anyone here who doesn't drink coffee (or tea)? page

[spakesneaker]

I never became a habitual coffee drinker because a) it leads to me needing to go to the bathroom many many times in a day, and b) I associate it with staying up late to study (which I no longer have to do ). I will have it once in a while, socially/if I know it's gonna be good, or rarely if I didn't get much sleep the night before and need to keep awake/focus (but red bull is better for that). And c) coffee breath is unpleasant

Tea I like, especially green tea with some lemon and honey, or indian-style with milk and spices and (too much) sugar, or some kind of herbal tea, and I will have it occasionally. But right now I'm purposely avoiding both coffee and tea in order to help make sure that I'm absorbing certain nutrients better (polyphenols in coffee and tannins in tea can interfere with iron absorption. I could just wait an hour until after I eat/take my iron supplement, but I find it easier to just cut the two out). Anyway now that I'm doing this purposely I've been noticing just how ubiquitous coffee and tea consumption is!! My co-workers will ask me if I want coffee, my friends spend all their time at this one tea place, etc.

I'm just curious - any other MDA'ers who don't drink coffee or tea? Is it a conscious decision?

[Velocity]

I think the most coffee I've ever had in one go was a sample of some sort of Cuban tea, and that was about a shot's worth (or less). Never really had the desire to drink coffee.

Tea, I'll drink, but it's infrequent. I have a stash of tea bags at least a year old in the house that I've not used due to just not caring enough to use them.

[bokbadok]

I have never had coffee or black tea. I have been using a green tea/yerba mate mixture for the last year or so to help with craving control, but I am currently taking a break from that in order to eliminate any caffeine for adrenal health reasons.

[Fatkid]

I pretty much just drink water... I don't much see the point to do otherwise... every once in a while I'll drink a cup of tea or a cider but that's like once a year maaaybe

[Enamel]

I prefer water over everything, but I do love herbal tea. Don't really care for 'real' tea, but some is good. Coffee is okay, but I've had it probably 5 times or less in my life and don't really see a reason to go out of my way for it. To each their own, though!

[danandvicky]

my wife and i have given up tea since going paleo. We drink red bush tea which is low in tannins, caffeine free and has a compound that is close to superoxide dismutase (the king of antioxidants). Its pleasantly similar to black tea without the drawbacks. We are one month in to paleo and we had our first caffeine today since going paleo. My wife really wanted a cappuccino. So she had one and was on edge for the rest of the day. At one point she strted hyperventilating and saying she felt really anxious (she is not an anxious person or a worrier). I was going to start a thread this evening in response to what happened but i guess i dont need to now. Its strange to see that effect due to a cup of coffee but it just shows how much of a stimulant it is. We wont be using it again. We will be caffeine free for the rest of our lives i would guess. It can only help us keep our neuroendocrine system in check so its a good thing. Bye bye caffeine

[Meadow]

I never really drank coffee myself. There were times for a few months I might do a single cup a day (mostly decaf or a mix), but I would find myself 'craving' it, and frankly I have enough cravings not to create another. I hate straight coffee, has to be loaded with heavy cream. I also found that sometimes it would aggravate my gastric problems. I did love a treat like a cappuccino from starbucks now and again, but since I had to give up dairy, coffee has lost all interest for me. Apparently I mostly drank it for the cream...lol.

Tea, I drink it, but usually something herbal or decaffeinated when I am looking for something warm at night. Just doesn't seem to hold my interest.

The ONLY thing that has stuck with me over the last few years is Yerba Mate. The type of caffeine it contains does not mess with my stomach at all, no jitters, and it gives me something hot to drink in the morning. I pretty much exclusively drink water, so mate is my only liquid splurge. But just like anything with some type of caffeine, I do limit it and if I start 'craving it', will stop for a couple months.

I have never wanted to be forced to say "I cannot do anything before my morning cup of X".

[kitoi]

Water 99% of the time, once in a while I'll put a couple of slices of ginger in it. Only drink tea when I'm not feeling well.

[Max[imilian]]

Water for me with the occasional chai tea latte with cinnamon I cant do coffee, makes my heart do weird things.

[Enamel]

The ONLY thing that has stuck with me over the last few years is Yerba Mate. The type of caffeine it contains does not mess with my stomach at all, no jitters, and it gives me something hot to drink in the morning. I pretty much exclusively drink water, so mate is my only liquid splurge. But just like anything with some type of caffeine, I do limit it and if I start 'craving it', will stop for a couple months.

I got some chocolate yerba mate the other day and it's delicious. It's the guayaki brand if you ever want to try it. I've never had a problem with craving caffeine myself - coffee makes my head hurt (sometimes), too much dark chocolate makes my sleep suck - but yerba mate does nothing to me other than give me something hot to enjoy.