Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Organic coffee and such


Comments from Coffee article:
from Mercola:


Coffee Growers now use Imidachloprid insecticide. Temik will be removed from use in 2014. Both TEMIK (aldicarb) and IMIDACHLOPRID are pesticides of choice for Coffee Growers and cause many, many diseases and neurological conditions.
These pesticides do not not wash off, or peel off. They are used on COFFEE, stone fruits like peaches & the following: Bananas, Grapes, Lettuce, Eggplant, tomatoes, beets, cabbage, & Brassicas, cucumbers, melons, potatoes, Rice, Hops, grains and other food crops as well as cotton and ornamental plants and trees. These treated fruits and vegetables are TOXIC to insects and YOU!  It affects the Thyroid gland and more and in birds causes soft weak shells like the effects from DDT which Rachel Carson wrote about in 'Silent Spring'.
Bayer Crop Science Division of Bayer, a multi national corporation markets ' IMIDACLOPRID' Insecticide' worldwide. This material should not be on the market. It is a systemic pesticide that works similar to the BAYER/ Dupont material Temik. It is absorbed by the plant rendering it toxic to insects. It can spread in groundwater, water runoff from crop applications, drift etc. It renders all parts of the plant toxic including the plants pollen and kills countless numbers of bees annually. It is sold to homeowners in lawn care products to kill grubs as Grubex (Scott products & others) and as a systemic houseplant insecticide. It's one of the most toxic insecticides to honeybees with a contact acute LD50 = 0.078 ug a.i./bee and an acute oral LD50 = 0.0039 ug a.i./bee.
It is sold commercially as Confidor, Kohinor, Admire, Advantage (Advocate) pet flea & tick, Gaucho, Mallet, Merit, Nuprid, Prothor, Turfthor, Conguard, Hachikusan, Premise, Prothor, Provado and Winner and the Thiacloprid product as Calypso.
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There is a good body of literature on the potential therapeutic properties of this herb (coffee). (42 studies indexed on Greenmedinfo thus far).  Properties include, antioxidant, chemopreventive, antiviral, antibacterial, neuritogenic, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, etc...  www.greenmedinfo.com/.../coffee
I would note too that this is one of the few examples of a "bitters" the Western world still consumes, en masse and on a daily basis, henceforth balancing out the "sweet" foods consumed, both sugars as well as "hidden sweetness" in the form of high glycemic grain-based products.
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I've been  through this entire page and have not seen one reference to eggshells. If your coffee seems harsh or acid, drop an eggshell or two into the pot and let sit for a bit before removing. You'll be surprised at how much smoother your coffee tastes!
--I have had a case of fibrocystic breast and started taking Nascent Iodine (or Lugol's). It all went away in just one month (taking 3 drops 3 or 4 times daily). + I gained tons of energy, chronic pains in my left hip completely dissipated, heavy menstruation with abnormal clots went back to be normal and light. My lethargy was gone in just a few days, my moods changed I felt like a new person again!  It was miraculous to say the least. Oh and not to mention it took care of my candida issue over 4 - 6 month along with making myself fresh Kefir everyday with goat milk from local farms (unpasteurized or low pasteurization). I talk about it in more detail on my website in the health and nutrition section: www.kundunyoga.com/Health_Nutrition.html
-- one brazil nut = your daily requirement of selenium. All things in moderation!
I almost cheered when Ori mentioned that decaf coffee was nutritionally devoid of anything useful, and that coffee that didn't smell good was not healthy. Those are true. But the reasons he provided, oxidized oils and pesticides, are a small part of the problem.
The real reason that cheap coffee and old coffee are bad for you is that they harbor some particularly toxic molds. Those molds that form when green coffee is stored are tied to cancer, heart disease, high LDL/VLDL cholesterol, and hormone irregularities. Here is a great talk on the problem of mold in food (including coffee) that I gave at a recent anti-aging event:
Here's the Bulletproof Executive way.
  • Never use decaf. Ever. Caffeine protects the beans from more mold. You need it in your coffee or you shouldn't drink it.
  • Never choose robusta (cheap, instant) beans. These are moldier, which is why they are higher in caffeine too (as a defense against mold on the bush). Drink arabica.
  • Insist on wet process beans. Many higher end African coffees use natural process, which means they dry the beans in the sun, giving them time to mold. Wet process coffee uses far less time and rinses the beans, making for lower-toxin coffee.
  • Aim for Central American varieties grown at higher elevations where mold is scarce. (Bonus points if they're blessed by shamans, one-armed monks, or picked by orphans...)
  • Single estate is better than major brands. If it is sold by a national coffee house, its mixed with countless other sources, and you can guarantee that some toxic mold made it into the coffee.
  • If you can't find good beans, order an Americano because steam helps to break down the toxins.
The easier way is to say, "Give me the most expensive Central American, wet-process (or washed) beans you have please."
http://www.bulletproofexecutive.com/yes-how-to-use-coffee-to-build-brain-and-muscle
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An Americano will have less mycotoxins in it than average drip coffee. It still won’t be that great from a toxin perspective, because often roasters use cheaper (moldier) beans for espresso, figuring that the dark (burnt) roast will hide the acid flavor the mold imparts.

