Coffee?!

So i see that many of you include coffee into your daily diet. I miss my coffee so much, it was how I got through my mornings as a mom. I was never a heavy drinker, maybe 3-4 cups a week. I was under the assumption that coffee is a NOT OK beverage after surgery. Just wondering what everyone else thinks of this?

It was explained to me that early out- avoid it as it can increase acid production.. but after all's healed up, and as tolerated.. it's fine. Darker roasts are many times better tolerated by those that have acid issues rather than milder (seems weird, but there's a chemical found in darker roasts that inhibit acid production.. yes, I'm a coffee-geek.) And, the diuretic effect is basically a myth, it's about the same diuretic effect you get from plain water.. So it was never off the books for me once I was ready.

Thanks for this info Jo, I didn't know.  I think I will try the darker roasts now.  Weird how I didn't like coffee pre-op but now I cannot get enough of it and I was complaining that my morning iced coffee wasn't strong enough so I'll try a darker blend.  Thanks!!!

Found it, see link! I wanted to know, just because.. the chemical name..

From years of GERD, and not ever wanting to go without my coffee, I had read about the dark vs light roast thing and it seemed to help.. and interestingly enough- the lighter roasts also have more caffeine in them than the darker, so a light breakfast blend has more rush than the same amount of espresso roast.. learned that one a few years ago on a coffee plantation tour!

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-connection-between-coffe e-and-acid-reflux.htm

This is so funny you bring this up! I just learned in the last week that darker roasts have less acidity than lighter ones -- I thought I was doing a good thing by drinking lighter ones and brewing it strong! Ooops, wrong!

Trader Joe's actually has a great low acid French roast. It is labeled low-acid and it is really rich and smooth. It is whole bean so you can grind as you need it or grind at the store. I grind it at home as I need it and it is delicious and doesn't hurt my stomach like lighter roasts.

I was doing the same thing!!

Do you know anything about decaf? I have heard it is actually worse for GERD because it's more acidic, but I don't know if that's true. I would think the water-processed decaf would be optimal and not at all more acidic, but I'm not sure.

Nope, I have no idea about that.. decaf for me almost never gets used since I'm a caffeine lover.. but I do have some around for when I want a hot coffee at night.. I would try to find the best processed ones though, I'm kind of leery of how they do it, though I haven't actually read up too much on the process.

 Thanks!  I'm going to wait on it and bring it up to my doc at my one month appointment.  And, maybe take a nap today. heh

Thanks for sharing this! I had no idea. I'm pre-op, but I've always been sensitive to the acid thing with coffee. Right now I'm abstaining because my surgery is coming up, but after everything's healed, I'm planning to indulge at least now and then. ;)

Tori