Saturday, 25 July 2009
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Coffee Detox: Help!

Day 1
In an effort to clear my mind, body, and *ahem* soul, I have begun a dreaded (read: needed) detox, as supplied by Rainbow Light. The detox system has only 3 parts – a citrusy liver-energizing drink as soon as I wake up, a super fruit fiber drink mid-morning, and then a deluxe liver cleaning crazy pill right before sleep – and lasts only 7 days. In addition, it’s important to not eat extra sugars, drink alcohol, or get extra caffeine (I’m sticking with green tea), and try to get more vegetables and organic proteins.
At $24.99 (available online or at Whole Foods), it is a pretty good deal. It’s only 7 days, so it’s like the Beginner’s Detox, and there’s no way I’d starve myself in order to flush out the toxins. But… I really want a pretzel right now. Did I mention it’s only a 7 day program? I can totally hang for 7 days. Right?
Day 2

Nope, nope, nope. This is my breaking point. At about noon today, I gave up on cutting out coffee completely. Keeping in mind I’ve never detoxed before, well, one precious (and little known) side effect is one monster mood swing after mood swing. Besides my bad attitude and listless behavior, I just couldn’t even focus this morning. So, if you’re first-time-cleansing, keep in mind that giving up alcohol/vices = good, however giving up caffeine (and I only drink 1 cup a day) = possibly getting fired from your job. So I had some coffee. And it was really, really good.
Also, I’m rethinking the extent of this cleanse – my good friend and contributor Lara Eurdolian recommends cleansing only 3 days in the beginning, and working your way up to massive cleansing (she’s detoxed/cleansed in the past and knows her way around this stuff). Wanna know why? Because your body seriously can’t handle eliminating toxins and changing your entire lifestyle. You get massive hangovery symptoms. And if you live in the real world, you gotta keep those to a minimum.
That being said, 1 cup of coffee a day and shortening this thing to 5 days. First timers – unite!
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Comments (16)
good luck to you...but i think i'll pass lol :)
I have cut coffee before, and I slept a lot and just became unproductive.
I had to smile at this ... I am a caffeine addict, though I don't drink coffee (I pop caffeine pills and drink Diet Coke.) I've tried detox - but I can't do it. If I'm without my "pick me up's," I become sluggish... irritable ... overtired ... anxious. It's better for everyone involved that I keep up my caffeine habit (it's not pretty, when I don't get it.) As you said - being in the real world, requires that hangover symptoms be kept minimal. I doubt I could ever do a hardcore detox unless I was on a deserted desert island... easing in is definitely the way to go.
giving up extra caffeine=death
Green tea has just about as much caffeine as regular tea...and coffee.
If you drink a lot of water it has the same effect as drinking caffeine.
I drink coffee maybe once or twice a month lol :)
I stopped drinking coffee and tea altogether because it depletes your iron and I am anemic so I had to. I miss it soo much! r.i.p coffee
i have a cup of coffee everyday. it's not bad for you at all. i don't see the point of all this stuff since i get all my daily "everythings" ...daily. I don't drink soda or consume anything else with caffeine either. coffee is a little luxury in my opinion. sometimes i drink tea instead. but never more than two cups. in maturity comes moderation ?
my day consists of tea in the morning, diet dr pepper for lunch and coffee in the afternoon. Hmm I hope it isnt too much..
All this "detox" and fad diets and such are a bunch of bunk anyway. What do you do when they are over? Gradually drift right back into your old eating habits, which will eventually bring whatever "toxins" right back into your system. Otherwise there would be no need to do it over again and for longer times. The human mind is an amazing thing...
Eating a well balanced diet, in moderation, with lots of water and regular exercise, is the right combination for almost anyone. Easy to say, hard to do. "Moderation in all things" is the key. Want coffee? Great! Have one or two cups throughout your day, not three four-cup mugs. Mixed drink? One or two, depending on body size. Not enough for you? Re-examine the reason you are drinking...socially or are you self-medicating? Vegetables, especially dark leafy ones, are great for us, as is fresh fruit (if you can find it not drenched in preservatives and pesticides) and lean meat: fish, chicken, venison (extremely low fat, low cholesterol), grains, skim milk (most of us don't need the added dairy fat).
Eating in moderation, 5 or 6 light meals a day, evenly spaced. If you must eat the traditional "three meals a day", do it backwards, make your large meal breakfast, medium meal lunch, and supper should be a light snack. You aren't going to work hard and need the fuel at night when you're asleep! Using vitamin and mineral supplements may be beneficial to you depending on your individual circumstances.
I've been detoxing from Coffee for 5 days. I've been using herbal tea and it seems to work
i think i would go crazy if i had to give up coffee for a day or 5 days. i heard that coffee is good for you though.
I quit coffee for a while and just replaced it with a diet coke addiction.
ive never heard coffee's good for you. i think even the coffee companies have given up on that one. im giving menergy a go at the min, dunno if it's gonna do anything at all. But i think the best thing is to get a decent nights sleep and then I'm refreshed in the morning. I have breakfast which is suppose to give me energy later on and then i go outside for lunch so im not sat at a screen all day.
There have been lots of studies to suggest that taking a break from your desk at lunch and getting some oxygen in your lungs gives you bags of energy for the afternoon.
rich.
Another way to detox and rejuvenate go to spa resort.
When it comes to coffee, easy does it. First, don't go cold turkey on a work day. Secondly, don't go cold turkey. Start mixing decaf with your regular stuff. A little at a time. It will wean your dependence. Once your at half and half, its a lot easier to go full decaf or go without. Its a shock to full strength coffee after that and for me, it makes me nauseas. So I always do half-caf.