Coffee...

[BeYourBest]

So, I have already cut down my coffee intake dramatically. As of right now, when I wake up in the morning...I brew coffee consisting of two tablespoons of regular coffee and one tablespoon of decaf coffee (with six cups of water.) Throughout the day I find myself craving the TASTE of coffee, and even if I'm tired, I'll get myself decaf coffee to avoid the jumpy/anxious feeling I can get from caffeine. But I've heard even decaf coffee isn't the best for you. I'll either have a small decaf coffee with just a little soymilk, or a small decaf soy latte. I've noticed some acid reflux issues that I think might be connected to my coffee intake and I'm wondering if anyone can provide me with some more info about coffee (especially decaf) that will cause me to want to completely stop drinking it. Ha. Is it going to hurt my gains at all? I've purchased teccinno (grain/herbal coffee) to make at home at night...but the issue is when I'm in the city all day, and start craving that warm taste that doesn't seem to be satisfied by tea. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[xjohanx]

Coffee will not hurt your gains. It has a positive effect on your body composition.

[chrisjs]

It kicks up your metabolism but also decreases insulin sensitivity. Not sure there's ever been any studies weighing the two effects but as long as you're not downing a few pastries along with your coffee I bet it's a net positive.

[Jason X]

I know where you're coming from. I was just there. Thankfully, my gym owner is anti-caffeine. We were talking coffee in protein shake and he shook his head. He said the following, which I took as truth, because its what I needed to hear regardless of truth.

 

He said that coffee will make you weak because it hinders protein synthesis in the body, it will make you stupid and useless without it, and it affects your adrenal gland after a while so (something or another, yada yada yada) you get stupid and weak.

 

I dunno. It was enough to convince me to not use it.

 

Athletes and drugs don't mix (save for hgh. That's a big win (sarcasm)). Caffeine is a drug. I'll stay away.

 

Good luck in your search for info. I'll be watching this thread.

[lobsteriffic]

I gave up coffee a few years ago. Mostly because it bothered my stomach and I was feeling nauseous a lot. I tried replacing it with (non-caffeinated) tea but like you I didn't really feel like tea had the same effect. After a month or two I just got used to it. Now I only have coffee very occasionally...like maybe 3-4 times a year. I don't even miss it.

[vivalasvegans]

He said that coffee will make you weak ... it will make you stupid and useless without it, ...you get stupid and weak.

i fucking love coffee. pour me another big cup of of that stupid useless weakness.

[Jason X]

also. see this:

http://www.naturalnews.com/012352.html

 

excerpt:

 

Everybody "knows" that caffeine makes you more alert and clearheaded. Think again. A cup of coffee gives you a wakeup jolt because it triggers a stress response. Your adrenal glands are prompted to kick out the same stress hormones that are released when you perceive an external threat or danger. Your muscles tense, your blood sugar elevates for extra energy, your pulse and respiration rates speed up, and your state of alertness increases so you're ready to wrestle with or run from environmental dangers. You may be only sitting at your table or desk drinking a cup of coffee, but your body doesn't know that. It's preparing for action.

 

The Memory Solution by Dr Julian Whitaker, page 261

[thendanisays]

i love coffee too! But alas, I have all but stopped drinking it save for the occasional decaf. Too acidic for me, and bone loss runs in my family. I do wake up and have STRONG black tea every morning with soymilk in it to make it taste a little creamier. Doesnt taste like coffee, but its decent.

 

Something that tastes similar to coffee (not the same mind you) but has no caffeine and is not acidic is Tecchino. It's a "grain drink" that you brew like coffee. It's in the coffe section at natural grocers and it's kinda pricey, but it is tasty. I also put soymilk in that when i used to drink it. Just too expensive for me now. but mmm mmm good.

[Tweedle]

He said that coffee will make you weak ... it will make you stupid and useless without it, ...you get stupid and weak.

i fucking love coffee. pour me another big cup of of that stupid useless weakness.

 

here, here!

