Decaf coffee

[layotte25]

Is anyone able to tolerate decaf coffee? I definitely can't drink regular coffee and even caffeinated teas bother me. I used to drink decaf coffee but it was with dairy long before being diagnosed so if it bothered me in the past it was probably the milk. I am interested in trying it with almond milk which I drink regularly with no problem.

Thanks,

Leanne

[jlbattin]

I drink one K cup of regular bold coffee every morning and one glass of iced tea after lunch every day. It doesn't bother me at all.

[layotte25]

Good to know! I think I will give it a try tomorrow :)

[Gabes-Apg]

Leanne
Decaf coffee can contain more metal content/ higher amounts of less than ideal ingredients compared to normal coffee, due to the decaffinated process. These levels are higher in Instant Decaf coffee. (as there is more metal/heat used in the process compared to making coffee from freshly ground beans.

I do ok with coffee. Albeit I have only used good quality freshly ground bean coffee for over 15 years.

In my opinion - if you use cheaper instant decaf coffee then there is a higher chance of reacting

This is partly why many of the beneficial effects of coffee are not seen with decaf coffee. Also, the decaffeination process tends to strip the coffee not only of much of its caffeine content but also many of its antioxidants and polyphenols (potentially leaving behind a few of the more harmful substances that can be found in coffee) http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/07/pros ... offee.html .

Decaffeination is the process of removing caffeine from coffee, cocoa, tea and any other product that contains caffeine.For coffee, various decaffeination processes are used. Almost all of them are performed on unroasted beans, which are soaked in water to dissolve the caffeine. The caffeine is then extracted with either a chemical solvent or an activated carbon, and the beans are then resoaked in the decaffeinated water to reabsorb the flavour that was lost in the initial extraction.The solvents that are usually used to remove the caffeine are methylene chloride and ethyl acetate.

Ethyl acetate is found in many fruits and vegetables, so coffees that are decaffeinated using the chemical are sometimes billed as "naturally processed", but because of the difficulties involved in extracting the chemical, the ethyl acetate that is used is actually synthetic. In the CO2 method, the beans are soaked in highly compressed carbon dioxide, and in the Swiss water method, the caffeine is extracted through an activated carbon filter. Many believe these methods are better than using chemical solvents. Tea leaves are decaffeinated using chemical solvents or the CO2 method.

The pros
Decaffeinated tea and coffee contains much less caffeine than the regular varieties, so do not produce side effects such as increased agitation, anxiety, heart rate and blood pressure, as long as you don't consume too much.
Researchers from the University of Barcelona have found that decaffeinated coffee may produce an increased state of alertness.

The cons
A US National Institutes of Health study found that decaffeinated coffee may increase the risk of developing heart disease. The decaffeination process could cause an increase in harmful LDL cholesterol by increasing a type of blood fat. But results are still inconclusive.
Methylene chloride has been shown to cause cancer in some animals, but the US Food and Drug Administration has ruled that the amounts in decaffeinated products are not harmful to humans. Most brands use ethyl acetate as a solvent.
Even though the amount of caffeine in decaffeinated products is low, very sensitive people could still develop a dependency on the beverages, say University of Florida researchers
When not to take it - People who have been advised to avoid caffeine due to medical conditions such as hypertension, kidney disease or anxiety disorders should avoid decaffeinated products as they still contain a small amount of caffeine.
Natural alternative - A naturally caffeine-free variety of Arabica coffee was discovered in Ethiopia in 2004. Its qualities are still being tested.