Ottagon Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Is it just me, or does it seem a little weird that caffeinated beverages like coffee and tea are okay to have? Because I thought that the overall point of this program was to see what your body felt like without all kinds of stuff you eat and drink screwing you up. I KNOW caffeine messes with my body chemistry in major ways; I know it because I haven't had any coffee today, and I'm headachey, and cranky, and tired. So why is it on the list as okay? I mean, I get that it would be nearly impossible for some people to finish without it, but it seems like if you were doing this optimally, you'd leave that out too. So that on day 20 or whatever, when the addiction passes, you feel like a normal human being is supposed to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moluv Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Now I don't want to rock the rule boat because having coffee does make giving up other things tolerable, but I was curious about this too. Especially since coffee (and cocoa) are on the list of gluten cross- reactive foods, meaning they are not gluten but have a molecular structure that can trick a sensitive person into a gluten response. Moderators explain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb0426 Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 If you search on coffee, I believe almost an identical question has been asked. As a result of that post, I did a whole14 that allowed me to give up my twice a day caffeine habit. I still drink coffee but now decaf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted February 6, 2013 Moderators Share Posted February 6, 2013 Coffee and tea causes no meaningful trouble for many people. I went caffeine free for several months in the first year I was eating the Whole30 way and did not experience any noticeable improvements. Some people are out of control with their caffeine intake and need to give it up, at least for a while, but coffee and tea does not measure up as significant food trouble makers for most folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyS Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Caffeine in any form (including the tiny amount in decaf coffee) is as big a NO for me as sugar. I've asked this question before, myself. It turns out that not everyone responds to caffeine the way I do - and the way you do, Ottagon. Who knew? I have no threshold of caffeine acceptability when on a Whole30. It's a huge huge huge thing for me. I don't really understand, either, why caffeine is allowed - but it is, so I just add it to my "NO" list for Whole30 and carry on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb0426 Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 This manifesto sheds some light on the subject: http://whole9life.com/2011/01/the-coffee-manifesto/ I like to think of it this way. With any compliant food, you NEED it, it may be advisable to take a break from it. Just look at how many people have declared an abuse of nut butters. As stated earlier, I now drink decaf. Does that mean I have not had any caffeine? No, I have had a cup of regular (in the morning when decaf was not available). I did not notice an appreciable difference between my caffeine-free days and my caffeinated days. Except maybe I vacuumed a little faster . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyS Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 This manifesto sheds some light on the subject: http://whole9life.co...ffee-manifesto/ I like to think of it this way. With any compliant food, you NEED it, it may be advisable to take a break from it. Just look at how many people have declared an abuse of nut butters. As stated earlier, I now drink decaf. Does that mean I have not had any caffeine? No, I have had a cup of regular (in the morning when decaf was not available). I did not notice an appreciable difference between my caffeine-free days and my caffeinated days. Except maybe I vacuumed a little faster . See, that's the thing, for me when I have ANY caffeine (I tried a black decaf Americano the other day, f'rinstance) I get wired, jangly, and unfocused. Also, I have crazy mood swings and gut pain at the same time. For hours. It's something that, until I stopped consuming caffeine at all, was so extreme that I thought I just had horrible mood swings that I was going to have to keep a lid on for the rest of my life. Not so. It was caffeine. So for me, it's not at all the same thing as not being able to resist it and so deciding to (as Susan says) vote it off my island. I did that with pistachios recently. But that was different. That was me not being able to stop eating them once I started. But with caffeine, the effects are physically, emotionally, and mentally painful and very disruptive to my life - and before Whole30 I just thought there was something wrong with me. I suppose it's fortunate that I REALLY hate black coffee and all forms of tea - in giving up my sugary coffee drinks I gave up something that was really affecting my life. But in trying the black decaf Americano, I discovered that the caffeine itself, even the tiny amount in the decaf, was a big problem. I was a mess. It was shocking. And not even a little bit like eating too many pistachios. Eeps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelli Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 This manifesto sheds some light on the subject: http://whole9life.co...ffee-manifesto/ I am so glad you found this. I wanted to answer his question and refresh my memory but I could not find the coffee manifesto. Search, fail. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottagon Posted February 6, 2013 Author Share Posted February 6, 2013 Wow, this was super helpful, everyone. Thanks very much! I think I'll try to go ahead and cut out the morning coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Now I don't want to rock the rule boat because having coffee does make giving up other things tolerable, but I was curious about this too. Especially since coffee (and cocoa) are on the list of gluten cross- reactive foods, meaning they are not gluten but have a molecular structure that can trick a sensitive person into a gluten response. Moderators explain! A note on cross-reactive foods: Whether or not your body reacts to other foods in the same way it does to gluten depends entirely on the antibodies YOUR body creates. The list of foods will likely differ from person to person, and some folks will show no cross-reactivity. You can't take a list of possible cross-reactants and rule them out for everyone. Just like other foods, you've gotta test it yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 I haven't had coffee in years as a personal thing. I react VERY badly to caffeine (jitters, super high blood pressure, pounding heart/palpitations) and before the W30, I noticed that the caffeine in chocolate, if eaten too closely to bedtime, will do the same to me. So I just don't do it. Herbal teas? Yes please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moluv Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Thanks Robin! I think with so much info avlbl in the forums if people are continuing to have stomach issues they might figure out it could be coffee, coconut or nuts or FODMAPs or die-off etc. I'm on day 12 and realized coffee was probably not giving me stomach issues BUT having it with coconut milk was a SWYPO. I'd rather save my coffee for a well planned, post W30 treat with real cream, or maybe a super decadent Starbucks holiday concoction because that would be worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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