Reducing Tea / Coffe - help please

What some people dont know is you've to be wary of green tea & herbal teas on certain pills- warfarin for example is one..Dont consume anything if you're on any medication without consulting with the gp or pharmacist first.🤔

What makes you think that you're drinking too much tea and coffee? Has a doctor told you so? Here 's a few quotes from the internet.

"There are many benefits of both drinks,
eg "Is drinking coffee and tea good for you?
According to large population studies, coffee and tea both appear to be good for your heart, lowering risk for heart disease and stroke."

"a moderate amount of tea or coffee (four or five cups a day) should be fine for most people. Research shows that this level of caffeine intake shouldn't be detrimental to your heart health, affect your cholesterol levels or heart rhythm."

"Coffee and tea not only provide cozy morning rituals and boosts of energy during midday slumps; these hot drinks have also been long acknowledged for their medicinal properties, which primarily come from the caffeine and antioxidants found in coffee beans and tea leaves. While coffee is higher in both caffeine and antioxidants than tea, you can drink more tea throughout the day to gain equal health benefits. "

I am no expert, and I know you will find quotes saying the opposite of the above, but just be sure about what is right for you!!

As with all changes of habitual behaviour, I think you have to start gently. So, were I trying to reduce my tea/coffee intake, I'd start by reducing the number of mugsful per day by one.

When I'd got used to that, I reduce it by another one. And so on until I'd got to where I wanted to be on this score.

Fruit teas and their ilk are over-rated in my view. I've never found one I really liked to drink over a long period. It tends to be forgotten that ordinary tea (Camelia sinensis var. sinensis and Camelia sinensis var. assamica) is a herbal infusion too and its caffeine content is a large part of the reason it's so refreshing.

When I was living in the tropics with no air conditioning, I still found hot tea the most thirst-quenching drink.

I actually did it a few years ago because I was drinking too much coffee and having problems sleeping so now I only drink 2 cups of coffee a day before lunch and I drink diluted juice or fruit juice the rest of the day and maybe a hot chocolate on a evening weather permit lol I might have a odd hot drink if I’m out shopping. Also with juice I’m getting my fluids into my body daily lol

Ive just started drinking the new Nescafé gold blend Roastery its very mild (theres a decaff version which is very good) Theres also light and dark caffeine versions- but none of them are bitter like some other coffees.

The instant tea granules are also much lower in caffeine than teabags.

What an interesting thread
Caffeine in coffee or tea gives me migraines
But I’m still ok with Chai
So I drink that with almond milk as I don’t have dairy
I tried Tumeric latte but disliked it
Lemon juice in warm
Water is my first drink of the day Perks up my liver & gall bladder.
Otherwise I drink reverse osmosis filtered alkaline water.

Why do you want to reduce caffeine intake? If we didn't take it in drinks such as coffee, tea and chocolate, it would be a 'miracle' supplement! Indeed, it is a constituent of many of our medications. Here is a link to an a 2017 paper available on PubMed summarising the benefits. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28675917/ I also have a MEDSCAPE medical education paper entitled "More than just a hill of beans", which lists the following benefits based on epidemiological research: reduced all-cause mortality, reduced risk of diabetes, reduced risk of cardio-vascular disease, reduced risk of several cancers, reduced risk of liver, reduction of depression and suicidal thoughts, reduced risk of Parkinson's Disease and more! It is also an analgesic, hence the inclusion with various pain medications e.g. the "plus" in "paracetamol plus". Just stick to 3 - 4 cups a day, and limit use in the afternoon and evening.

I have been drinking Red Bush tea for years now since something seemed to be upsetting my digestion. Long story, but it turned out to be the tannin in black tea. Red Bush is caffeine and tannin free and I make it like ordinary tea with a bit of milk. Tummy problem sorted after about 2 days!! Not too keen on Tetley's, prefer Rooibos or Tick Tock. I have the occasional loose weak black tea just for a change. I love my Nespresso coffee but limit it to 2 a day before lunch. If I feel I'm having too much, halve it with decaffeinated for a while. I'm also one who doesn't like herbal teas. Prefer a glass of water. Good luck

Before going overboard on fruit teas or fruit juice, it might well be advisable to consult either your dentist or a dietrician.

The acids in fruit can damage you tooth enamel and some acids could either affect bone mass or kidney function.

I have reduced my intake of coffee and simply drink water to keep up my fluid levels.

