Over 30 days ago I was able to drop my coffee intake to no more than 1 serving per day. Some days I would have no coffee. This is an impressive feat for someone that has average 4-5 coffees per day for 20 years and has 2 coffee websites! Note that I said coffee and not caffeine. During this past month I have drank tea.
Why did I lower coffee directly and not caffeine? Cortisol. Coffee elevates the stress hormone whereas tea lowers it. Also, the amount of caffeine in tea is low compared to coffee and the effects are more leveled. High levels of cortisol for extended periods are not good for the body. I did this 30 day test to find out just how much this was effecting me.
How do I feel? Surprisingly great. When I first cut back, I was more hungry and I slept more. These are signs that I was experiencing adrenal fatigue and my body was starting to heal itself. Those symptoms have normalized. Every week I do this lower coffee test I am finding I have more and more energy, especially in the afternoon, which is typically a time that I would crash.
Photo 49th Parallel Espresso by INeedCoffee / CoffeeHero
I am going to continue the low coffee test. I don’t expect my adrenals to fully heal from 20 years of excessive coffee drinking in 30 days. I’ll listen to my body and when I’ve gathered more insight, I will post my findings on INeedCoffee.
* My single coffee is an espresso (double ristretto), which has less caffeine than a regular coffee.
How about decaf?
@Mike – I have been roasting up a decaf espresso blend that is really good. It is harder to source good decaf, but it is possible.
I use Peet’s decaf. It’s pretty good if all you want is the coffee taste and don’t need the kick.
Query: is decaf coffee a diuretic?
@Mike – It appears no. In fact, I found some links that suggest that regular coffee is not a diuretic.
The Claim: Caffeine Causes Dehydration