Ever thought of quitting coffee? Whether coffee’s just too expensive (I’m looking at you, Dubai) or the instant coffee on the shelves just doesn’t make the cut, there will be a point in life where a coffee-lover will have to, sadly, stop drinking coffee. Right now is one of those times for me. As of posting, I’ve stopped drinking coffee for about a month and a half.
While the first three days were excruciating, I’ve discovered several benefits that I’ve gained throughout this strange, caffeine-free journey.
5 Benefits of Quitting Caffeine
Less disappointment
This is the only benefit on this list that science doesn’t back, but it’s true nonetheless. If you’ve read previous entries to this series, you know that I’m a pretty hardcore coffee person. My curse is that I’m just unable to settle for anything less than good coffee, and unfortunately, there are places in the world that just can’t make a good cuppa, no matter how hard I look.
There’s nothing worse to me than paying for a cup of coffee, only to receive one that’s burnt, the wrong order entirely (lattes and cappuccinos are not the same!) and/or made with overheated milk—especially if that cup was expensive as hell. As you can tell, I’d rather quit coffee altogether than suffer through a bad cuppa.
Nicer smile
Let’s be honest, coffees, teas, you name it—they’ll stain your teeth. No matter how hard you brush or what kind of whitening product you’ll use, your teeth won’t be able to maintain that brilliant white smile unless you get it professionally cleaned.
The high concentration of tannins in caffeinated drinks causes build-up and can discolor your tooth enamel. Not only that, but the high acidity in these drinks can also cause enamel wear and tooth decay. Quitting coffee altogether gives your teeth some breathing space to recover.
Easier time at the toilet
While you may find it easier to do a number two after coffee at first, it becomes more and more difficult over time. Aside from that, long-term, excessive caffeine consumption has been found to cause incontinence—meaning that it becomes harder to hold it in—and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Plus, caffeinated drinks reduce the effectiveness of vitamins and minerals—causing your body to pass on them rather than absorb and use them. So, maybe taking it easy on the coffee every once in a while isn’t too bad after all!
Weight loss
Unless you take your tea black with no sugar, you’ll be adding extra calories to your diet on a daily basis. Especially if you also drink your cuppa with sugar. Everything you consume adds up to excess calories stored in the body, which will be turned into fat, particularly if you don’t do any exercise to burn them off.
Cutting your coffee intake will also cut out these empty calories in your life, making it easier to achieve your weight-loss goals for the year!
It’ll actually work when you need it
Unfortunately, the effectiveness of caffeine will wane over time. This is because our bodies learn to build up a tolerance, meaning that we would need more doses to achieve the same rush that we used to feel when we first started drinking caffeine.
Resetting your caffeine tolerance by quitting coffee will mean that you will actually get the energy boost you need, when you need it.
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