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Tea&Coffee, What About Them?

ras-saadonras-saadon Raw Newbie

I was wondering about Tea and coffee, they are obviously not raw, but from what I understood the main idea of raw is preserving the enzymes&nutritional value of the food we eat, but tea&coffee are not food, they don’t demand any hard digestion work, tea is actually very soothing for the stomach(for me at least) and there are many researches that say that tea is very good(antioxidants, soothing and more) and coffee(if it only 1 cup a day) also does good for the body, so what you think?

Jah Bless, Ras Saadon.

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Comments

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    Hi ras saadon, I don’t do tea or coffee because they aren’t raw. They do still go through your digestive system the same as food. It still effects our bodies in the same way as cooked food does. Caffeine has a very bad effect on your health. It is also addictive. It took me ages to quit coffee. I was all raw for over a year except for coffee before I quit it. I spent so long raw but drinking coffee because I thought there wasn’t anything that bad about it. When I gave up the difference to my health was incredible, then I knew how badly it had been effecting me. I actually stopped because I was told about the evils of coffee production, I just couldn’t play a part in that ugly machine. I’m not sure how black teas is produced, it is probably the same sorry story though.

    Plenty of raw fooders drink herbal tes. Like steeping nettle and mint, or any fresh or dried herbs in hot water. This can have a medicinal, healing effect if you use the right herbs. If you want to drink it then do it, you’ve got to do what makes you happy, but if you’re thinking about whether or not it is good for you to drink tea and coffee, why not quit for a couple of weeks and see if you feel different.

  • Blue_EyesBlue_Eyes Raw Master

    raw or not I think Tea will defiantly be one thing I will never give up. I am drinking a cup of hot tea right now. actually I brought a electric water kettle to work so I could have tea there without putting my water in the micro, and now everyone in my section are tea drinkers and it is being used all day. I am leaving it there when I leave I have another for me that I bought for home. I LOVE TEA

    I don’t know any bad side of drinking it tho sorry. But I have always been told that finishing off your meal with something warm helps the digestion. But that could be just for SAD people, ya know they eat all that greasy meat and then drink something cold and makes the grease gel up and then it sits there until your body warms back up and melts it again. more work for you.

    I do not know how that would benefit or not eating raw, but then I am not 100% yet.

  • Blue_EyesBlue_Eyes Raw Master

    And of course I am still in the learning process as well.

  • ras-saadonras-saadon Raw Newbie

    I guess I’ll try it Zoe see if I feel a difference, I’m not a big coffee drinker anyway,actually now that I think of it I haven’t gotten any since I gone raw since I have so much more energy now.

    Jah Bless, Ras Saadon.

  • Zoe, the production of coffee is not all bad. As raw foodies and vegans we are taking the first step for a better world, so if one does enjoy coffee and teas, (ME ME!!!!) we need to again, take every day life to the next level and strictly purchase nothing but fair trade, organic coffee’s and teas. Sure, the right choices can be costly, but they gotta be. We’ve gotta support the lil’guy!

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    I found some information from wikipedia about the effects of black tea…it’s worse than I thought!

    Effects of fluoride

    All tea leaves contain fluoride; however, mature leaves contain as much as 10 to 20 times the fluoride levels of young leaves from the same plant. In general, the level of fluoride in tea is inversely related to the EGCG contents: the more EGCG, the less fluoride. White tea contains less fluoride than green tea and black tea, because it is made of buds and young leaves only. The fluoride content of tea depends directly on soil and air pollution; tea plants absorbs this element at a greater rate than other plants. Care in the choice of the location where the plant is grown may reduce the risk.[43] According to Andreas Schuld of the Canadian Parents of Fluoride Poisoned Children, tea is very high in fluoride content, much higher than the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) set for fluoride in drinking water.[44] Decaffeinated teas have an even higher fluoride content, which is thought to be due to high fluoride levels in the water used in decaffeination. According to Schuld, fluoride could reduce the anti-cancer properties of tea, or even possibly cause cancer at continued toxic levels of the mineral. For instance, Schuld references a 1998 study which found positive correlation between colon cancer and tea intake. The high fluoride content could also cause neurological and renal damage, especially in the presence of aluminum. Additionally, the high fluoride content could cause osteoporosis, arthritis, skeletal fluorosis45 and other bone disorders.

