caffeine

So, I decided to go off cokes and coffee for a while as a form of giving something up and to see what extent of detox my body would go through. I guess lent inspired me, but I started a day after lent and I don't think I'll go the whole period of lent. I didn't give up all caffeine, though. I still drink an occassional cup of hot chocolate (a previous teacher sent our office a big box of hot chocolate mix) and an occassional cup of tea. Still, the effects have been interesting. I didn't have big headaches like I thought I would, but even yesterday, on my fifth day of this experiment, I felt a little light headed around dinner time. I read up a little this morning on the effects of caffeine and found this. I took the caffeine quiz, and even at the most I think I would drink in one day, this was my result:

Your total estimated caffeine intake is 280 milligrams each day. This is
equivalent to 3.5 strong cups of instant coffee (where 1 cup = 80mg). For
most adults there's virtually no risk in consuming this amount of caffeine per
day. At these levels it can boost your mood, alertness and physical
performance. However, some individuals can be particularly sensitive to
the effects of caffeine with only small amounts causing jitters and anxiety. If
you're aware that you're sensitive it would be wise to switch to decaffeinated
drinks. For children, even levels of 100mg can cause increased anxiety
levels.

So, I guess there's no real reason for me to be off caffeine except for the reason of giving something up in order to deny myself. I guess it's the same with a full on fast. There's no reason to give up food unless you have a higher reason.