getting off caffine and sugary beverages

[adrienne marie smith]

I just recently quit smoking cold turkey and its been a month.  I feel like it will be forever out of my life.  Now I joined a gym and do a little exercise here and there but not a lot.  I find myself struggling with food addictions.  I am addicted to coffee and caffinated cold drinks and sugary beverages.  I don't understand why I like the caffine surge so much.  I do lack energy lots.  for some reason I need to feel pumped.  I suffer from depression  but no thyroid problem.  I am trying to go raw foods caffine and sugar free lose weight and prevent diabetes.  I am told I am at risk at 156lbs and at 5"2.  I've recently been having spiritual breakthroughs.  I am out of the denial stage of grieveing for a lost youth.  I am ready to take my life into my own hands and move on and be a whole healthy well rounded adult.  I am new to this community.  but I am totally struggling with food addictions.  I am wondering if acupuncture will help for this.  I am lost at what to do and what is causeing it.  If anyone could give me advice I am so ready to slay this demon.

 

 

 

      thanks,

                           A.Smith

[Mae Jardine]

Hello Adrienne Marie:  Congratulations on not smoking and the gym membership!

It was fairly easy for me to wean myself off coffee by making hot chocolate using my homemade nut milk, pinch of salt, little vanilla and liquid Stevia as a sweetener.  For a time, I added some coconut cream from the can because I just missed that cream in the coffee texture.  This is not a raw recipe but it is tasty and the caffeine in the raw cocoa powder got me over the hump.  Also, I did not switch my caffeine addiction from coffee to hot chocolate.  I personally think that making the hot chocolate this way was so much more nutritious and filling that it actually would give me a full alert feeling with no craving later.

Keep the spiritual breakthroughs a priority as the power in such wisdom will aid you more than any human advice.  You are in my prayers for your continued success.  Hugs,

[Donna]

Hi Adrienne, try some of the recipes in the Liquid Lounge as replacements for your current coffee & sugary beverages.  The recipes are made with pure, fresh ingredients, and will give you a nice boost of natural sweetness & energy.  You will notice a difference in a very short period of time, and you will not feel deprived at all.  It's one of the best ways to get started.  Let us know how you make out.

[LaTricia E. Morris]

Something to be mindful of... food manufacturers make their foods to be addictive.  Meat & dairy can become very addictive due to hormones and even synthetic drugs like antidepressants being present in them.  Also, there are a number of other factors that can contribute to food addictions.  For example, candida overgrowth can cause very strong cravings for sugar and refined carbs. 

Sometimes we aren't even so much addicted to the food as we are stuck on the means by which we've grown comfortable in preparing them.  It's like you go through this phase of "I have a fridge full of produce but, crap, what am I going to eat?" 

Don't beat yourself up for struggling with the foods.  Just make up your mind that you're not going to be mastered by anything and go from there.  It takes a little time to get these things worked out of your system.  It may suck for now but you'll get past them and feel so much better for it.  You quit smoking.  You can do this too!

Also, don't try to tackle too much at once.  I have had to steadily pray for guidance to get through all the things I had to tackle and in an order I could handle them in.  I'm still working my way through things but am going from victory to victory in doing so.  Sometimes we decide its time to take control and get things in gear and dive head long into 20 different self-improvement projects while trying to still keep other facets of our lives intact.  It can be easy to get overwhelmed and lead ourselves right into a crash.  I like the saying "the slower the change, the more real and lasting it will be."

As far as "being at risk" I'd probably tell them to back off and zip it.  Don't let them speak that over you.  You don't have to accept it. 

[Peggy Speir]

Hiya! welcome. I quit caffeine 3 + yrs ago. It took a solid 12 days for me to start to feel normal, but I went cold turkey and once I broke through the cravings, and sluggishness, I felt AMAZING. I honestly, truly, deeply believe that ANYONE can stop the caffeine cycle....but you have to push through the detox. I actually have way better energy consistantly throughout the day, with no energy dips (unless I over do it with carbs....but that's a whole other addiction that needs addressing). I sleep better and MY depression is a bit more manageable - I have less 'moody' bouts.

AND I know this sounds like raw food propoganda, but now when I have a green juice in the morning I get a whole new zing that is better than any coffee buzz. I have had a coffee a couple of times since quitting it literally made me feel awful. So bad, that I am steadfast in my clean drinking.

I know some people who have had success with accupuncture.....you never know until you try it if it's for you. I too have a couple food addictions and I just talk myself through my urges and cravings. Sometimes I break, but I don't beat myself up anymore....I just return to my whole food eating.

Keep coming here when you find your inner dialogue struggling with food cravings.....I find reading people's posts keep me humble and healthy :)

[Amber]

There is a herbal "coffee" out there called Teeccino that has a program to slowly get you off of coffee.  You can usually find it in the tea and coffee section.  Since it slowly steps you down from coffee I think it would help without too much withdrawl issues.  As for the sugary beverages have you trued sparkling water and juice?  We do that here at our house and it helped us get off of soda pop.  Hope this helps!