    Effects associated with caffeine.

    Caffeine is an addictive substance and overuse of tea can result in harmful side effects, such as an increased likelihood of certain sleep disorders. Decaffeination reduces total catechins in both black and green dry teas by about 15 times and 3 times respectively.

    Oxalates Tea contains oxalate, overconsumption of which can cause kidney damage, as well as soak up free calcium in the body; other minerals could be soaked up as well. The bioavailability of oxalate from tea is low and because of this a negative effect requires large amounts of tea.

    Tannin It has been suggested that the chemical known as tannin may increase the risk of nasal and esophogeal cancer. However, some studies have found tea drinking might be negatively associated with risk of esophageal cancer.

  • CalebCaleb Raw Newbie

    I have cut back my coffee intake big time, and now when I do drink it I can feel the effect it has on my body, yet for some reason I still drink it :( It’s more of a mental addiction. I beat the smoking addiction fairly easily though. I thought that would be harder. I try to supplement the coffee with Yerba Mate. It’s a good herbal substitute and gives you lots of energy. I just forget to make it a lot before work so end up going to the coffee pot. Trying to wean off of it though.

    Also, coffee makes you more acidic. When I said I can feel the effect it has on me, I actually feel acidic. It’s a strange feeling. Never felt it before though when I drank 3+ cups daily. I’m down to less than a cup a day now.

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    I stopped drinking coffee about a month ago and haven’t noticed an incredible difference. However, I did consume only around 1 cup, if that, a day and only five days a week. I love tea but don’t drink it to often either. Yerba Mate is great and I enjoy drinking that as much or more than coffee and tea.

    I’ve had coffee twice since quitting the daily routine and it had an extreme effect that kind of scared me. Doubt I”ll be having it again. haha

  • i cut back on coffee, but I just love it. I love everything about it, the taste, the texture, the aroma…. I could eat the beans straight up, but I can’t stand decaf.. i figure, eh what the hell, one a day.. why not

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    My poison is aspartame-laden caffeinated soda. I’ve quit drinking it for months, only to start again. As of today, I’ve had no caffeine or aspartame in 3 weeks. I kicked coffee a long time ago. Green tea has been tough, because it has helped me to drink more fluids during the day. I’m now trying to be happy with water or warm water with lemon. Occasionally, I drink herbal teas, but only the ones with no caffeine (not decaffeinated ones).

    I’m happy not to be consuming caffeine or aspartame, but my body seems to crave sweets, such as dried fruits, to replace the intense sweetness of the aspartame. It’s frustrating. I also crave fizzy drinks. I’ve replaced the diet sodas with low sodium club soda with cranberry juice (no more than 1 can per day, plus the juice), but I want to kick this out too, because it’s still processed and not raw. I honestly think that I can live without caffeine, but it’s the piping hot beverages I miss, particularly as the weather gets colder.

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    aww sweetpea! That’s awesome you’ve kicked it!

    Hey, I figure dried fruit sweetness is far better than the carbonated sweet drinks

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    If you want tea, just drink raw kombucha! That stuff rocks.

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    It is awesome. It costs $4.29 for 16-ounce bottle where I live. I’m trying to wrap my head around the concept of making my own, but it seems a bit daunting. I read on another thread here that it’s possible to brew your own from a single bottle of GT’s Kombucha, but I wouldn’t even know where to begin. RawKidChef, do you brew your own?

