transition first. I definitely have made significant improvements in my health since going raw, and I’m going to keep on this path, it’s really working for me!

    Thanks for all the great feedback guys!

  • durianrider: I do feel that the food I ate, lifestyle and attitude is to blame. Genetically prediposed also since my daughter has autism and has a lot of food allergies. When I was reading about the radical treatments for autism I came across the connection between autism and Fibromyalgia/ autoimmune diseases. She has mercury poisoning and leaky gut syndrome. When I was diagnosed I remembered what I read but did not have the energy/ interest to look into it more. I gained 40 lbs and was drugged out. I was in pain and literally felt like my body was falling apart. Then I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. I tried decreasing my caffeine and soda and eating more organic food. As my pain went down and I could breathe easier I finally decided to start exercising and stuck to it. Going raw was very odd for me. My family/friends think I am crazy. I never liked vegetables much so drinking a green smoothie was a big step for me. I just saw my Rheumatologist and he wants to keep my meds the same and have me get counseling for the stress in my life. Both my kids are on the autism spectrum and I have been sick. Maybe I could have used it before but I feel that I am over the ‘hump’. I told him I am on the raw diet. He at least seemed to think I was eating more healthy. But he believes my improvement is due to the Cymbalta and the Elavil he increased in the last few months. I just had an allergy test and I am supposed to be getting allergy shots. I don’t want shots. I am on long term disability and they need me to be under a doctor’s care. I did see that chiropractors are covered under my insurance. I plan to talk to my primary soon.

  • My chiropractor is actually the one that turned me onto raw. When i was diagnosed with fibro he told me I needed to give up the dairy and most meat. I wasn’t eating refined flours/sugars at all, and I had stopped eating anything with gluten in it.

    With the idea of going vegetarian, I decided to go find myself a new cookbook as a prize. I found Raw Food, Real World, which was really attractive and didn’t look ;like it contained any gluten. It’s been a great journey so far!

    My family is extremely supportive, and my kids generally will eat just about anything I make. Sometimes they don’t care for certain things, but other things they love. I’ve become accustomed to including several dishes on the table for dinner, that way they will try new things.

    As for stress, most practitioners, whoever they are, will tell you that you need to reduce the stress in your life. Easier said than done! I’ve had a stressful couple of years, but I am healthier now than I ever have been, and I am getting better every day. For me, the significant factors that have improved my asthma and fibro are getting enough sleep (getting deep sleep) cleaning my diet as much as possible, and exercising. The minute I stop exercising I get sore as can be. I have to do something every day. Yoga, running, walking, cardio machines, etc.

    If you can find a good chiropractor, they are really very helpful! I switched primaries several times before i found one that heard what I was saying. Very supportive of my holistic approach to healing. So good luck finding someone that will not only agree with you, but partner with you for your health… isn’t that what they are for?

    Good luck!

  • greeniegreenie Raw Newbie

    I’m back on caffeine now, too, having started a new job. I feel so much better without it, but…

    I like it with nut milk and agave nectar. Funnily enough, my favorite nut milk for coffee is pumpkin seed milk.

    I’m planning to give it up next weekend. I’ll probably start a master cleanse then, too, a nice cleanup for the change in seasons.

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