Coffee!

[jeanmarie]

Hi All!

You sure are a nice bunch of people! I love coffee & have read that it may spike your readings. This morning before meds I had 2 cups of coffee (8 oz cup, About a tablespoon of 1/2&1/2 Plus 1 Splenda). Before reading was 207, after coffee 282! I always have 2 more cups in late afternoon. I drink the 2 cups within an hour or so. I am also going to check before and after my afternoon coffee. I hate givving it up! Tomorow I am only going to have one cup in the AM and one, PM. Anybody else have the problem? Sorry for the long email!

[swirlygirl]

jeanmarie,

I have a similar problem. I love coffee, I'm originally from Seattle, and it's really had to give it up. I've switched to decaf, which certainly does not taste as good, but at least I have my morning routine. Initially, I tried to go totally without coffee, and I felt really deprived. At least with decaf I get my hot beverage when I want it.

Good luck, and I feel your loss!

[Korban]

Love coffee too especially a cup or two in the morning but it takes me up sometimes 50+ points. Recently, I have been eating my breakfast first and then having a cup - the rise minus carbs from breakfast seem to be only on the order of +5 - +10 points usually and it keeps me from Jonesing. My breakfast is mainly fat and some protein - with 4 grams carb (250 calories) - I almost always have a Jimmy Dean ham and cheese omelet - 2 minutes in the microwave. :)

The quick breakfast seems to slow or stop my bg from going up - I guess due to Dawn Effect. Of course as always YMMV.

/smile

edit: forgot to mention - decaf also spikes my bg but about half of what normal coffee does. De-caf has almost no caffeine but still contains other xanthines which stimulate the adrenal glands. Green tea, with relatively low caffeine (but much higher than de-caf) gives me almost no spike.

[eddiemcm]

Ordinary coffee with splenda doesn't spike my glucose but that's just me.Lots of differences between people who are battling the big D.
Cheers
Eddie

[Baerdric]

Ordinary coffee with splenda doesn't spike my glucose but that's just me.Lots of differences between people who are battling the big D.I struggle with coffee.

It's really my only vice, I don't drink, smoke or fool around on my wife, I feel I should be able to have coffee.

Problem is, when I lost big on Atkins, I did it while quitting coffee. When I slid off Atkins, it was when I started drinking coffee again.

Correlation? Yes. Causation? Who knows.

I don't want to quit again. I hate the three day headache, I hate not having my morning cup, but maybe I don't need the 6-10 (large) cups a day I might have.

Urg! I don't want to think about this!

[Korban]

I struggle with coffee.

It's really my only vice, I don't drink, smoke or fool around on my wife, I feel I should be able to have coffee.


Have you thought about ditching the coffee and fooling around on your wife as a substitute?.... geez, yes I am kidding... fooling around is really dangerous /sigh.

The flutes are beautiful, btw.

/smile

[awriter]

I love coffee & have read that it may spike your readings.

Jeanmarie - it's NOT the coffee - it's the way it's prepared.

From my post on the "Am I diabetic?" thread:

"Part of the problem with the American way of drinking coffee is that they mostly brew it in a drip style, coarsely ground, and often too weak at that. The brew time, grind and the strength is actually what 'releases' the caffeine from the bean into the coffee cup. The longer the brew time, the coarser the grind, and weaker the strength - the more caffeine in the cup. A whopping lot.

On the other hand, counter-intuitive though it is, an espresso brewed from the same bean/roast or even darker, will have an fraction of the caffeine; tiny in fact. That's because the grind is fine, there's a lot of grind tamped down in the container, and the water whizzes through in seconds, not minutes.

Those who love their coffee might want to consider saving their money and their health by going espresso, and there are now a ton of very affordable, easy-to-use-and-clean machines for the home available these days. If anyone wants some tips on what to look for, etc. please let me know."

I have another post about the ease of using the new Super Automatic Espresso makers on that thread as well.

Again - it's not the coffee - it's how it's prepared!

Lisa

[Baerdric]

The flutes are beautiful, btw.Thanks! Do you play?

I hope to post more pictures in the coming weeks. I'm getting things set up in my shed after winter and might be able to start making them again.

Oh, and just in case it is not obvious, they are not for sale. It's not a commercial site and my sig is not an advertisement. I usually only give them away to friends and family.

Now I am going to go make a cup of coffee...

[Korban]

LOL - re: coffee

Unfortunately, I do not really play. I used to have fun with my children's "recorder" though, but not really a player... guitar some, but just love music in general. Your flutes have an almost Zen appeal to them, IMHO.

/smile

[costello22]

It's really my only vice, I don't drink, smoke or fool around on my wife.

:lol: When I first read this I thought it said: I don't fool around WITH my wife.

