I love coffee. I love the taste of it. I love the smell of it. I love the social aspect of it; meeting a friend for coffee, or asking a co-worker to take a walk to Starbuck's with me.
I also love the way coffee transforms me into a happy, more productive person. One who laughs in a carefree manner at how entertaining she is (when she drinks coffee.) One who blazes through her to-do list with the fierceness of Zena the Warrior Princess.
However...not all of me loves coffee so much. Coffee (decaf or regular), does terrible things to my digestive system. It's not every time, so I lull myself into a false sense of security thinking I am going to be OK and then WHAM, not OK. At times, I end up down for the count for a day or two eating nothing but crackers, pretzels, and rice. So, I'm basically playing Russian Roulette with my GI tract. I should definitely tell you that I was never an everyday coffee drinker. I had it about 3 times per week, so it's not a question of cutting down, it's a question of cutting out.
One would think, well, if it's that bad for you, give it up. Well, that's the thing, I DO know it's bad for me and I have said several times that I would give it up. But it keeps coming back with its tempting aroma and promise of a better day. And I fold like a cheap suit.
About a month ago, I had a regular-sized cup of half-caff coffee at home. For some reason, I lost that particular game of Russian Roulette and felt awful. I swore that day that this was the end of the road, that it was me versus coffee and I was going to win. I told my family that if they care about me at all, they will not let me have coffee anymore. This time, I mean it. I don't want to know the amount of damage that I have done to my GI system over the years. I've been to GI doctors. When telling one that coffee was often a trigger for me, he said "oh, I would never tell anyone to give up coffee" and he gave me a prescription, which didn't help. When I think back, as happy as I was to hear that, shouldn't he have even suggested that I give it up? Maybe offered alternatives? Nope, it was just "take this pill and don't change your behavior.”
So, I changed my behavior. And you know what? I felt better. What a shock! (she says sarcastically to herself.) And I’ve noticed that my stomach is not as bloated as before, which, as a 51 year old woman, is everything. I have had an occasional iced tea or soda to get a caffeine fix, with mixed results. I have tried this decaf, herbal tea that is supposed to make you think you are drinking coffee. Nothing can make you think you are drinking coffee except coffee. I did break once, having a decaf with almond milk from Starbuck’s. I wanted to see if I was OK after having cleaned out my system from any traces of coffee. Sadly, I was not.
Will I abstain from coffee forever? Doubtful. I mean, I can’t give up my free birthday Starbuck’s, that would just be silly! But, for now, I’ve been able to persevere in my quest. It may sound ridiculous to some but it’s really difficult to give up something that you are attached to, even though it’s not the best thing for you, be it a food, a beverage, a habit, or a way of thinking. I have things in each of those categories that I need to work on. But, for now, I’ll start with coffee.
No comments:
Post a Comment