I’ve been regularly drinking strong, black coffee my entire adult life; anywhere from 1 to 3 cups a day, on average—sometimes more, rarely less.

So when I decided to give up coffee for a month, I expected to suffer from some serious withdrawals: headaches, sluggishness, lack of energy, mental fog.

Clearly, February was the perfect month for this experiment: just 28 days.

Turns out, I was totally wrong, though. And now that I’m an ex-coffee drinker with a 3-month coin, I have no plans of kneeling again before the rocket-fuel gods. I do still enjoy the very occasional cup of Joe, and I have even higher expectations of the dark elixir than ever before.

Why Quit Coffee?

Some believe there are many benefits to quitting coffee and even caffeine in general. However, much of the latest research suggests there is little to fear from coffee consumption. Coffee is a popular beverage in several Blue Zones, too (Sardinia, Italy; Icaria, Greece; and Nicoya, Costa Rica—the Okinawans sip green tea and Loma Linda’s Adventists prefer water).

Coffee is the #1 source of antioxidants in the American Diet. But unfortunately, coffee’s champ status is mostly due to the crappy Standard Western Diet and it’s general lack of fruits and vegetables.

To be clear, mine was an experiment to give up my coffee habit for a month, not to entirely give up caffeine. My caffeine levels would certainly drop drastically, but I still planned on drinking black or green tea in the late mornings or early afternoons. A cup of tea has approximately 1/4 the caffeine of one cup of coffee. I averaged 1 to 2 cups of tea daily, throughout the experiment. This means my caffeine consumption was cut by 75% or more.

I was particularly interested to see what would happen with my energy levels and sleep patterns (bedtime, quality, and wake-up).

My uneasiness with the Bulletproof Coffee trend in various health communities may have been a motivating factor. Also, my recent dietary modifications may have been an influence, since it certainly has felt as if it has increased my baseline energy levels (and it still feels that way, btw). I suspect that I simply don’t need coffee quite as much as I used to when I was doing more standard versions of Paleo.

I enjoy tinkering with my diet, and I also make it a point to periodically question my own assumptions. To me, one of the most uneasy feelings is the I’ve-got-it-all-figured-out smugness that is typically built upon a foundation of confirmation bias, habit, and closed-mindedness.

Expectations

Here’s what I expect from myself when experimenting:

to go into an experiment with an open mind;

to gain new experiences without too much concern for the outcome;

to integrate new knowledge and feelings that will presumably improve future decision making;

and not to be too hard on myself if I can’t complete an experiment, preferring to redesign it rather than to beat myself up.

For me, the proper use of willpower is to temporarily experience something new. Afterwards, it’s important to trust myself to make better decisions, having integrated any newly acquired insights.

Remember, even if you decide that you can’t trust yourself, you are still trusting your decision not to trust yourself. You simply cannot escape it: you are your own final arbiter.

Remember, even if you decide that you can’t trust yourself, you are still trusting your decision not to trust yourself. You simply cannot escape it: you are your own final arbiter.



The Experiment

Here are the rough guidelines I followed throughout the month of February:

No coffee. Morning beverages: Dandy Blend or water Allowed caffeinated beverages: green tea*, black tea (1 to 2 cups per day max) Other beverages: water, carbonated water, herbal teas (primarily chamomile), some alcohol (mostly on guy’s night out)

* This green tea is my personal favorite, considering value and quality. Note: when it’s available at Costco, it costs about $5 less than it does on Amazon.

Big Surprise: No Headaches & Increased Energy

A while back, a Latest in Paleo listener turned me on to Dandy Blend. This beverage is a gluten-free, water-soluble extract of roasted dandelion roots, chicory, beets, barley, and rye. More information about it is available on the manufacturer’s site, if you’re interested (FAQ).

My experiment reminded me of this product, because of one claim that they make in particular:

“There are no headaches or other withdrawal symptoms when switching from coffee to Dandy Blend. It is like switching from one brand of coffee to another. Most people generally can’t tell that they aren’t drinking coffee.” —Dandy Blend Home Page

Well, I was one of the people who could tell the difference in flavor. Fortunately, I really like it and the mouth feel is great, too. I think of it as a unique beverage in it’s own right. To my delight, I experienced just one mild headache during the experiment. It occurred early on, it was a little before bed time one evening, and it was gone when I awoke the next morning.

I drank Dandy Blend daily throughout the experiment (and now I have a very occasional cup here and there). Whether Dandy Blend gets credit for my overall lack of headaches or caffeine withdrawal symptoms, I have no idea. In the past, missing my morning jolt of java typically meant a tired, headache-y feeling by late afternoon, whether I dosed up with a cup of tea or not.

While I can’t attribute my smooth sailing in this experiment to Dandy Blend, I’d say it’s still notable. And I do think having it as a substitute throughout the experiment did make things easier. It was hot, dark, creamy, and flavorful…allowing me to maintain those parts of the coffee habit, while ditching the actual coffee and lowering my caffeine intake.

Two Weeks Was Enough

At the two-week point, I noted several things:

I felt better overall and didn’t miss my morning coffee at all.

Energy levels upon awaking in the mornings were much higher. On many mornings, I would quite literally leap out of bed, whereas previously it was a much…slower…ordeal.

Falling asleep at night was perhaps a little easier, because tiredness was setting in a little earlier.

My weight remained stable.

I noticed no difference with regard to walking and hiking endurance, and I continued to see steady gains with regards to resistance performance at The Y.

I noticed no difference in productivity, creativity, or ability; my brain wasn’t downgraded.

Completing the 4-week experiment turned out to be a cakewalk. After the 4 weeks ended, my list of bullet points was identical to what I have above. So, in my case, I learned as much after two weeks as I did after four.

Your mileage will likely vary, but if you’re considering experimenting with giving up coffee, you may only need two weeks or so to discover how it sorts out for you.

Higher Expectations in the End

Since I experienced nothing but benefits from my experiment, I saw no reason to pick up the coffee habit again.

In fact, now I’m happy that I can use coffee more like a drug. E.g. if I pull an all-nighter working on the show or if my almost-4-year old Lucy crawls into bed with us some night to practice kickboxing on my head…I can pull coffee out of my toolbox of stimulants—and it works far better than before!

Now that I’m walking around with a much lower baseline caffeine tolerance, a single cup of coffee gives me a real boost. I’ve had 3 opportunities to test this over the last couple of months, and it has worked like a charm each time.

When it comes to coffee, at least, letting go of the daily habit actually made it better for me. Even more than before, I love the smell, the flavor, and the pick-me-up. I own my coffee now, instead of it pwning me.

Have you ever considered or tried giving up coffee? How did it go? Any recommendations? Any experience with Dandy Blend or other coffee substitutes? What has been your most successful experiment?