posted
It's one of my weaknesses. So I have a couple of questions.
Is Decaf ok?
I use sugar and creamer. What can I replace them with that is ok? Is Agave Necter an ok substitute for sugar?
Were any of you die hard coffee drinkers, and gave it up? What did you drink instead?
Posts: 115 | From Central PA | Registered: Jul 2009
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kgg
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I gave up coffee for a year back in the 90's. I drag for 12 months. Then I said the heck with it!
I drink two cups of organic coffee a day. I do not function without it. I know it is recommended that we give it up. But I won't. I use organic to avoid the pesticides used in the growing process.
I don't want to discourage you if you are super serious about letting it go. But I think out of all the things we deal with, coffee is the least of our worries. (And no,everyone, I do not want to start a debate about this. Just my opinion.)
If you are trying to stay away from sugar because of yeast. Then stevia would be a natural sweetener. I use agave, but I believe it would still feed yeast. I steer clear of NutraSweet and Splenda because of the chemicals.
If you choose to go with decaf, make sure it is water processed decaf. Typically it will say on the bag. The other processes use chemicals.
I apologize if you were looking for encouragement to quit. I don't want to dissuade you from doing it. But I also dislike the strict "do not" list we sometimes have guilt about. This journey is tough enough without guilt!
Best, Karen
Posts: 1687 | From Maine | Registered: Jun 2004
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kam
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I was an occasional coffee drinker before lyme. So giving up coffee was not an issue when I came down with lyme.
I have gone back and forth the past 9 years....I go without and then I start back up again.
heading to the store to get coffee along with groceries this am.
I like the idea of organic coffee....
I am not able to measure coffee out yet or perhaps my brain is improving enough I can do the multi tasking it takes to make a cup of coffee now.
I got a free sensco coffee pot a while back. I just need to put a pad in the coffee maker.
But, they do not have organic so am looking into what my other choices might be
Heard something about the K Cups but haven't looked into it enough yet. I do know they have organic.
I recently was told by a chiro and natural path how coffee is not good for me....so stopped for a while..
...but am ready to start back up. I usually only have one cup of coffee in the am.
...taking excedrin this am to clear the head and be able to function.
So if this all doesn't make sense it is because the head is in a fog this am.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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kam
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PS I have dropped sugar but still like milk in my coffee. I use goat's milk.
And I too sweeten with hone or aguave but can go without the sweetening most of the time.
Stevia was bitter or perhaps I just couldn't get the right amount of drops figured out to use.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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kam
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What I was going to write before I got off track is that I have not noticed any difference in my health when I gave up coffee.
But, I have noticed a difference in my level of functioning. Coffee helps me at times when I need to be out and about and able to do things.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
Thanks. I really don't want to give up my coffee if I don't absolutely have to but I would like to make it as good for me as I can without making it icky.
Right now I drink a pot a day. Talk about bad. I think I can cut down to 2 cups if I try real hard, though I have to wean off the caffene because of my headaches.
The reason I asked about the agave was because I'm Insulin Resistant and I've been reading that it has a lower glycemic index.
I'm not yet on antibiotics, so I'm not too worried about yeast yet.
Posts: 115 | From Central PA | Registered: Jul 2009
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sutherngrl
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I gave up my 2 cups every morning coffee! It wasn't that hard, because as soon as I became ill, the caffeine started causing me extreme anxiety.
I haven't drank coffee in 4 years now.......except a few de-caf cups on the occassional breakfast eaten out.
I still miss it very much. Before Lyme it was a huge enjoyment to drink my coffee every morning.
Hopefully I will get to drink it again some day. Right now I have to take Xanax for anxiety so caffeine is simply a no no for me.
I now substitute a cup of decaf green tea. Its very good for you! I have to admit though that its not as much fun as coffee.
Right before I became ill, I invested in an expensive coffee maker and started buying coffee beans and would grind them fresh......ymmmm! It was the best!
I have to say that a POT of coffee a day would not be good even for a healthy person in my opinion. Good luck on doing whats best for your health!
Posts: 4035 | From Mississippi | Registered: Jul 2008
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Hoosiers51
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Right now I've been putting Organic Rice Dream (a "fake" milk) in it. It's available at my Walmart. It is not sweetened with sugar, but it is a little naturally sweet from the rice.
