What Caffeine Substitutes Are There?
Caffeine intake can be very disruptive to sleep, if caffeine is taken before bedtime then it can make it very hard to get to sleep, so is insomnia is a problem then it is best to avoid any caffeine intake at least 5 to 6 hours before bed time, as this is how long it can take to work itself out of the system. Better still is to find a caffeine substitute to take instead of it, then it will not be disruptive at all. Whenever caffeine removal from the diet is contemplated it is important to do it gradually as otherwise caffeine withdrawal symptoms can be felt, mostly though these will only be as bad as a headache, this can be simply be achieved by cutting out one cup per day, or by serving less strong coffee.
Caffeine reduction option
Rather than cut out caffeine completely it may be sufficient to reduce the intake of coffee, either by restricting intake to only the morning and early afternoon periods or by reducing the quantity of coffee in each serving, for this it is best to buy a very sensitive scale so that the amounts can be measured out precisely.
Caffeine free coffee
This is the most simple substitute out there, most coffee houses also provide a caffeine free option, and this could work, unfortunately the taste is of course not exactly the same, but it may pay to try different options. The coffee goes through a process of decaffeination. One particular process used in the case of coffee is performed on unroasted green beans. First the beans are steamed, then rinsed with solvent that pulls out the caffeine. The process is repeated many times until a minimum amount of caffeine is left, it should be noted that even if something is noted to be caffeine free it may still contain small amounts. Unfortunately coffee contains over 400 chemicals which can affect the taste, this is why the caffeine free options of coffee tend to not taste exactly the same.
Green Tea
Green teat has many purported health benefits and it does not contain any caffeine. It also contains large quantities of polyphenols.
Chicory
Often throughout history when coffee has been hard to come by, chicory has been substituted. The root part of the chicory plant is long and thick, very similar to the tap-root of the dandelion. It can be dried, roasted and ground, and made into a lovely substitute for coffee. It actually dissolved in water better than coffee. It is also possible to get coffee blended with chicory, this was caffeine consumption can be reduced. Nestle make a drink called Nestle caro which is a blend of roasted barley, malted barley, chicory, and rye.
Hot chocolate
Hot chocolate can be a good substitute for caffeine, as it provides the warm drink and can have higher milk and sugar added to make it more flavorsome. Chocolate contains alkaloids such as theobromine and phenethylamine, which have some potentially positive physiological effects in humans.
Ginko Biloba
Ginko Biloba is a herbal medicine which is purported to increase energy levels, so it may be able to provide the energy which may thought to be lost when caffeine is removed.
Water
Although it is often though that coffee is a diuretic (e.g. it dehydrates you) actually this is a mild effect and when taken into consideration that you are also drinking water when drinking coffee, net it actually hydrates you. Note thought that if taken in espresso form this is no longer the case. The upshot of this is that when caffeine intake is reduced water intake should be increased to stay in the same state as before. It is good to have a bottle of water nearby to top up regularly, although it should be noted that the purported 8 glasses a day of water that is supposed to be consumed is actually not based on anything other than old wives tales. If you find yourself taking many trips to the bathroom then you are probably over drinking.
All the rest
almond, acorn, asparagus, malted barley, beechnut, beetroot, carrot, chicory root, corn, cottonseed, dandelion coffee, fig, boiled-down molasses, okra seed, pea, persimmon seed, potato peel,[2] rye, sassafras pits, sweet potato, wheat bran.