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    I haven’t tried brewing my own yet, but I’ve heard of it being done. It does sound a bit daunting, but it is easier to just buy a bottle once in a while. I don’t drink it every day so a bottle or two a week is fine in terms of costs. I should look into fermenting my own though.

  • have_merseyhave_mersey Raw Newbie

    I have never been a big coffee drinker. I probably had it about twice a year at most. But I have been craving it on and off for taste and sentimentality. It used to make me jittery, shakey and feel sick. I had it, and I just felt good. Although I eat very very little fats and besides the once a month non-raw indian food, I eat 100%, it seemed to help me digest and make me feel cleansed. Perhaps it pushed out old muck from my liver?? I’m not recommending it to anyone, only saying, that it seemed to help me that time. I don’t feel WEIRD when I have it now. Before there was a “loopy” kind of bad feeling, including spiritually bad. Now I just feel a little less healthy, than if I hadn’t drank it. I do have black tea 1-3 times a week. I love the taste and it has very very deep memories. It does have a small amount of antioxidants too. But if I were to drink anything for antioxidants, it wouldn’t be tea, and if it would, it’d be green or white. Black tea, is acidic. During the time I had it everyday my joints felt achey. I TRY to have it no more than once or twice a week. But I think what it does for the mind, and soul outdoes the few bad things it does do to the body. If tea makes you relax and be happy…well then that’s healthy isn’t it!

  • jah rawstafarijah rawstafari Raw Newbie

    I was just at the doctor yesterday and read a 4 page spread on the health benefits of tea (and coffee to a lesser extent). Every week some one has something different to say.

    I think Zoe gave the best advice when she said “why not quit for a couple weeks and see if you feel different” That’s what worked for me. I was a big-time java junkie (not starbucks!) good home brewed, organic coffee. I also rationalized coffee for almost a year into my raw journey. Then one day I got this horrible stomach ache that lasted for 3 days. The only thing I had eaten was buckwheat granola and a cup of coffee. I later learned that I am extremely intolerant of buckwheat, not coffee – but it was just enough for me to associate that pain with coffee.

    So I ended up quitting unexpectedly. It’s been 6 months and just last week, after a particularly late night I decided I needed a cup of coffee. So I fired up my espresso maker and was giddy as it started to drip into my cup. a dash of cinnamon…a splash of coconut milk…drop of stevia…heaven….. WRONG! it was awful. it tasted like warm mud to me. I was sooooo disappointed, but, of course, I finished the cup anyway (can’t waste :P) Here’s what happened in the next 24 hours…some good, some not so good…it was quite a revelation:
    • sorry to be graphic, but the BM’s were instant and frequent…(not sure I mind that)
    • I started, but didn’t finish, 10 different tasks at work….(my boss minds that )
    • I didn’t have an appetite until about 2pm. I usually eat every couple of hours… (granted this was a side effect I used love)
    • Mid-afternoon the come-down started to happen. I felt cloudy and a wee-jittery
    • I did managed to sleep that night, but not soundly at-all woke up a lot, had racing thoughts, weird dreams, etc.actually, that last for a couple nights.

    And the number one “I think I’m cool not drinking coffee ever again” moment:

    I was wearing a white tee shirt – and my sweat (hey I’m in s.florida people) left dark stains under the pits! And, in the in the interest of science, I took a wiff of the area and it smelled exactly like espresso!! Gross!

    As a side-note – I’ve noticed since going raw that I have no (detectable) body-odor. Even after high-endurance workouts. The day I drank coffee I stank!

    I have switched to teas. Mostly Rooibos. It has the taste of a strong black tea and none of the icky bits. They even make a version for your espresso machine. It is hugely popular in S. Africa. http://www.redespresso.com/

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    jah rawstafari-this is funny.

    Today I drank coffee this morning after quitting some time ago. I had the exact same symptoms as you! When I noticed my BO I was appalled! I haven’t stank since I went raw and so I didn’t prepare for it!

    The worst part is the afternoon….it makes me moody.

