Aaron: coffee & chocolate?

[bora]

Aaron,
at your leisure, would you like to share with us your thoughts on & experiences with coffee & chocolate?
also, what features in all/some/none of the paths modules do coffee & chocolate resonate with or work against?

thanks

[future pather]

Hi Bora,

I hope you don't mind input from others on this. I just wanted to say I have heard about coffee intake going down as a result of PATHS use in more than one case.

Also I can't resist, since you brought it up :

I LOVE COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


XO Jessica

[Aaron]

coffee & chocolate

Hi Bora,

I love chocolate and coffee. I am normally a green tea drinker and only drink coffee on road trips as a functional beverage to keep me awake. With chocolate, I love dark chocolate...the real stuff like 70%+ chocolate instead of chocolate flavored sugar like most commercial "chocolates."

I would imagine the stimulating properties would work against a module like the just relax module or even the sleep module is consumed too late.

Some people who have a tendency to be a little springy using the mood module to level them out may find the mood module isn't as effective in balancing them out if they are drinking too much coffee or eating too much chocolate.

The anti-oxidant module works by getting the body to move towards a more alkaline level and not by suddenly having an abundance of electrons mysteriously appear in the body like a typical anti-oxidant..the module works to accomplish the bottom line benefit of anti-oxidants. With coffee being very acidic, it can probably help defeat the benefits of this module. Also with the high acid nature of the coffee, it will probably help work against skin module and so on.

It takes quite a few glasses of water to neutralize the acid of one cup of coffee...even if you drink decaff (which really means low caffeine), you are still drinking high acid content. Also, if you drink decaff try to get organic or swiss water processed because many large coffee companies use formaldehyde in the process to decaffeinate.

If you add milk to coffee, that can help to reduce the acidicness.

I think if you're eating real chocolate with high % of real chocolate, you're probably ok as it is very healthy. Not everyone will be super stimulated by chocolate and at least if it is real chocolate, there there isn't much room for much sugar to be added.

Those are a few random things on the top of my mind on this for now

I think some others may be able to share their experience.

[zartgirl]

I like this topic...

Well at least the chocolate part of the conversation...

I am with Aaron on the real dark chocolate... Besides being very low on sugar, it also only takes a square to satisfy. My kids and I will take a single square and nibble it... savoring every little tiny bite. Less than an ounce is like a whole dinner dessert! It is awesome....

I keep around my house all the time... Unlike the cheap sugar chocolate candy that the kids and adults alike will devour in a blink and crave more... The dark 70% Cacao chocolate is something you just sit and enjoy savoring every little tiny bite... It is an experience! One little square... ok maybe two squares if it has been a day and a half... Okay I love my dark chocolate! If it is your first time and you are use to the milk chocolate and sugar... then start off with a 60% Cacoa, and then work your way up to the serious dark 70% cacao Chocolate. I avoid the mint and other flavored dark chocolates I assume they are just adding sugar to get the flavor... and why ruin Perfect chocolate...

Ok on the coffee subject... NO THANKS! Never drink the stuff, Never liked it!

Blessings zartgirl Sallyjane

[bora]

all: coffe or chocolate?

Jessica: xo xo!
you sure are an active poster, whereas I'm red faced hiding under the rug for my tardiness in responding to this thread it seems that I started

Zartgirl: I hear you!
myself, I enjoy 99% scharffen berger, which has neither soy lethicin or sugar; I may grind my square together with pine nuts or else have it with avocado or dates or else make a hot chocolate with water & cardamom & dates

Aaron: interesting info (as usual)!
I had never thought of coffee producing free radicals & overburdening an antioxidant; myself, to reduce coffee's acidity brew it with some pieces of eggshell
in fact, I not only brew my own coffee (with cardamom & ginger) -- combining cold brew & turkish -- but also do my own coffee roasting to have the lightest possible roast
incidentally, if anyone is interested in learning a lot about coffee, everything you always wanted to know & then a bit more, as well as home roasting & brewing using the best coffees on the planet, this is the place to visit: Home Coffee Roasting Supplies -Sweet Maria's

why do I go through the process of roasting & brewing? Maillard molecules!
monsieur Maillard discovered that unnatural proteins are produced when overheating food by baking, frying, roasting, grilling, or plain burning -- dark roasted coffee, the one usually sold or served at coffee shops, happens to fall in the plain burning category
for me, maillard molecules are not just another exotic theory: I have gotten really sick -- my body feeling like dying while my mind runs totally wild -- from eating grilled vegetables after 3 years of 95-100% raw food (not plain vegan but vegan plus)

anyway, these days I seem more inclined to have some scharffen berger, occasionally, than to drink coffee more than once or twice a week

[Aaron]

coffee

Hi Bora,

Very interesting!

With coffee, I don't know so much that it provides free radicals as some claims it is an antioxidant itself, but if so, being so acidic makes that self-defeating it seems.

