If there's one thing I'm addicted to it's definitely tea. I can't get enough of it. A cup in the morning before I leave the house, one as soon as I get to work, one with every meeting, one any time I'm stressed. And if I'm working at the computer for any length of time my favourite way to break things up is regular trips to the kettle to refill my cup.
But I've noticed recently that I'm feeling very, very tired. Too drained sometimes to even get out for a run. Being vegetarian, it can be difficult to get enough iron, because the (non-haem) version found in plant foods isn't as easily absorbed by the body as the (haem) version found in meat. This is compounded by the fact that tea is high in tannin, which binds to non-haem iron and further reduces the amount you absorb. In contrast, Vitamin C helps your body to absorb non-haem iron, which means that a glass of orange juice or some strawberries are a much better accompaniment to your breakfast than a cup of tea. But tea tastes so good. And my cold hands like nothing better than cradling a warm mug.
Buoyed by the fact that I got through a two-week holiday on 3 cups of tea and only suffered one headache as a result (yes, it really does give me withdrawal symptoms), I've made the radical decision to cut it out completely. My tea-tox begins today. The teabags have been removed from the tea cupboard and hidden, replaced by iron-friendly peppermint, rose & chamomile and ginger versions. I might be a bit grumpy for the next couple of days, but at least I can still have warm hands! Time will tell if this change is enough to give me back my energy.
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