If I can stay caffeine-free, so can you

For those of you who haven't already given up on your New Year's resolutions in the past few days, here's a success story to boost your resolve: I've managed to stay pretty much caffeine-free for the past six months. And if I can actually stick to a food-related goal, well, that should give hope to just about anyone!

I really didn't have much of a caffeine problem. I don't drink coffee or tea, and I rarely stop at convenience stores for a guzzler-size fountain drink. Water has always been my preferred thirst-quencher.

But about 10 years ago, I had a retro moment and started drinking Tab.

Tab? Yes, they still make it. Back in 1999, I came across references to Tab while doing an article on 1960s food trends. Tab wasn't the first diet soft drink (that honor goes to Diet Rite Cola), but it was Coca-Cola's first diet launch. To re-acquaint myself with the product, I went looking for Tab in the grocery store.

The first few sips triggered a childhood memory of a Tab marketing blitz that gave away free six-pack bottles. For a moment, I was a carefree kid again.

Tab has a spicy flavor that, to me, is sweeter and stronger than Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi.

My kids say it tastes like cough syrup, possibly because it's one of the very few soft drinks that still contains saccharin as a sweetener.

Pretty soon, Tab had become my favorite soft drink through most of this decade. Nostalgia and those pretty hot-pink cans had something to do with it, but there were other advantages.

For instance, no self-respecting vending machine or convenience store fountain sells Tab, so that helped me limit my intake, which was usually no more than two cans per day. Also, since nobody in my family liked Tab, I could keep a 12-pack in the fridge untouched for a week.

But caffeine is one of those issues that skates near the edge of my religion. I realize that lots of LDS folks chug a couple of mugs of Pepsi or Coke a day without batting an eyelash. Some folks regularly use energy drinks, and most of them contain as much caffeine as a cup of coffee.

But I had to wonder if I'd feel better and sleep better if I cut out all caffeinated beverages.

My epiphany came, once again, while doing a story. I tried to concoct a low-sugar "ice cream" using diet root beer. It didn't work, but while sipping a bit of the leftover diet root beer, I discovered yet another flavor from my childhood. Within a few weeks, I had completely crossed over to Diet A&W root beer.

Once in awhile, I'll still have a Diet Coke if I'm at a party and choices are limited. So it's not like I'm being deprived. A few months ago, I found a stray can of Tab under my car seat. I opened it, drank some and realized that yes, it really DID taste like cough syrup.

So really, it's possible to retrain your taste buds. This experience serves as a good reminder when it seems that so many "good-for-you" foods don't taste that great, or when I'm trying to keep from overindulging in my favorite foods.

Unfortunately, I haven't noticed incredibly better sleep or a huge surge in my energy level. But I feel better that I was able to stick to a goal.

e-mail: vphillips@desnews.com