[bora]

all: coffe & chocolate?

hmm, the acidity in coffee, I mean its place in human health, is still an open question in my mind...

my own experience tells me that some % of acidic food is needed -- but, as I mentioned before, my foodstyle differs from the standard american diet (SAD); it's been almost 4 years now since I stopped for good eating grains (cereals & legumes), milk products, & oils (with the exception of non-distilled cod liver oil [http://www.earthincommon.com/] & tropical traditions red palm oil for its tocotrienols, powerful antioxidants, & its fat digestion help [)]Page Not Found - Tropical Traditions; in other words, my need for acidic foods may well differ from that of standard american, & worldwide, eaters

another thing is that my coffee & chocolate, as I described them before, are REALLY strong & for that reason I may not need them on a daily basis -- who knows

yet another point: from my own experience I have concluded that coffee is catabolic (aiding in elimination) while chocolate is anabolic (aiding in buildup)
I wonder what other coffee or chocolate lovers think about this

[illusions]

What's Chocolate?

Wow, I've just realised the uncanny and unlikely transformation in me regarding chocolate in particular.
Coffee, for a long time now I've only drunk when out at a coffee bar or after a meal, and then, black filter. But, although I never drink coffee at home (weird that - I just never feel like it at home, even when my partner makes fresh filter coffee), I used to love instant coffee when rehearsing (yeah, no idea why - association I guess). I've just realised that at my recent rehearsals I'm only drinking water (and occassionally a little diet coke I know, I know - I'm getting out of that now )

But CHOCOLATE!!! Well.... I've always loved dark chocolate as well, but also certain chocolate bars that happened to be milk (yes, the really commercial unhealthy ones lol), and I ate at least a couple a day.
However, for the last few months, since Paths, I just don't feel like it!! And we've had chocolate (including dark chocolate) in the fridge, as well as a variety of chocolates around the house (my partner still loves chocolate) for a long time now, and I just don't fancy it!

My favourite thing used to be a piece of dark chocolate eaten in between sips of strong, black, unsweetened, filter coffee.

How fun this is, to not even miss it now

Thank You Paths!

Love and Light and Magic xxx

[bora]

more info


all things chocolate:
Artisan Confection

health benefits of caffeine (caffeine's good for you):
INeedCoffee - Monthly Caffeination Information

http://www.ineedcoffee.com/02/04/caffeine/

aahh the good life...

[bora]

link to raw coffee

read about raw coffee & tea here:

http://eat.rawfood.com/_forum/index.php?sub=167&cat=38&threadnumber=350649

[softsoul]

Will caffeine slow progress?

Im an energy drinker, monsters, and redbull 4-5 days a week. Lots of caffeine in these drinks. I drink about 2 cans a day. Will this slow my Paths progress. The modules I am currently on are :

Positive attitude
Public Speaking
Academic Supercharger
Self Esteem

Thanks!!!
val

[future pather]

Oh wow,

More for the sake of your physical health than anything, I would see about substituting if possible.

Those drinks just have so much other chemical junk in them, separate from the caffeine.

I even think like a Starbucks frappacino (I think they sell those bottled) would probably be better.

Then of course there are the Vitawaters, but those don't have caffeine.

I'd really urge you to check out some other options, maybe from the health food store. If you find something from there with caffeine that you like, I don't think that would be the worst thing in the world.

XO Jessica

[wpage]

Coffee and..

your coffee with some ginger and cinamon to cut sugar maybe a dash of honey and lots of low fat milk...
Cuts the bad and adds the good

Lots of semi sweet chocolate on the side... Yum

[Aaron]

energy drinks

Im an energy drinker, monsters, and redbull 4-5 days a week. Lots of caffeine in these drinks. I drink about 2 cans a day. Will this slow my Paths progress. The modules I am currently on are :

Positive attitude
Public Speaking
Academic Supercharger
Self Esteem

Thanks!!!
val

Hi Val,

Unless you're doing something specific with PATHS as far as health goes where caffeine may contradict, such as just relax or anything to bring down stress levels, I don't think there is a conflict.

However, for general well being, if you can find a substitute energy drink without high fructose corn syrup (permanently destroys intestinal villi and this prevents proper absorption of nutrients amongst many many other things), phosphoric acid (causes osteoporosis and is in almost every major soft drink brand - 1 can (like Coke) usually has a 10 day supply of phosphorous and to balance itself, it leeches calcium right out of your bones and flushes it out), etc... corn syrup and phosphoric acid are probably the main two that should be avoided like the plague.

I don't know how much of those if any are in red bull and other energy drinks like that.

[DeAnn]

My wonderful hubby was suffering from some things he figured were just a manifestation of getting older. He was having digestive problems and problems sleeping.
He also had an awful illness which caused the nerves and muscles in his legs to twitch and crawl. It looked like there were worms crawling under his skin. Yuck. He went to a neurologist who gave it some long name and called it a benign neuropathy that was incurable. My poor hypochondriac husband thought he was dieing from ALS!
I took him off of all coffee and chocolate and within two weeks all of the problems were gone.
'Nuff said.