I need more sweetener though, so I add 2 drops of Now brand French Vanilla Stevia extract.
I have also read you can sweeten your coffee with honey and regular vanilla extract.
I would prefer either stevia or honey to agave. I will come back with a link on Agave. Basically, the proportion of fructose in it is very high, in a way that it isn't "natural" because of all the processing the agave plant goes through to produce the sweetener. High levels of fructose like that are in other things like high fructose corn syrup.
Fruit has fructose, but it's in natural proportions.
So in my opinion, agave is just as bad as high fructose corn syrup. "But it's natural!" they'll say. (Eye roll)....it's not really natural. Sorry to say. Agave is natural if you consider high fructose corn syrup a natural sweetener too.
At least honey doesn't have to go through a bunch of processing to get it that sweet. It's how it comes naturally.
I am on the fence with how I feel about Stevia, but for now I'm using it.
Google, "So Delicious Coconut Creamer". It is a new product, designed to be thick like cream, that is dairy free. I wish I could find it around here, but I can't.
I will come back with the agave link.
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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kgg
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Yes, I would say a pot a day is too much. I used to get caffeine headaches. They are miserable. So yes, wean off of it slowly.
I read the recent article by Mercola on Agave being bad for you. I cannot agree that it is as bad or good as corn syrup. The process that HFC goes through is bad for you. The Madhava agave nectar is water evaporated not chemical processed. It is the brand I use.
I agree with the person who mentioned the Now brand stevia sweetener. The drops do not tend to be as bitter as the powder. And they have all sorts of flavor drops too.
Good luck on your weaning off of the coffee pot! =)
Karen
Posts: 1687 | From Maine | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
I sooo look forward to my one cup of coffee in the morning. It's very warm and soothing to me.
I drink organic fair trade with a sprinkle of stevia and a splash of 2% organic milk.
I could think of worse vices.
Posts: 423 | From Upstate NY | Registered: May 2009
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Hoosiers51
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I meant that agave might be worse in terms of "what it is" vs. HFCS. "What it is" being the thing itself, not taking into consideration chemicals, GMO vs. non-GMO, etc.
"Once the process of turning aguamiel into agave nectar is complete, the end result contains as much as 90% fructose. Keep in mind that high fructose corn syrup with all its documented ill effects attributable to its fructose content is only 55% fructose.
Nowhere in the collective past of humanity did we eat such a concentrated source of sugars - particularly fructose - as we do now. Ancient humans ate honey in small amounts and only when available and they ate fruit on a seasonal basis. In both these cases, the naturally present fructose is tempered by another component such as glucose in the case of honey and fiber in the case of fruit."
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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ping
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kissygoose (love that name) - Why should you completely give up coffee? Just don't overdo it to the point that it interferes with your sleep.
I drank coffee before, during and now after my tx for TBD. Iced tea too. I just don't drink caff. containing items after about noon or 1pm.
-------------------- ping "We are more than containers for Lyme" Posts: 1302 | From Back in TX again | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
I didn't give up coffee. I do drink less than before, but I don't (can't) get out the door in the morning without my morning coffee!
I did cut out the afternoon coffee break, as it often just makes me feel woozy and not alert. But as I improve, so does my reaction to a second round of coffee during the day.
Posts: 455 | From Was in PA, then MD, now in the Midwest | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
I have tried MANY times to give up my coffee (and it's only a very small cup) and I just cannot. I do not put any sugar in there anymore, I did give that up but I do put milk in.
-------------------- Never, Never, Never give up! Posts: 395 | From Connecticut | Registered: Nov 2008
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I was militant and fascist years ago with various dietary regimes. They never made me feel good.
I've come to see that having an internal war about anything is more toxic for a person than a cup of organic coffee or a soy latte.
We each need to find our own balance. Absolute rules imposed from other people feel yucky to me.
Feeling in the moment how something is effecting us seems to be a wiser way of living.
On the coffee note: I've found that puroast coffee, either decaf or regular is far more easy for the body to handle than what i can get at the natural food store. This is a low acid organic fair trade coffee. I have zero financial interest.....I mix mine with organic dandelion root and chicory root, both helpful for the liver. That way you get the coffee taste, very little acid and the benefit of healing and nourishing herbs.
