Should you decaffeinate your diet? In less than an hour you start to feel its effects. You're more alert, energetic and productive. Your mood lifts and that foggy, tired feeling is gone. If you rely on daily doses of caffeine to chase away fatigue and perk up your disposition, you aren't alone. Nine out of 10 Americans consume some type of caffeine regularly, making it the most popular behavior-altering drug. For most people, moderate doses of caffeine - 200 to 300 milligrams (mg), or about two to four cups of brewed coffee a day — aren't harmful. But some circumstances, such as caffeine sensitivity or use of certain medications, may warrant limiting or even ending your caffeine routine. Find out if you need to decaffeinate your diet and, if so, how you can do it with minimal distress. For your health: When to cut your caffeine use Certain circumstances call for reducing the amount of caffeine you consume. Evaluate your habits. If any of these situations apply, you may need to cut back. You consume unhealthy amounts Though moderate caffeine intake isn't likely to cause harm, too much can noticeably affect your health. Heavy daily caffeine use — more than 500 to 600 mg a day, or about four to seven cups of coffee — can cause: Restlessness Anxiety Irritability Muscle tremors Sleeplessness Headaches Nausea, diarrhea or other gastrointestinal problems Abnormal heart rhythms You have caffeine sensitivity If you're susceptible to the effects of caffeine, just small amounts — even one cup of coffee or tea — may prompt unwanted effects, such as anxiety, restlessness and irritability. The more sensitive you are to caffeine, the less you need to consume before feeling its influence. Your sensitivity depends on many factors, including: Body mass. People with smaller body masses feel the effects of caffeine sooner than those with larger body masses. History of caffeine use. People who don't regularly consume caffeine tend to be more susceptible to its negative effects than people who do. Stress. All types of stress — for example, psychological stress or heat stress — can increase a person's sensitivity to caffeine. Other factors can contribute to variations in caffeine sensitivity as well, including age, smoking habits, drug or hormone use, and other health conditions, such as anxiety disorders. You're not sleeping well... Continues after the ads .................................................................................................................... DO work with your children's school to promote physical education. It makes sense that schools should teach children the skills they need to have a healthy, active lifestyle, but according to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, schools across the country are dropping physical education requirements due to budget cuts and demands for better scores on standardized tests. DON'T try to teach your child a sport if you tend to be impatient. If you think you might become frustrated when your child doesn't catch on quickly enough -- and he/she may not, even if he's taken to some other activity earlier -- get someone else to play coach. It's not worth the risk of turning your child off to a particular sport before he/she even gets started. DO make physical activities a family affair. Physical activities can be something everyone in the family can enjoy and look forward to sharing with each other. You can organize weekends and vacations around hiking, skiing and swimming/snorkeling. There are even family “camps” based on particular sports. DON'T buy toys that encourage sitting around. Books and puzzles have their places, but if you want your child to get up and go, consider a pair of skates, a basketball or soccer ball, or a new bike. DO steer job-seeking children toward something physical. A paper route, garden chores or a car wash are probably better choices than inputting data into a computer. ALWAYS make it fun. Remember how your toddler loved being active ALL the time? Older children can feel the same way, especially if they see you're having fun, too. It can be as simple as I'll race you to the door. Or, you can have a special private soccer practice with your child. Or, ask him/her to come watch you play tennis. He/she can see how much fun you're having, and you can ask him/her to be the ball-boy or ball-girl. Then play together when you're finished. Source: Mayo Clinic Diet .................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................... Low-carb to Low-fat Rotation - $29 Read more  Order Now! Complete Banta Diet jump-start: 30 plans sent to you by email every day plus 180 Banta recipes - $31 Read more  Order Now! ....................................................................................................................