Reduce your caffeine intake

Missing that morning cuppa is worse than coming face to face with the most sordid superstition for many. Well, blame that on caffeine, the same element that helps us out of our stupor. Now we aren't saying you call it quits, and rely on a cold water shower!

Especially since, it's a metabolic enhancer too, "Something we've only become recently aware of," informs dietician Pooja Makhija.

Just keeping a tab on the caffeine intake is good enough and easy too, to ensure you just enjoy your brew and not become enslaved by it.

Deciphering caffeine cravings
"When a person gets up, they feel lethargic. That's because the sugar levels are low, as the last meal was almost eight to ten hours back. For that instant boost, we have been taking in caffeine since ages," explains Makhija.

Why you need to cut it down?
We heard it a zillion times before — an excess of anything is bad. Well, it holds true even in context of caffeine. According to dietician Dr Anar Shah too much caffeine often causes gastric problems, acidity, sleep disorders and is a big factor in catalysing the ageing process. Further, "Caffeine also reduces the capacity of the body to absorb Vitamin E, which often results in the darkening of the skin," she says.

How much is too much?
Anything below 300 milligrams is considered safe for adults. So in case your intake is higher than those, then you need to get into action. Also apart from tea, coffee, cold drinks, energy drinks, chocolate in its various forms also contains small amounts of caffeine, so it's best to keep some margin.

Start by reducing the amount of the caffeinated drink slowly. Initially may feel sleepy or lethargic, but this will go within some days. Dietician and sports nutritionist, Deepshikha Agarwal says, "Having three cups a day is the upper limit." She suggests you slowly try to switch to healthier versions of tea. "A variety of herbal tea is available. You could try green tea, lemon tea, ginger tea or even tulsi tea. In fact green tea is an excellent antioxidant and increases your body metabolic rate."

Teens especially should opt for 'caffeine-free' drinks. Look for these words or the word 'decaffeinated'.