Peace, ease, riverspirit
Posts: 164 | From North America | Registered: Mar 2009
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daisyrlb
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kissygoose, "a pot a day" -- POT!!! And I thought I was addicted! Well, I know I am addicted and not planning on stopping any time soon.
I drink organic regular and at some point switch to organic decaf. We have a K-cup machine at home. I even bought a K-cup machine (that I donated to the place where I work) so I could use my K-cups there, now THAT is addicted, and I'm not wanting to be set free anytime soon!!
I have not noticed any negatives to drinking coffee, but I notice a lot of negatives if I don't.
BTW I'm typing this at Starbucks--for real!!!
Posts: 2188 | From Oklahoma | Registered: May 2008
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daisyrlb
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One other thing, Starbucks is my home away from home. Posts: 2188 | From Oklahoma | Registered: May 2008
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gwb
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posted
K-Cups are the greatest! We buy only organic K-cups. They have a great variety too.
Believe it or not, Dr. Jernigan, ND, actually recommends his patients to drink a cup or two a day. He says it helps those who have problems keeping regular.
Here's some more interesting facts about coffee:
Coffee Health Benefits : Coffee may protect against disease
It's surprising when something that was once considered questionable for your health turns out to have health benefits, usually with the proviso to use it ``in moderation.'' That happened with chocolate and alcohol, and now it is coffee's turn, reports the February issue of the Harvard Health Letter. Here's some of the mostly good news about coffee:
Blood pressure. Results from long-term studies are showing that coffee may not increase the risk for high blood pressure over time, as previously thought. Study findings for other cardiovascular effects are a mixed bag.
Cancer. Coffee might have anti-cancer properties. Last year, researchers found that coffee drinkers were 50% less likely to get liver cancer than nondrinkers. A few studies have found ties to lower rates of colon, breast, and rectal cancers.
Cholesterol. Two substances in coffee -- kahweol and cafestol -- raise cholesterol levels. Paper filters capture these substances, but that doesn't help the many people who now drink non-filtered coffee drinks, such as lattes. Researchers have also found a link between cholesterol increases and decaffeinated coffee, possibly because of the type of bean used to make certain decaffeinated coffees.
Diabetes. Heavy coffee drinkers may be half as likely to get diabetes as light drinkers or nondrinkers. Coffee may contain chemicals that lower blood sugar. A coffee habit may also increase your resting metabolism rate, which could help keep diabetes at bay.
Parkinson's disease. Coffee seems to protect men, but not women, against Parkinson's disease. One possible explanation for the sex difference may be that estrogen and caffeine need the same enzymes to be metabolized, and estrogen captures those enzymes.
If you google "coffee health benefits" you'll find tons of reasons why drinking organic coffee in moderation can be a good thing. But don't let me be a bad influence on you. Do what your doctor says or follow the guidelines of Dr. B if you feel it's best for you.
Gary
P.S. I'm sitting in Starbucks with crazy daisyrlb enjoying my double shot cappuccino. Soooooo goood! : )
Posts: 1349 | From OK | Registered: May 2005
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daisyrlb
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gwb, what a great post. So glad to read all of the health benefits of coffee!!
Think I'll order one more for the road--make that a double-tall-nonfat-latte please. Thank you! Posts: 2188 | From Oklahoma | Registered: May 2008
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posted
I am THE quintessential coffee lover. There is no substance quite like Organic Sumatra, in my opinion. It is the end-all, be-all, perfect, purest, most delightful thing on God's green earth!
Two days ago, however, after a 51 year true-love affair, I gave it up. I lived for my 2 cups a day. It gave me energy to go grocery shopping, visit my parents, run errands, do the dishes . . . and it made me very, very happy.
I felt like it had to go because I received the news that I have the bones of an 80-year old woman. Coffee acidifies the system and to bring it back into balance, the system will draw alkalizing minerals from the bones.
It wasn't as hard as I thought. I didn't even get a headache--(a special parting gift from my dear friend.)
-------------------- When we are no longer able to change a situation---we are challenged to change ourselves. (Viktor Frankl- Holocaust survivor) Posts: 460 | From Maine | Registered: Apr 2009
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posted
In addition to the benefits listed above, I find that my morning coffee loosens me up quite a bit, helping with my joint pain and morning stiffness.
