How To Give Up Coffee

How To Give Up Coffee
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Do you find yourself waking up in the morning, riddled with caffeine withdrawal? Everything will be okay, you promise, the good times lie in my first cup of coffee.

But somewhere in the back of your head there's a niggle. Being this agonised by lack of coffee is a problem. For example, what if one day for some reason, there's no coffee to be had. You'd probably walk into busy traffic. Or cry. Or punch someone.

I've decided to give up coffee and it's not the first time I've tried. Not so long ago I knocked back a good seven cups of strong black every day and have managed to cut this number by five. Now it's time to get rid of those two other daily coffees and it's unbearable. Sore heads and zero concentration do not a good mood make.

So how to you quit the habit completely with as much ease as possible? Nutritionist extraordinaire Kim Pearson shared her top tips.

1. "Give up gradually," she says. "Caffeine withdrawal can be quite brutal for some people particularly if you're in the habit of having several coffees each day. You might be more successful in giving up coffee completely if you don't force yourself to go cold turkey, but if you do cold turkey, do it over a weekend."

2. "Find an alternative hot drink," Kim advises. "Something like green tea which contains caffeine but nowhere near the same amount as coffee is great. Also, for a lot of people, having coffee will be a habit related to certain times of day, so having a replacement is a good idea."

3. "It's going to sound really boring but make sure you're eating loads of vegetables and a couple of portions of low glycemic fruit," says Kim. "It's the best way to boost your energy if you're cutting out coffee and your body will function better if you get your energy comes from food instead of caffeine. Also, as always, drink as much water as you can."