I loved Nell Frizzell’s inspirational article on being caffeine-free (For seven years, I have been caffeine-free. Here’s how it has changed me, 26 May). I’m in month 11 of no caffeine and I’m enjoying a bit more sleep and much less agitation and rage all round.
My caffeine-fuelled prickly sweats are noticeably gone. My fortnightly chats with a friend are now redesigned as the last time she insisted buying our drinks (“yes, of course I’ve ordered you a caffeine-free cappuccino”) mine fired me up into a trembling, jibber-jabbering mess, feverishly scribbling down to-do lists on a napkin. I now sip cool, clear, bottled water instead. The chats are less animated and excitable, but I feel pleasantly less exhausted afterwards.
Caffeine-free has been a bit of a slog at times, particularly when the cafes provide outdoor seating, but I’m very much enjoying my gradually rehydrating, dewy skin and more peaceful thoughts, all due to a caffeine-free lifestyle. Frizzell’s wonderful article reaffirms my choice.
Vickie Hunt
Horsley Woodhouse, Derbyshire
It’s a wise decision by Nell Frizzell not to recommend matcha as an alternative to coffee and tea for those avoiding caffeine . Matcha is powdered green tea and high in caffeine since you consume the leaves, not just the water they are steeped in. It’s been long favoured by Japanese monks who need to stay awake during meditation.
Lynne Edwards
New Quay, Ceredigion