Posts: 455 | From Was in PA, then MD, now in the Midwest | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
This has been wonderful help to me. I know I need to cut down on my intake. It's what I get for growing up in a household where there was nothing ever else drunk by the adults.
You all have such wonderful suggestions. I'm definitely going to have to look into them.
It also gives me hope that while I will have to make major changes in my lifestyle I can still enjoy some of the little things in life.
Thanks everyone.
Posts: 115 | From Central PA | Registered: Jul 2009
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Hoosiers51
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posted
Wow, I keep stumbling across info about agave. Here's another link, basically saying the same thing, but a little more detail:
I swear, I wasn't even looking for agave info, I just keep bumping into it on blogs I read. The word must be spreading.
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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posted
I too struggle with that one. Basically, when anxious I give it up or drink only a few ounces. I have dropped other 'foods' completely such as sugar and all sweeteners, gluten, alcohol and eating fewer grains and fruits. I enjoy coffee so as long as my system can handle it, I'll be drinkin'!
A gentle reminder about soy, rice, almond, etc. milks-if you're avoiding sweeteners, get the unsweetened kind-its on the label. They can be chock full of sweetners. And most coffee shops don't carry the unsweetened kind.
Posts: 72 | From washington dc | Registered: Mar 2010
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posted
I was kind of disturbed to read about agave now being "bad" for you- I am severely allergic to all sugars - including honey! Agave is about the only sweetener I can tolerate, so I have it occasionally (in moderation)
Anyway, there are plenty of articles that disagree with Dr Mercola's view on agave. Thought I would post one for another point of view.
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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Hoosiers51
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I'm sure it's okay as long as you use Agave in moderation (moderate meaning, don't use a lot of it....I don't meant moderate in terms of how much sugar the average American consumes...which would be a bloated statistic).
My point wasn't that it is dangerous, but that people should NOT be thinking of it as a "healthier" alternative to anything. And it could be adding to liver stress for those whose livers are already near the edge...who knows (not saying I do).
Can you do Dextrose? iherb.com carries it.
I still have things with HFCS on occasion...I just do it with the knowledge that I shouldn't over-indulge.
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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Hoosiers51
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That article Larkspur just posted looks like the author could have ties to a specific agave brand....just so people can keep that in mind when reading the article. I say that because a specific brand is mentioned multiple times.
"Organic raw agave, such as that sold by the 100% USDA Organic-Certified Madhava Agave Nectar company, harvests the nectar from living plants and does very minimal amounts of processing on the nectar."
I'm sure the minimally processed, organic agave is better for you then the ones that are not organic and have gone through more complex processing.
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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posted
I am just really sick of the whole labeling of foods as "good" and "bad" - I have so many food/chemical sensitivities from Lyme it got to the point I was frightened to eat anything! Living in fear of food is not good for healing!
I even worked with a nutritionist who recommended certain changes - further limiting me in some ways.
More recently I had allergy testing done that actually measures lymphocyte reaction in the blood to different substances. So I found out that many of the "healthy" changes I had made e.g. using almond milk is worse for me than limited amounts of dairy because of an additive used called carrageenan gum that I am severely allergic to. There were many other examples as well.
This is just my personal experience, but I now know what I can tolerate and what I can't.
I don't know if that author has ties to the agave industry or not, but there are many other articles refuting Dr Mercola's claims about agave. I don't always agree with Dr Mercola, but that is just me. BTW, as I'm sure you know Dr Mercola has a very large store of his own products he sells!
I don't know if agave's good or bad, but I just don't like to think in "black and white" terms about most things because it is usually a lot more complicated.
Sorry if I sound cranky - I'm herxing! This whole "good /bad" food issue is a trigger for me because of my personal experience constantly being told that certain foods were "bad" and feeling severely deprived all the time.
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
I was actually told TO drink coffee by my doctor. I have low blood pressure, and orthostatic intolerance.
I have cut back a bit though... was having a bit of that "so tired, gotta drink coffee, can't sleep, too much caffeine" vicious cycle.
I keep reading about how Lymies need to cut out sugar, and this is really the one place I haven't been able to do it. I'm one of those "would you like some coffee with your sugar?" kind of people. Again, I am cutting back, but haven't been able to give it up totally.
Is honey any better?
Posts: 306 | From Brownsville, PA | Registered: Jul 2007
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