Most of us go through life with only a vague idea of how much caffeine is in what we eat and drink. That coffee should wake us up; this chocolate milk is probably caffeine-free. But if you want to use caffeine effectively, you really need to know the amount in your favourite sources. You can’t properly time your caffeine consumption to maximise alertness if you don’t know exactly how much you’re consuming.

Coffee and energy drinks are a staple part of my diet. Despite this, I tend to roll my eyes at special edition flavours of energy drinks. The Coconut Edition Red Bull didn't seem like something I would enjoy so I bought some to find out for sure.

Soft drinks are regularly cited as one of the top causes of obesity and tooth decay in Australia: yet we still quaff them by the gallon. You know it's bad for you - you may have even tried to quit - but that highly addictive sugar hit will always have you in its thrall.

This infographic breaks down the sugar content in five popular drinks; from Coke to Powerade. The ranking might actually surprise you. (Who would have thought a certain iced tea would be worse than Red Bull?)

Sugar-laden soft drinks are one of the biggest causes of obesity in the western world. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australians drink a whopping 100 litres of soft drink per head each year and we're getting fatter as a result. If you've grown a (ginger) beer belly in recent years, it's probably time to cut soft drinks from your diet for good. This infographic provides 12 proven weaning tactics to help you quit.

If it feels like your morning coffee isn't giving you the jolt of energy it used to, your tolerance may be to blame. You can get your caffeine tolerance back to normal levels in about two weeks, but you'll need to wean yourself off of it.

Red Bull may give you wings, but at what cost? To some, energy drinks are dangerous elixirs, while others consider them magic potions of vitality. The truth about how they affect your body is not so black and white.

Dear Lifehacker, I recently cut sugar from my diet and swapped to stevia-based sweeteners in a bid to lose weight. So far it's working (2kg in one week!) However, one thing that isn't clear to me is how stevia affects tooth decay. Is it safe to swish this stuff around in my mouth, or should I still be using a straw?