  • mjmackeymjmackey Raw Newbie

    Zoe – thank you for posting the information about tea and floride. I am currently pregnant and couldn’t figure out why black tea made me sick in the morning. Now that I know it has floride, I’m sure thats why. I am very sensative to floride while pregnant and have since quit drinking tea.

  • ras-saadonras-saadon Raw Newbie

    Only thing I was wondering regarding tea, as coffee since going raw I don’t really want or “need” and haven’t drank any, when you refer to tea what exactly are you referring to? because the tea’s I drink are varied and each time I switch the type of herb I drink, usually I drink mint, lemon grass, certain type of berry’s(the leafs) and really many other types of herbs, so is that fluoride explanation also valid for those type of “tea’s”? because I have trying stopping tea and after about a week and a half I just had to, it feels so good after a meal, really gives me a nice feeling in my belly and didn’t feel any bad side effects.

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    Cultured oolong tea is kombucha. It is fizzy and very medicinal and you will love it! You can get it refrigerated at a health food store to taste it, it is raw and enzyme-rich. There are many brans but the best is GT’s Kombucha. You can get other brands if the store carries it as well.

  • miss soufflemiss souffle Raw Newbie

    i have been drinking coffee for a long time and every high school morning i would have a coffee and peanut butter on vogals.

    i love everything about it apart from the mood swings, they suck bad and my skin gets dry from coffee and tea :(

    im looking at good replacments though like cocoa maca drinks or something!

  • The only tea I drink is Rooibos...It's high in SOD and other antioxidants, has no caffeine and is low in tannins. It also makes a great face rinse since it has alpha hydroxy acids.

  • rawcanadianrawcanadian Raw Newbie

    If I put raw honey in my luke warm tea, and the calories in the tea are zero and , therefore 100% of the calories in the drink is coming from raw food, then it is 100% raw???

    Maybe i'm reaching a little here, but I thought the raw food diet is suppose to be made up of calorie content. So if all i drink today is tea with raw honey, then i would be at 100% raw.!?!??!

    Anyway, i love my tea and i need a pretty good reason to give it up.

    ;-)

    edit: i forgot to mention i only drink decaf.

  • I'll never give up tea...that is one reason I'll never be 100% raw, I recently began drinking Kombucha and I absolutely love it. I still feel amazing with the added raw diet that I do have and I truly believe that what you choose to do should always be based on how it makes you feel!!!! Try and stay as closely connected as you can to your body and you will know what to do!!!!

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    I drink tea and coffee but not a lot. Are teabags made from heated herbs? I only use warm filtered water straight from the faucet, and then let the teabag soak for a few minutes, but I never drink it hot. It still is raw unless the herbs are heated, and I like the cleansing effect of tea so I drink a little bit of it.

  • Day 8 of no coffee. Took me 4 days to feel better. No headaches now. ;)

  • Great comments!

    One more thought. If we as a planet drank less tea and coffee and smoke less cigarettes, there would be millions of acres of land available to grow food for people in 3rd world countries...

  • blueyzblueyz Raw Newbie

    I have cut back on coffee a LOT from what I used to drink. If I drink it now I can feel it's effects.

    Tea, much bigger drinker and supporter. I don't do much of black or green, but I do love my herbal teas both in winter and summer(iced). In fact a few of th teas I don't think would be as good raw because they need the hot water to draw out their properties.

    I see nothing wrong with drinking herbal teas.

  • lots to think about, thank you for this discussion.

    I'm still struggling to kick my coffee addiction, but I'm slowly weaning myself from it.

    I think I'd drink a medicinal herbal tea for a purpose, but other than that, I personally prefer water to drink than anything else.

  • ras-saadonras-saadon Raw Newbie

    I must say, a few days ago after about 2 months of no coffee and 90-100% raw I drank a cup of coffee and felt zero bad effect, I'm not planning on going back even though I was never a big coffee drinker, but really can't feel any difference with or without.

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