Dave wasn't my favorite speaker on the Low Carb Cruise. I thought he was a bit in love with himself, though I suppose he has good reasons to be pleased with his own performance. He's a successful businessman who managed to lose and keep off 100 excess pounds, not a bad-looking fellow, and nor was he rude or unapproachable -- just not my FAVORITE.
But one thing he's proven to me -- he's absolutely right about coffee!
Since Hurricane Histamine knocked me off my feet, I've kept track of my energy levels; when they've been particularly good or bad, I've done a careful review of everything I've eaten and drunk, and made note of what seems safe and what looks problematic. When I awaken feeling pretty decent and then the energy (physical or mental) takes a nosedive, and I haven't broken my fast with solids yet, the only things possible to blame are environmental conditions and which coffee I've started the day with. I've experienced significant trouble with two kinds so far.
And they're not bad or cheap coffees, though obviously "mass-produced." Both have been in K-cups, that premeasured, fresh-brewed method that's stolen my heart for ease of preparation. The first time I noticed -- J had made us a quart of bulletproof decaf using ordinary grocery-store coffee in the French press and I was fine, but a little later I wanted a cup of the high-octane kind, and as I sipped down that serving I felt my energy going lower and lower, and I started feeling colder and colder, till at the end of the cup I was huddled under my favorite blankie feeling like i'd just given two or three pints of blood. This morning, we didn't have the butter-and-MCT-augmented kind first so I didn't have as good a start; I went straight to the ordinary stuff and though the effect wasn't as strong with this other brand, it was still there.
Over a week had elapsed between the two experiences, while I drank my shipment of a more favored kind of K-cup, and there's NO COMPARISON between the excellent Kenya AA and the [ahem] questionable brand.
Dave says it's the care that's taken in the processing of the beans, and I believe him. He states outright, there ARE other brands besides his that are wholesome, but that some coffee (and cocoa beans, AND vanilla) gets a touch of mold along the way which turns a great commodity to a problem-creating one. My beloved Coffee Fool products are "clean" too -- I can tell. They're more invigorating than ordinary coffees, outstandingly well-roasted and fresh, just like his. The Green Mountain and Diedrich coffees I like best are not QUITE as perfect, but they're very good indeed.
His coffee IS expensive. He suggests, if you want to find another that's less expensive but also less likely to be mold infested, single-estate coffees are a better choice than blended ones. Single-region coffees like Kenya AA and Sumatran Reserve seem to be pretty good. Rio Blend is one of my favorites, too (I tend to like medium, Italian-style roasts better than American lights and the French-roast end of the spectrum).
So YES -- though sugar is sugar, coffee ISN'T coffee. You may be able to fool my tastebuds sometimes, but you can't fool my mold-detector. I'll bet Dave is right about chocolate and vanilla, too.
K-cup coffee has no soul.
ReplyDeleteQ.E.D.
K-cups are thoroughly drinkable -- IF you choose the right brand.
DeleteInteresting. I never realized how pervasive mold could be in the modern diet. I know peanuts could be particularly vulnerable, but coffee never crossed my mind.
ReplyDeleteit seems that a lot of things are spread out to dry in such a way that they're prone to mold, including nuts of various kinds. :-( legumes, all kinds of seeds and grains.... are you familiar with the hypothesis that it was a corn fungus that caused the seizures that set off the Salem witchcraft troubles?
DeleteCorn fungus? Salem witch trials? Tantalising historical titbit there, Tess - tell me more!
DeleteYour points about mould are valuable. I do worry about my the mould in my house quite often, we've got a lot of it in the walls and the bathrooms (along with stacks of dust - it's a warehouse so a lot of the crevices aren't within reach without a massive extension ladder). No way of getting rid of it except for a total over$$$$haul. :(
YES, after such a lapse of time, we may never KNOW what happened in Salem, though we can tell that sociological issues, greed and spite very involved. But one hypothesis at least has sought a biological explanation in the knowledge that a certain fungus WAS known at the time in the grain supply, and poisoning by it can produce seizures.
Deletei wonder if it might be possible that remains of any of the girls instigating the problem might be able to yield DNA evidence predisposing to mental illness? Wooo's 23&me results inspire the question....
people have been coexisting with mold for a long time, but mold in the food supply is probably a neolithic issue. it's thoroughly possible that ancestors cultivated good microorganisms that would keep the bad ones at bay, based on a purely empirical philosophy -- learning by trial and error. lore of certain PLACES being cursed may have to do with the presence of pathogens. the old-timers weren't stupid and unobservant, but they may easily have given a silly explanation for their absolutely rational behaviors!
Brilliant points, Tess
DeleteSpeakers, teachers some are good, some not so and some do make an impression.
ReplyDeleteCare in any kind of food/drink preparation and storing needs to be considered, but I hadn't considered mold in relation to coffee certainly gets you thinking.
All the best Jan
it does! Dave's "thing" is avoiding toxins of all sorts, which i see value in. if i remember correctly he doesn't drink alcohol, either ... but i'm not going THAT far. :-)
Delete" if i remember correctly he doesn't drink alcohol, either ... but i'm not going THAT far. :-)"
DeleteYes, I'd have to agree with you on that too, Tess LOL
All the best Jan
Before I went LCarbing, I reached the point when I absolutely couldn't drink alcohol, now I got much less sensitive to all allergens, however, from time to time I have a really bad rosacea flare after drinking, especially after drinking red vine, especially when I am in Florida, not so in Russia. More mold in Florida? I don't know the reason. There is no way for me to feel healthy while drinking regularly even small amounts like half-glass of a vine a day. It also messes up my head.
DeleteWine and dark chocolate help make this a lifestyle for me. If not for those, I would begin to resent that I could have this or that or the other thing.
Deletemy travels haven't gotten me to Russia yet, though it's on my list of wanna-visit places. :-) being more northerly, i'd assume Moscow had WAY less mold than Florida (which couldn't be too different from TX)... where one doesn't get a good freeze every winter, mold, mildew, algae etc just keep growing and growing and GROWING.
Deletewine and chocolate were important for a long time for me, too! i still use them both, but less than i used to. as i notice feeling better on fewer foods, the temptation diversify became minimal! the foods i go out of my way to procure, anymore, are things like a high-quality raw oyster, or a stellar rack of lamb. ...who would have thought it!
I thought the mold was on rye flour, hmmm. Anyway, I've recently discovered my source of heartburn was milk, half-half and cream.. switched to almond milk, unsweetened and ViOLA! no heartburn.
ReplyDeleteI know casein cross reacts in some Celiac patients and I am one of them, but the cream etc, made it worse. I did go off coffee for tea and did better.
Life is just one big elimination diet for me. Tried bullet proof coffee but was using cream..might try it again. I like Dave's site..good ideas and info.
much as i love cream, i do react to it a bit. :-( i use it sometimes, but it too has joined the "treat" category. my favorite version of the "bulletproof" is one quart coffee, one to two tablespoons of MCT oil, and 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, well-mixed in the blender. drink half of this, and there's absolutely no room for more breakfast!
Delete