Decaf Plan: Energizing Body and Mind

You can also use alternative therapies, supplements and homeopathic remedies to energize your body and your mind.

  • Use the power of aromatherapy; sprinkle three to four drops of an energizing oil like lime, lemon or grapefruit onto a tissue and then inhale.

  • Equally easy is stimulating one of the acupressure points on the wrist. Look for the crease closest to your palm and press the area of this directly under your thumb 5-10 times.

  • If you need a kick from a cup, try coffee substitutes like chicory and barley, or ginger tea. Alternatively, try drinking some Energy Juice (see opposite).

  • Breathing exercises will also help. According to experts, the best way to energize the body is with explosions of breath, to cleanse the lungs of old air. Open your mouth wide, inhale deeply, then let the breath out with a big 'Hah'. Repeat this process for 30 seconds.

  • It may help to take ginkgo biloba. In research carried out by the University of Northumberland in the UK, this helped boost people's mental energy and concentration after just one dose. The best time to take it is probably just after lunch; we have a natural energy dip mid-afternoon, which your lunchtime supplement will counteract.

  • The advice in this plan should make giving up caffeine symptom-free. However, if you have been drinking very high doses or use coffee as a crutch, you might suffer withdrawal headaches. If this happens, try the homeopathic remedy coffea crudea.