 

Honestly... coffee is another one of those things that there is a lot of conflicting information about. Coffee in excess is definitely bad for you due to the high amounts of caffeine, however, if you drink one or two cups in the morning, I don't think it's going to have a negative impact on your health...in fact, for me, it has a negative impact to cut it completely out of my diet. I have poor circulation in my hands and feet that tend to cause them to swell up and ache from time to time, and for whatever reason coffee seems to help regulate this and minimize the frequency that the swelling and pain occurs. And I have read about others who have had the same.

 

There's also theories that coffee in lower amounts can be beneficial for you liver and digestive system. But you know...it's just like the controversial discussions that surround soy, too... no one really knows, and it's also based on what works for the individual. If coffee doesn't work for you, don't drink it, but I don't think it's fair to say that one or two cups a day for everyone makes them "stupid and weak"

 

I can tell you right now if I didn't have my coffee every morning I wouldn't even have the ambition to train. (And there was a point in time that I did quit coffee for a few months, and I never got past the feelings of mental cloudiness when I quit drinking it)

[Tweedle]

oh and by the way, it also depends on how you take your coffee...of course if you're pouring a whole bunch of creamer and sweetener into it...it's going to be bad for you.

 

I personally take mine black...

[Nathan Nearing]

I've never been into coffee. Like the smell but that's it. Yerba Maté is much better (taste and benefits) for me.

[Octopussoir]

vega sport(lemon lime) is a good replacement.

 

I started feeling withdrawls of it though when I didnt have it.

 

Crazy how our bodies are.

[medman]

also. see this:

http://www.naturalnews.com/012352.html

 

excerpt:

 

Everybody "knows" that caffeine makes you more alert and clearheaded. Think again. A cup of coffee gives you a wakeup jolt because it triggers a stress response. Your adrenal glands are prompted to kick out the same stress hormones that are released when you perceive an external threat or danger. Your muscles tense, your blood sugar elevates for extra energy, your pulse and respiration rates speed up, and your state of alertness increases so you're ready to wrestle with or run from environmental dangers. You may be only sitting at your table or desk drinking a cup of coffee, but your body doesn't know that. It's preparing for action.

 

The Memory Solution by Dr Julian Whitaker, page 261

 

I'm not so sure about this. Ephedrine works this way, by causing your adrenals to release larger amounts of catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline). Caffeine basically works by enhancing the action of the normal amount of adrenaline that you produce (it inhibits the breakdown of the second messengers produced in response to adrenaline).

 

There have been studies which show doctors make fewer mistakes on long shifts when they take caffeine. There have also been studies which showed benefit to weight lifters. Caffeine is a tool which can have significant benefits, but it can also cause physical dependence. It's a double-edged sword.

[Barb123]

I used to drink like a pot a day quite a few years back. I had to quit due to stomach upset. Now, I love tea and drink a lot of the green sort. I might have a cup of coffee once a week. Before a longer cardio session or when I need a boost I like Guayaki Yerba Mate....but that has caffeine too. The mate seems to give me less of a "crash" after though.

[JLat86]

Modus omnibus in rebus.

 

http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/health_perks_of_coffee

 

Athletes and drugs don't mix (save for hgh. That's a big win (sarcasm)). Caffeine is a drug. I'll stay away.

 

What is a drug? How do you define it?

[Jason X]

To me, its a drug (in this sense) if it affects your mentals.

 

At any rate, seems to me that there is information to either help you quit the coffee (as I wanted to do, and others want to do) or, to defend your consumption. When it boils down to it, make the choice you feel is right.

[MaryStella]

I gave up caffeine years ago and I honestly feel much better because of it. I sleep better at night. I agree with octo on the vega sport. I will occasionally use that if I need it.

[JLat86]

When it boils down to it, make the choice you feel is right.

 

I couldn't agree with you more on that.

 

He said the following, which I took as truth, because its what I needed to hear regardless of truth.

...

seems to me that there is information to either help you quit the coffee...or, to defend your consumption.

 

However, I disagree with your pragmatist definition of truth. Yes, one can twist information to support or oppose a certain viewpoint, but that fact does not bear on the question whether there isn't a reality to things (including coffee) that transcends the various viewpoints.

 

Moderation in all things still seems to me to be the best policy. I feel that when something is exercising control over you and you feel like it is interfering with your ability to be the best person you can be, you should either scale back or quit. As you indicated, that is a very personal decision.

