Whats the deal with...

[rawinspired]

Coffee!So what exactly does coffee do to our body that is against raw eating? I realize its not raw infact its quite the contrary. But when I'm brewing coffee I'm not taking out any of the important enzymes by heating it. I love my morning coffee and I feel likes it my one bit of decadence before the house gets going. So I'm curious- whats so bad about coffee?

Thanks:)

[subbacultcha]

*braces self* I should be reading the replies too, I love my coffee and always switch off when I hear how bad it is. Oh well, I eat nearly all raw and I don't mind having the odd cup. We all have our vices.

[Shell]

Hey! Ok, don't quote me on this, but my belief is, it's the caffeine. It leaches vitamin E, C, B complex, calcium, zinc, and other minerals from your body. It's quite like a drug, and overworks adrenal glands. Funny thing is, even though I know all of this....well......at least I have Swiss water decaf, right? RIGHT??!!:D

[maui_butterfly]

first let me say that everyone is different in how they are affected by things. only YOU know if coffee is good for YOU or not. as DZM likes to say and I like to parrot, no raw food police.

but since you're asking, what is wrong with coffee? i'll put my two cents in. and its the two cents of a former raging caffeine addict, so i've been there, tuning out whenever i heard anything negative about coffee, yet always trying to quit on the side, failing miserably, struggling, becoming an insomniac etc. i always knew in my heart of hearts this was not a good thing for my body, but i LOVED it. i loved everything about it, the routine, the ritual, the selection, the brewing, the grinding, the smell, the pick up, everything. so i hear you! but ultimately coffee's many effects compounded after years and years and got so noticeable and negative that i finally quit. i can hang out at a starbucks now for hours with my friends, and not feel the slightest pull. a miracle! :)

its an artificial stimulant, and the law of artificial stimulants is: whatever lifts you up will drop you. do you want to be riding a chemical roller coaster, affecting your mood and energy from the outside-in, or do you want to experience your TRUE mood and energy from the inside-out? you can hear the wisdom of your body better when outside interference isn't occuring, haven't you noticed that about raw foods in general? you get more tapped in? your body's communication with you and your receptivity to that communication is a priceless resource, and i think stimulants interfere with that. they do for me.

that said, i totally support you if you wanted to drink coffee for the rest of your life. who am i to know what is best for you? i don't. but for me, life's pretty good on the other side of caffeine!

[Revvell]

Coffee!So what exactly does coffee do to our body that is against raw eating? I realize its not raw infact its quite the contrary.

You've pretty much answered your own question.

I'll just ditto what M_B says and add another ~ what one is loathe to give up, one is addicted to. What one is addicted to, has power over them. So, it's not only the physical aspects, it's the mental/emotional as well.

Revvell

[ShelShel]

Since people are adding their two cents...lol...I'll join in. (But I will preface this by saying this month I actually slipped back into having a couple cups a week. :eek: )

I actually went raw because I could no longer function and make it through my day with out a 36 ounce mug in the morning...and another around 4pm. I didn't go raw to lose weight...although I needed to desperately...I went raw because I knew something was majorly wrong when I fought just to stay awake. :o Going raw worked. I don't need a single drop to function now.

However...it's a tremendously slippery slope for me being that like the rest...I LOVE that stupid drink. LOL :p Since I am returning to 100% raw...it's going the way of the trash can...but it was fun for a few cups.

But I digress.

[KindnessToAllCreatures]

You may find that, instinctively, you no longer have a desire for coffee after being all raw for a while.

The last time I went 100%, I gradually drank less coffee each day (without even trying, really). After about a month, I no longer felt that I 'needed' it. As my energy levels increased on an all raw diet, the artificial caffeine boost was something I no longer desired. (I fell off the wagon, and have only been back on for a couple of weeks, although am already now feeling less of a desire for coffee.)

If you're 100% raw aside from the coffee, pat yourself on the back. If you stay 100%, I truly believe your body will eventually reject the thought of drinking coffee.

Good luck to you!:)

[rawinspired]

Thank you so much for the input and the honesty. Coffee does not affect me in a derogatory way. When I need to wake up it wakes me up and when I need to go to sleep it doesn't interfere.
Jennifer- thanks for not judging and reinforcing there are no raw police.:D

[Stina]

I'm in the category of people that, although it at first suppresses my appetite, throughout the rest of the day it stimulates my urge to eat. I can't control my compulsive overeating tendencies with the stimulant of coffee in my system. I realized I wasn't alone in this after reading Overating, the Body Knows. But I miss the good times with this drug caffeine, but not the bad times......

[rawinspired]

Stina-

Very interesting
Tell me how that works. I've heard that before and I am a compulsive eater when eating SAD.

Thanks!!

[Stina]

Stina-

Very interesting
Tell me how that works. I've heard that before and I am a compulsive eater when eating SAD.