[glennette]

I like Eddie, do not experience a bg raise from my stevia sweeten coffee. Oh, and it's weak. I get a second cup of coffee off my DH's morning Keurig cup. Must be a YMMV.

[Baerdric]

:lol: When I first read this I thought it said: I don't fool around WITH my wife.Heh! I was going to say "I don't cheat on my wife" but then I remembered all those games of Uno...

[KiaKaha]

I have a good espresso maker at home. Coffee too is my only vice - just wish I could ditch having it with cream.

I stopped coffee for 3 long days once to see if it was affecting BG but I dont think it was. I have tried both decaf and caf with the same amount of cream and they both raise my BG by the same amount ergo for me, it is the dreaded cream rather than the glorious caffeine.

BTW - get an espresso maker - the coffee is sooo much nicer but way stronger - hence the need for cream.

[eddiemcm]

Coffee doesn't seem to have any noticeable effect on my
glucose level.I did a bit of internet/google research and found
several links stating that caffeine itself has a bad impact on
glucose metabolism.A study of a small group of people who
ingested 8 mg of caffeine(equivalent to 4 cups of coffee) per day
saw an 8 percent increase in postprandial glucose level-not sure
if that would be considered significant.
Eddie

[Korban]

A recently published study from a group of Duke U Researchers [Caffeine Increases in Ambulatory Glucose and Postprandial Response in Coffee Drinkers with Type 2 Diabetes (http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/extract/31/2/221), Diabetes Care, 31 (2), 221-222 (Feb 2008)*] studied the effects of caffeine (not coffee) on Postprandial response of BG... and concluded the following:
"Caffeine had adverse effects on glucose metabolism, producing higher average daytime glucose concentrations and exaggerated postprandial glucose response in these free-living diabetic patients." vs placebo group. Dosing was equivalent to about 4 or 5 cups per day (500 mg caffeine) over the course of a day. Statistics look compelling but I do think these are "free-living" diabetics and not Bernstein control groups. Averages for this study - 144 mg/dl vs 123 mg/dl - placebo group. I suspect there might be smaller differences with "normalized" bg groups. [edit: I should have said - lower overall averages of the two groups]

Interestingly, they go on to say (less compelling statistics):

The data "suggests that caffeine exposure may have reduced overnight glucose levels compared with placebo (caffeine abstinence)."

Since decaf affects my BG rise about 1/2 of regular coffee, I believe, at least for me, that the other xanthines in coffee (particularly, theophylline and theobromine, which are largely not removed during the decaf process) also have an effect on bg. Theophylline is gram per gram a more powerful stimulant than caffeine... Of course, here I go assuming that it is an adrenal/stimulant issue with me. It may not be.

/smile

*reprints available from Dr. James D. Lane, james.lane~duke.edu

[jem51]

coffee so far is not a problem and this is what's really interesting; i drink a latte w 3/4 c whole milk in the morning (double shot). i thought the milk would cause a spike but in fact 1/2 after, the increase is anywhere from 3 to 10 points. i've been planning to change to cream but have put it off since cream tends to repeat. i'll keep testing. i test after 1/2 hr because i am getting ready to eat breakfast by then.

[Lisa N]

coffee so far is not a problem and this is what's really interesting; i drink a latte w 3/4 c whole milk in the morning (double shot). i thought the milk would cause a spike but in fact 1/2 after, the increase is anywhere from 3 to 10 points. i've been planning to change to cream but have put it off since cream tends to repeat. i'll keep testing. i test after 1/2 hr because i am getting ready to eat breakfast by then.

jem, testing at 30 minutes really isn't giving you any useful data since the item is only just beginning to have an impact on your blood sugars by then. 1 hour and 2 hours would be better gauges of what the coffee with milk really does.
My guess, if your blood sugar is already up 3-10 points at 30 minutes is that you would probably see an average 20 point jump if you were to test at 60 minutes and that may even be on the low side.
My suggestion would be to test on a day when you can delay your breakfast long enough to see the full effect of the latte before you decide that the impact is really minimal. :idea:

[jem51]

okay, the test this morning; FBG 106 then one hour after my latte...99. it's funny because i expected my FBG to be higher since 2 hr pp seemed high last night. i ate chicken w broth (no vegies in broth) w spinach s & p. i must have eaten a bit too much protein. i drank some buttermilk before bed which has a lowering effect (yogurt, too). i am considerer pre diabetic which we all know is just the early stage.

[Cajunboy47]

Reference: http://www.frenchmarketcoffee.com/pg-5-14-french-market-university.aspx

Drink Chicory coffee!!!!

Chicory 101

Why it's good for you

Chicory (Cichorium intybus)
Chicory is a blue-flowered herb with a long white root. It contains no caffeine. When roasted and ground properly, it has a chocolate-like flavor that adds flavor and body to coffee.
Chicory is closely related to endive. Odd as it is for Coffee & Chicory drinkers, great recipes can be found for chicory salads.