 

To me, its a drug (in this sense) if it affects your mentals.

 

I asked about what a drug was because sometimes I feel like the definition of drug is "something bad which affects me when ingested," whereas food, herb, or medicine is "something good which affects me when ingested."

 

Pretty much anything we eat and drink affects our physical and mental states in one way or another; I prefer not to make arbitrary moralistic distinctions between ingestants, but to judge each on its merits and how it is affecting my life, body, mind, and soul. That's why I definitely agree with you that "when it boils down to it, make the choice you feel is right."

[xjohanx]

It kicks up your metabolism but also decreases insulin sensitivity. Not sure there's ever been any studies weighing the two effects but as long as you're not downing a few pastries along with your coffee I bet it's a net positive.

 

Damn I had forgotten all about this. When you wrote this I dug up some studies and I think you have misunderstood some crucial things. Coffee increases insulin sensitivity and has shown great protection against type 2 diabetes while isolated and added caffeine (think coke and pre workout stuff) decreases insulin sensitivity.

 

Coffee rules, I just had some. It was great!

[godisagnostic]

Naturally decaf coffee is fine for you. There are some good coffee substitutes out there (well I haven't tried them since I'm gluten intolerant and they all have barley). Pero and Teccino are the most popular. You should be able to find them at whole foods or on amazon.

[godisagnostic]

ah, you already mentioned herbal coffee. my bad ><

 

pero has an instant version.

[Tweedle]

well, even though I said I wasn't gonna do it earlier... I'm going to try giving it up (again). I'm only worried about how my circulation (or whatever the heck is going on) is going to react. And trust me, I've been to a doctor...countless times...for my issue with my hands and feet. For some reason when I quit coffee last time, my hands and feet would swell up and get painful. And they do do this occasionally without coffee, but coffee seems to minimize it for whatever reason. I'm obviously active, and I don't smoke cigarettes, so I can't think of what else I could do to help the problem....especially without knowing the cause (the doctors have no clue...how reassuring, isn't it?)

 

I've just been getting more and more into the idea of treating my body as I would if I were not part of a modern society...if I were in nature, and coffee is definitely not something you'd be sipping on in the forest lol

 

I also want as good as digestion as I can achieve since I've struggled my whole life with it, so I'm going to start doing that by trying not to toxify my body with stuff...

 

Anyway... there's no telling how it's going to go, but here's to hoping for the best! cold turkey, that's the way I do things

[Marcina]

also. see this:

http://www.naturalnews.com/012352.html

 

excerpt:

 

Everybody "knows" that caffeine makes you more alert and clearheaded. Think again. A cup of coffee gives you a wakeup jolt because it triggers a stress response. Your adrenal glands are prompted to kick out the same stress hormones that are released when you perceive an external threat or danger. Your muscles tense, your blood sugar elevates for extra energy, your pulse and respiration rates speed up, and your state of alertness increases so you're ready to wrestle with or run from environmental dangers. You may be only sitting at your table or desk drinking a cup of coffee, but your body doesn't know that. It's preparing for action.

 

The Memory Solution by Dr Julian Whitaker, page 261

 

I'm not so sure about this. Ephedrine works this way, by causing your adrenals to release larger amounts of catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline). Caffeine basically works by enhancing the action of the normal amount of adrenaline that you produce (it inhibits the breakdown of the second messengers produced in response to adrenaline).

 

There have been studies which show doctors make fewer mistakes on long shifts when they take caffeine. There have also been studies which showed benefit to weight lifters. Caffeine is a tool which can have significant benefits, but it can also cause physical dependence. It's a double-edged sword.

 

I don't read Natural News because most of it is BS. I mean, just because it says "Dr." in front of his name, doesn't mean he has credentials to say such things. Is this guy even an MD? For all we know he could have gotten a doctorate in geology or something.

[duriandork]

I drink a ton of coffee but the vegan restaurant that I work at sells "Teeccino" and it is a great substitute if you need something similar to ween yourself from coffee. http://www.teeccino.com/

[xjohanx]

Why would people ever quit drinking coffee? It tastes good, has pretty good health effects and freaking rules. I'm high on coffee right now!