Although caffeine, taken in moderate amounts, should not cause any harm its easy to see why the sales of caffeine free drinks are booming.

This is because caffeine is a stimulant but it does have possible negative side effects which makes sense to withdraw it from your diet. The possible unpleasant side effects and concern about health is the main reason for giving it up entirely.

However, as with most drugs, withdrawal should be slow, as some withdrawal symptoms are

• Headache
• Fatigue
• Sleepiness
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Depression

Work out how many cups of coffee and/or tea you consume each day and try to reduce slowly. Add more milk to your coffee and tea to reduce the amount of caffeine.

If you drink mainly coffee, try and switch to tea as it contains less caffeine then coffee. Then you can slowly acclimatise yourself and switch to herbal tea or decaffeinated tea.

If you are totally addicted to the strong stuff and you want to reduce, you can try mixing your regular coffee with decaffeinated coffee  until you are drinking the completely caffeine free variety.

Drink out of a smaller mug.

Drink caffeine free tea, coffee and colas. There will be some difference in taste but not much.

Drink pure fruit juices instead of commercially made squashes.

If you feel in the need for a pick me up, try taking a brisk walk. Remember, energy begets energy.

Understand that drinking coffee is a habit which can be broken, albeit not a bad habit , but one that could have an adverse effect on your health.

Suggested Reading

Positive and Negative Effects of Caffeine
All About Caffeine

This traditional British dish probably dates from around the mid 1600s when it was eaten by the less well off as a meal in itself with no accompaniment.

At its simplest it consist of broken up cauliflower florets lightly boiled, then covered with a grated hard cheese, most often cheddar melted in hot milk and baked in the oven.

Over the centuries an enormous variety of differing recipes have evolved on the original but cheese and milk remain the basic ingredients.

Our Favourite Cauliflower Cheese. – very simple, very tasty and totally delicious.

One medium cauliflower broken into florets and steamed for 10-15 minutes.

For the Sauce:

• 300 ml (1/2 pint) milk
• 15 gms (1/2 oz) butter
• 15gms (1/2 oz) flour
• 150 gms (1/4 lb) approx Cheddar or other hard cheese grated
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare the white sauce by blending melted butter and plain flower in a pan over a low heat.

Stir in the milk to make a smooth thickish sauce. Keep stirring over a low heat while slowly adding the grated cheese.

Stir in the cayenne and salt to taste.

Transfer the cauliflower to an open ovenproof dish and pour over the cheese sauce.

Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the top and put into a preheated oven at 200 degrees for about ½ an hour or until the topping turns a rich golden.

Delicious on its own or as an accompaniment to roast meats or cold ham.

NB. Onions, nutmeg, bay leaves grated gruyere or other cheeses, eggs, chopped tomatoes or sliced as a topping, parsley, breadcrumbs and mustard powder are among the many variations that can be added or substituted.

More scrumptious healthy recipes

A Healthy Pizza

Chickpea Stew with Tomatoes and Spinach

Caffeine is a well know drug which has become part of the global culture. Its  mood enhancing ability has made it the number one drink mainly found in coffee and tea,colas and even energy drinks.

However popular it is there are some positive effects but many more negative ones.

Positive Effects of Caffeine ( in very limited doses)

• A quick fix  – i.e. morning pick me up.
• Activates pleasure in the brain, weaker than heroin, but still there.
• Short term adrenaline booster.

Possible Positive Effects Of Caffeine

• Less likely to develop Parkinsons Disease.
• Reduced chances of colon cancer.
• Reduced chances of developing cirrhosis of the liver.
• Possibly beneficial in treating asthma, headaches, migraine.

Negative Effects of Caffeine

• Fatigue and even depression once the caffeine induced adrenaline wears off.
• High doses of caffeine can induce panic attacks.
• Too much caffeine can leave you with a headache or an upset stomach.
• Makes you feel jumpy and irritable if you don’t get another ‘kick’
• Can cause a rapid heartbeat, convulsions or even delirium.
• Lack of deep sleep which is essential for full body power and day after day can add up to a real sleep deficit.
• Can increase anxiety, stress and even food cravings.
• Recent research from the University of Nevada School of Medicine in the US have indicated that high coffee consumption may delay conception.
• Although extremely uncommon too much caffeine in blood plasma can be fatal, normally from abnormal heart rhythms or seizures.