Thanks!!

Two huge factors for me eating raw - not drinking coffee -taking the time to meditate in the morning. (and lurking around this board.....):) It's speed; it stimulates the appetite and gives an edge to the compulsive behavior.

[raven]

it's a very acidifying substance and dramatically shifts your pH to an unhealthy level. coffee enemas can be therapeutic though.

suzy

[Carlsbad]

Here's my two cents. When I went raw, I had the WORST caffeine headache for four days as my body went through coffee withdrawal. I literally could barely move my head. And I used to only drink one or two cups a day. Anything that has that fierce of a withdrawal process can't be good for me, in my opinion. Plus, since I abandoned coffee, my energy is a LOT more stable throughout the day. I still haven't gotten the amazing raw energy I've heard about, but I do have a consistent level of awakeness throughout my day. I don't miss coffee or caffeine at all, and it seems weird to me now that people drink caffeine in the morning since I feel more awake without it than I did with it.

I would say try going a month without coffee and see how you feel. At the end of that time, you can decide whether to add it back in or not.

[rawinspired]

Thank you everyone for your responses:D :D :D

[Vivafree2]

It was painless for me to stop coffee - i didn't stop because raw told me to stop. I decided that i need to sleep better and be less hyper, cut on coffe and tea and i do sleep better, do not need artificail "pick me up" from coffe nor sugar not other things. I have less high-low "spikes" and it works well with me.
I had coffe twice when on raw and after two sips i abandoned the idea - taste waas offensive. Should you stop coffee? It is your own choice and decision. Listen to your body?

[Laurelina]

I love coffee. Everything about it...as others have said. But I gave it up a week ago. Since then I've experienced the strangest headache I've ever had...My whole face hurt - as though I'd gotten punched in the nose the night before. But now I'm starting to normalize. I quit coffee because I hated that acidic low feeling it gave me after the much coveted hyperactive affect it had on me during its consumption. I'm glad I made the change.... I feel more consistent...and more mellow. I don't know if I will go back to it...we'll see.

I tell people I am a rawFOODist...not a rawdrinkist. (cheesy, i know)

[EZ rider]

This winter I quit drinking hot tea and substituted drinking warm clean water instead. I use my same tea cup only without putting a tea bag in it. At first I didn't think it was going to work as I missed the flavor in the drink but as I continued drinking it I appreciated the clean taste of the warm water more and more. You might consider trying it to replace coffee as a warm winter drink.

[rawinspired]

I so appreciate the considerate advice. But it's such a lovely ritual for me in the AM. Most likely I don't even need it. When I do need it is around 12 or 1pm.,when I either need a nap or I'm going to eat something I know I'll regret. I am so overwhemingly tired. Where's the RAW energy that I need so bad?? :p So I just added coffee back into my afternoon. I just can't keep taking naps.:eek:

[Stina]

I so appreciate the considerate advice. But it's such a lovely ritual for me in the AM. Most likely I don't even need it. When I do need it is around 12 or 1pm.,when I either need a nap or I'm going to eat something I know I'll regret. I am so overwhemingly tired. Where's the RAW energy that I need so bad?? :p So I just added coffee back into my afternoon. I just can't keep taking naps.:eek:

Want some energy? Try green lemonade
one or two apples
organic lemon, peel and all,
handful of greens, could be parsley, chard, collards, kale, cilantro, etc.
perhaps cucumber
maybe a stalk of celery

Juice 'em up and it'll perk you right up.

[maui_butterfly]

I so appreciate the considerate advice. But it's such a lovely ritual for me in the AM. Most likely I don't even need it. When I do need it is around 12 or 1pm.,when I either need a nap or I'm going to eat something I know I'll regret. I am so overwhemingly tired. Where's the RAW energy that I need so bad?? :p So I just added coffee back into my afternoon. I just can't keep taking naps.:eek:

your morning ritual is likely causing the midday need to take a nap or eat something you know you will regret. that was my experience. i drank coffee in the morning only for years, then i started needed it in the afternoon to stay awake around lunchtime, then i needed something (chocolate, coffee, sugar) in the afternoon, then i needed something (chocolate, coffee, sugar) after dinner to perk up after dinner. that is the nasty thing about it. when you start drinking coffee it just boosts you and you don't notice the depletion that goes hand and hand with it. and you think "how great!". then it starts to boost you (but not as high) and drop you (so you need more to gain equillibrium). then pretty soon you need it function at your baseline levels in the morning, and throughout the day. you're not even getting a boost from it anymore, you're just maintaining.

all drugs work this way!

i hear you saying "i'm so overwhelmingly tired" and "where's my raw energy"? what if your beloved morning ritual is causing you to be overwhelmingly tired, and stealing your hard-won raw energy? there's only one way to know for sure...