Chicory is good for ...

Your skin
Your bones
Your heart
Your liver
Your cholesterol [Just ask The Editors of Prevention Health Books]


LOWERS CHOLESTEROL:
A new study* reports that chicory reduces cholesterol levels and increases the ratio of HDL (the good stuff) to LDL (the bad stuff) in the blood of tested animals.
*Journal of Nutrition, vol. 128, pgs. 1731-6, by Drs. Meehye Kim & Hyun Kyong Shin, Korea Food & Drug Administration and the Dept. of Food Science & Nutrition, Hallym U., Chunchon, Korea.


LOWERS BLOOD SUGAR:

Laboratory research by Leroux (Europes largest chicory producer) has shown chicory root extracts to be anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and slightly sedative. It also slows and weakens the pulse and lowers the blood sugar.


THERAPEUTIC FOR DIABETES:

A 1984 study* demonstrated that daily intake by diabetics of a large amount of the fructo-oligosaccharides and insulin contained in chicory (i) reduces the glucose rate in blood, (ii) decreases serum LDL cholesterol levels, and (iii) does not change the levels of triglycerides or HDL cholesterol. This lessens the disturbances in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism found in diabetes.
*Effect of fructo oligosaccharides on blood glucose and serum lipids in diabetic subjects, Nutrition Research, 1984, vol. 4, pp. 961-66, by Yamashita Y, Kawai K, and Itakura M.

[bike2work]

But chicory coffee is chicory in coffee. The studies are for just chicory -- not chicory with coffee.

I would love to have full-strength real coffee everyday. Years of experience have shown me that I don't lose when I do that, for whatever reason.

[Cajunboy47]

But chicory coffee is chicory in coffee. The studies are for just chicory -- not chicory with coffee.

I would love to have full-strength real coffee everyday. Years of experience have shown me that I don't lose when I do that, for whatever reason.

But, have you tried Chicory Coffee? Don't knock it till you've tried it, right?

Perhaps, someone will experiment with it and let us know

[Cajunboy47]

Reference:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/110/109786.htm

Coffee Is No. 1 Source of Antioxidants

Americans Get More Antioxidants From Coffee Than Any Other Food or Beverage By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD
on Monday, August 29, 2005

Aug. 28, 2005 -- Your morning cup of coffee may provide more than just a caffeine jolt -- it could be your most valuable source of disease-fighting antioxidants.

A new study shows coffee is the No. 1 source of antioxidants in the American diet.

"Americans get more of their antioxidants from coffee than any other dietary source. Nothing else comes close," says researcher Joe Vinson, PhD, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton, in a news release.

Antioxidants are found naturally in many foods and beverages and are thought to provide health benefits in preventing diseases such as heart disease and cancer by fighting cellular damage caused by free radicals in the body. Free radicals are damaging substances that are produced through normal bodily processes.

Coffee Provides More Antioxidants Than Fruit?

Fruits and vegetables are hailed as the richest sources of antioxidants, but this study shows that coffee is the main source from which most Americans get their antioxidants.

Vinson says high antioxidant levels in foods and beverages don't always translate into high antioxidant levels in the body. He says the potential health benefits of antioxidants depend largely on how they are absorbed and used by the body, and that's a process that is still poorly understood by researchers.

Researchers calculated the top sources of antioxidants based on the average U.S. per capita consumption of 100 food and beverages containing the compounds.

The results showed that based on both antioxidant content per serving size and frequency of consumption, coffee came out on top, topping other popular sources of antioxidants, such as tea, chocolate, and fruit.

Where Americans Get Their Antioxidants

After coffee, the study showed the other top 10 sources of antioxidants in the American diet were:

Black tea
Bananas
Dried beans
Corn
Red wine
Beer (lager style)
Apples
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Researchers say both caffeinated and decaf versions of coffee appear to provide similar amounts of antioxidants. But they say these results shouldn't be interpreted as an excuse to increase your daily java dose for your health's sake.

For example, Vinson says antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables offer much more in terms of total nutrition due to their higher content of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. He says dates, cranberries, and red grapes contain the highest concentration of antioxidants per serving size of all fruits, but Americans don't consume nearly as much of these fruits as they do coffee.

The study, which was primarily funded by the American Cocoa Research Institute, was presented this week at the American Chemical Society Meeting in Washington.

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probably biased somewhat, but Americans are scared into thinking everything is bad and we sometimes fail to see the good in things.... Moderation in everything we consume is probably the difference between whether something is good or bad for us, as opposed to just claiming it is good or bad based on one study or another.... That's my "Er Jiao" (2 cents) :)