The above may force you back into the cycle of taking more caffeine to help with the negative side effects of the drug.

Medical Uses For Caffeine

Although caffeine has been defined as a drug, it still has many advantageous uses in the medical world.

• Treated with a citrate of potassium or sodium it can help premature babies to breath.
• Young children with breathing problems after surgery can benefit.
• Caffeine can improve the effectiveness of aspirin.
• Research suggests that drinking 1-3 cups of coffee per day can possibly reduce the chances of contracting diabetes.

Suggested Reading

All About Caffeine

Vinegar must be the most under rated product of the century. On its own or combined with other natural products – honey - garlic, this amazing everyday cooking accessory has the power to help you with the following.

• Getting a good night sleep
• Lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol
• Improving your circulation
• Combating arthritis
• With your prostate inflammation
• Muscle aches
• Your digestion
• Getting rid of age spots
• Weight loss
• Killing bacteria
• Disinfecting wounds
• Easing pain

These declarations are proven. There are many experts proclaiming these powers.

On this site you will find information re this amazing property.

Much of this, I and my team have tried and tested, although much of our research has been extracted from ‘real experts’ – Dr Patrick Quillin has written an excellent book on the subject.

Suggested Reading

All About Balsamic Vinegar
Vinegar Is Natures Gift To Man
Do You Know How To Lose Weight With Vinegar?

The problem with so many so called nutritious vegetarian recipes is that they so often have little to commend them for taste or appearance.

There is nothing that appeals to the appetite more than an attractive dish of food giving off an aroma that excites the palate.

Spicy vegetable couscous not only tastes and looks wonderful it is packed full of enough goodness to satisfy the most discerning gourmet, and you do not have to be a vegetarian to have your taste buds go into overdrive.

Originating from North Africa, this dish is also a popular accompaniment to tagines and vegetable stews as well as poultry and meat, but will satisfy the most voracious appetite on its own. Although the list of ingredients looks long this is a simple recipe that does not take long to prepare.

To serve six you will need :-

• 3tbs olive oil
• 1 onion large and finely chopped
• 3 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1teaspoon ground coriander
• 250 grms (8 ozs) of small carrots scraped or finely peeled
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 4-6 cauliflower florets
• 4 beefsteak tomatoes or six standard tomatoes or two tins of chopped tomatoes
• 250 gms (8ozs) courgettes (zucchini) sliced thickly
• 400 gms (14ozs) tin of chickpeas drained and rinsed
• Ground black pepper and salt to taste
• 3 tbs chopped fresh coriander
• Garnish with sprigs of coriander

Couscous:-

• 250 gms (8ozs) of couscous
• 50 gms (ozs) of butter.

Method:-

In a large pan, heat 2 tbs of olive oil and add the onion and garlic, cook till soft then add the tomato paste, turmeric, cayenne, ground coriander and ground cumin. Stir and remove from heat after two minutes.

Add the carrots, pepper and cauliflower with enough water to cover half way up on the vegetables. Allow to boil, cover the pan then lower the heat and allow to simmer for about ten minutes.

While waiting peel the tomatoes by plunging them into boiling water for half a minute and then into cold water. The skins should peel off easily.

Chop tomatoes and add them with the remaining vegetables and the chickpeas to the pan and simmer for a further ten minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked through. Stir in the pepper and salt and the chopped fresh coriander.

Keep warm on a low heat.

Cook the couscous by boiling exactly 250 millilitres of water in a pan, take off the heat and immediately add the couscous and then the butter.

Constantly stir with a fork until the couscous grains remain separated, about five minutes. It can help to add a little olive oil to the water before boiling.

Put the couscous into a warmed serving dish and pour the vegetables and cooking liquids on top. Garnish with the sprigs of fresh coriander.