I find I enjoy coffee more if I am not drinking it constantly.

I think if you drink the de-caff variety it still tastes all right and may be less harmful, if sleepless nights, or worse is a health worry.

I drink at lot of tea with fully skimmed milk and no sugar in a very large cup which a friend calls a 'bucket'! I don't suffer from sleepless nights or any other health worries and I'm reluctant to give up or reduce.

As another friend says, you've got to keep your kidneys out of dry dock. Dehydration is even worse than too much tea.

We find that Knightsbridge decaffeinated tea bags from Lidl have a very good flavour.

I love red bush tea with milk . It is not supposed to stain teeth,no caffeine or tannin too . I get Tic Tock tea bags too now - biodegradable and no tiny big of plastic in to seal them like a lot of tea gags have .it is worth a try ! ☕️

I can’t stand instant coffee, can’t drink it at all but brewed coffee and coffee machine coffee I really enjoy. I think perhaps a max of 2-3 cups a day shouldn’t make you have bad effects. I avoid it at night because it gives me insomnia but that is not the case with everyone. I find fairly weak Earl grey tea ok too but not strong tea, perhaps you could try that? I agree about the fruit teas, a bit dodgy some of them.

Beware just swapping to green tea as that has caffeine in!
Most supermarkets sell mixed boxes of herbal tea so you can try several different ones
I drink decaffeinated tea and coffee m&s do a nice Earl grey waitrose used to be best but has disappeared recently! My favourite decaffeinated coffee is cafe direct machu picchu but have just bought some different beans which were on offer to try

I have been drinking Red Bush tea for years, you can buy it at your local supermarket and it’s caffeine free. I’ve noticed more cafes are offering red bush tea lately. I like it cause you can add milk which makes it more like a ‘normal’ cup of tea. My GP suggested using caffeine free alternatives because of acid reflux problems. She said decaffeinated tea/coffee wasn’t any good as there’s still a certain amount of caffeine in there (??!)
As a coffee substitute I drink Whole Earth chicory and barley which is on sale at Holland and Barrett or Amazon etc.
To be quite honest I don’t really miss ‘proper’ tea or coffee anymore although a lot of my friends seem to think I have rather peculiar drinking habits.

I don't like most of the fruit teas either, other than some of the lemon and ginger ones which are OK. Some of the bags are only big enough for a small cup, but others will make a big glass. You can leave them to stew for a while without any nasty taste.
I quite like jasmine tea, but it gets that stewed taste too quickly.
I've recently started to drink apple cider vinegar in hot water, the one I like has a little honey in it but you can obviously add your own.

Gardenersdelight

Beware just swapping to green tea as that has caffeine in!
Most supermarkets sell mixed boxes of herbal tea so you can try several different ones
I drink decaffeinated tea and coffee m&s do a nice Earl grey waitrose used to be best but has disappeared recently! My favourite decaffeinated coffee is cafe direct machu picchu but have just bought some different beans which were on offer to try

Our favourite coffe is the normal caffeinated Machu Picchu, is the decaff version good?

I can only drink instant coffee as percolated give me nausea unless I have it after a large meal. I like Nescafe and plan to mix it half and half with decaffeinated Nescafe in the new year. If I don't have coffee for several hours I get a bad headache which I think is caused by caffeine withdrawal. So I'm going to reduce it next year.

There are lots of decaf tea bags, I believe PG Tips do one but not tried them myself. I always keep Red Bush teabags in for a South African friend but don’t use them myself.
A lovely decaf instant coffee granules is Kenco decaf, in a jar with green lid. It’s rich and full of flavour, been drinking it for years.

I switched to decaf on doctors orders. I drank half and half for the first week (coffee). I now don’t drink coffee at all and drink decaf tea, it doesn’t taste any different to regular tea IMO.

Tetley's caffeine free tea bags taste just the same as their normal ones and there are loads of decaf coffees around, we have Aldi's Alcaf

Redbush is our house tea. When I needed decaffeinated coffee, I bought Barley Cup. ~It tastes like coffee, but you don't expect the kick. Give it a try?

Hot Ribena! You can have sugar free too. They also do a Christmas version with some spices so it tastes a bit mulled wine (ish)

I have 2 cups of decaf coffee in the morning and then peppermint tea or fruit tea during the day. I also like hot blackcurrant squash honey and squeezed fresh lemon juice. My husband keeps bees so the honey is free - to me,- and very local.