I’ve been trying to live without drinking cola for the past two weeks. There are two reasons for this. One is because I am lazy and don’t want to go to the supermarket. Even though I signed up for a club card four months ago, my name and phone number are not yet in their system, so I never receive any member discounts. I thought the point of buying food was to simply buy whatever is cheapest and deal with the lousy taste? I don’t want to pay six dollars for twelve cans of Coke. That seems absurd. I don’t know why, but it just does. The other reason I have been trying to live without cola is because I keep reading about how unhealthy it is. Maybe living with a health nut in a city filled with health nuts is starting to wear on me. Too many empty calories in the form of refined sugars, no vitamins or minerals, diabetes risks, rotten teeth and disturbed sleep cycles are not exactly what I would consider a valuable asset to my diet.
So, how have I been doing in my recent decaffeinated life? Terribly. I think the problem is that I put a plan into action to immediately curtail my caffeine intake by one-hundred percent, instead of gradually cutting back my intake. I actually took naps last week because I had no energy whatsoever each afternoon. Before then, I am pretty sure the last time I took a nap was during elementary school. The headaches were relentless and immobilizing. I finally caved and had a bottle of Vanilla Coke two nights ago, and a bottle of Diet Pepsi yesterday. I guess one cola each day won’t lead me down the path to the dreaded Mountain Dew Mouth.
I am fully aware that I could simply replace the cola with coffee, tea, yerba mate or something else, but where’s the fun in that? Those options lack the refreshing, effervescence of my sweet, sweet colas. I have never liked the taste of coffee, and mate drinks are foul. Tea is certainly good, but it is not quite what I need on warm days, or while eating hot foods. I know in India they drink hot teas all the time, even when it is 120 degrees outside, but this is not India. I don’t “get” their customs and have no desire to adopt them. Like I said, I crave the cold, sharp bite of a soda pop when consuming a hot meal. Maybe I should resign myself to the fact that I am indeed an addict, and there is not much I can do about it.
Are you off caffeine? Are you on? I used the pronoun “I” too much today, right? Well…sorry.
September 19th, 2007
Tea, coffee, cola, energy drinks and chocolate share the same nerve toxin (stimulant), caffeine. Caffeine, which is readily released into the blood, triggers a powerful immune response that helps the body to counteract and eliminate this irritant. The toxic irritant stimulates the adrenal glands, and to some extent, the bodyÂ’s many cells, to release the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol into the blood stream.
If consumption of stimulants continues on a regular basis, however, this natural defense response of the body becomes overused and ineffective. The almost constant secretion of stress hormones, which are highly toxic compounds in and of themselves, eventually alters the blood chemistry and causes damage to the immune system, endocrine, and nervous systems. Future defense responses are weakened, and the body becomes more prone to infections and other ailments.
The boost in energy experienced after drinking a cup of coffee is not a direct result of the caffeine it contains, but of the immune system’s attempt to get rid of it (caffeine) An overexcited and suppressed immune system fails to provide the “energizing” adrenaline and cortisol boost needed to free the body from the acidic nerve toxin, caffeine. At this stage, people say that they are “used” to a stimulant, such as coffee. So they tend to increase intake to feels the “benefits.”
Since the body cells have to sacrifice some of their own water for the removal of the nerve toxin caffeine, regular consumption of coffee, tea, or colas causes them to become dehydrated. For every cup of tea or coffee you drink, the body has to mobilize 2-3 cups of water just to remove the stimulants, a luxury it cannot afford. This applies to soft drinks, medicinal drugs, and any other stimulants, As a rule, all stimulants have a strong dehydrating effect on the bile, blood, and digestive juices.
Get the real scoop on caffeine at http://www.CaffeineAwareness.org
And if you drink decaf you wont want to miss this special FREE report on the Dangers of Decaf available at http://www.soyfee.com
September 19th, 2007
smartest spambot evahr!
September 19th, 2007
In the immortal words of George Michael:
Why Can’t You Do It?
Why can’t you set your monkey free?
Always giving in to it -
Do you love the monkey or do you love me?
Why can’t you do it
Why do i have to share my baby with a monkey?
Think about it.
September 19th, 2007
I would say I’m on– coffee seems to come hand-in-hand with a 9-to-5 job. I’m not quite addicted, since I don’t drink coffee every day, but I am noticeably more alert in the afternoon on days when I’ve had coffe. I only drink soda if it has booze in it.
September 20th, 2007
I love the way soda tastes and caffeine is really just a bonus for me
I can’t afford soda though. If I could, I probably wouldn’t buy a whole lot though. Just buy a record when you feel like having a soda, and listen to that and chill
September 20th, 2007
Were the two “though”s really necessary? Lordy-loo.