That’s a tough one. Most major brands mix coffee from hundreds of places into giant processing areas where moldy and clean beans get mixed, resulting in constant low levels of mold toxins. Almost any brand will be a big improvement if the bag says, “single origin” or “single estate.”
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Hi Al,  I can understand your frustration, but one of the things I like about Dr. Mercola's website is that he posts articles that explore all of the facets of a topic, even when the evidence appears to conflict.  There's evidence that coffee (or the caffeine contained in it) causes damage to the body, and evidence that it can be beneficial.  People need to look at all of the evidence, but realize it isn't decisive, then look at their own body's response, how they feel (long range) after drinking coffee and make an individual decision.  
Too many "health and nutrition" sites omit, or don't report, information if it conflicts with their "party line." (or report it in a cursory way then attack it). (The defenders of soy being an example... no matter how many thousands of studies show that it's harmful, they cling to their position that it's a miracle food.) I like having the opportunity to read about different studies which sometimes have very different conclusions. But again, I try not to let it supercede my awareness of my own body's response to a food or supplement.
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Whoa! Time out. What happened to the discussion about the "unhealthy" aspects of not only caffeine, but the coffee bean itself? Sure, there are antioxidants in the coffee bean, but the article doesn't mention the two diterpene alcohols, kawheol and cafestrol, the latter of which is listed as typically elevating cholesterol levels by 8-10%. The diterpenes are NOT removed during the decaffeination process, they can actually become further concentrated by it.
It doesn't mention anything about the hyperactivity of Cytochrome P450 enzymes in Phase 1 Liver Detoxification elevating the output of oxidative radicals.
Also, is missing the entire discussion around caffeine's elevation of stress hormones. While our stress hormones "generally" have a half-life of about 1 to 1-1/2 hours, the half-life of caffeine is typically over 5 hours .... and it means that anyone with a sluggish Phase 1 may easily be looking at revisiting their morning rush well into bedtime. Those with a sluggish Phase 1 or a mismatched Phase-1/Phase-2 could be looking for trouble in the cancer department, as well, and most people haven't a clue about their liver's state of health. Since several of the nutrients involved with liver detoxification are also depleted under stress, caffeine is NOT something to be ingested while under repeated stress; that is unless someone wants to start gambling with their liver function.
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Pisces, coffee is a double edged sword, sure, but some of your comments are not well-informed. Cafestrol does raise cholesterol, which is a good thing in this case because it explains why cafestrol is also anticarcogenic. Cholesterol binds to cancer-related lipophoric toxins to help them be excreted. There is no cafestrol in filtered coffee anyway, it only happens in french press and espresso.
I take this liposomal glutathione http://ow.ly/4BLDc to make sure my liver is working fine because the world is as full of toxins as coffee is. (plus I test my liver and choose low toxin coffee!)
Also article says if you have adrenal problems be careful with consumption, so this was addressed.
Did you happen to know that the reference volume for your "one" cup of coffee was the same as for a cup of tea and that the data extracted years ago from those original tests was based on only FIVE (5) OUNCES. So when the average person thinks their Starbucks 16oz Grande or their 20oz Venti coffees are their "one cup of coffee", these people are in a total state of denial and will make perfect candidates to show up at my door later ....... so, let them keep drinking the stuff.
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.... actually I don't have to convince you of anything. All I will say is that if you STILL have Crohn's ..... and no one, particularly an MD, has mentioned to you the necessity of getting off the caffeine, you need to do a whole bunch of reading, my friend, and possible see a new specialist. It's one of the primary offenders along with alcohol, wheat, dairy, and sugar. Testing for microbes and parasites is the first step, because if you can't rule those out, you'll be spinning your wheels for a long long time (or at the very least doing LDN). Next steps are the elimination diet,  the gradual reintroduction of off list foods, and very importantly, the continual addition of beneficial gut bacteria.
Long story short, if you admit to having Crohn's ...... and you're having to take meds to keep it under control, coffee is the LAST thing you should be thinking about; that is, until you get to the root cause of the inflammation issue ..... and you haven't done that. 
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I have heard that caffein makes the calcium in the cream inabsorbable...it then finds a place in the body to hang out unabsorbed as in the joints. 3:0) My daughter a major sugar addict has been drinking her coffee unsweetened for the past couple of years and she no longer eats sugar...as the article said would happen!
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When I was in Starbucks the other day, they had a sign displayed that the roasted coffee beans form a dangerous cancer causing chemical called Acrylamide and that its in the baked products as well. So...apparently its caused in the roasting process but they also mentioned that it was in small doses.

Acrylamides are formed as a food browns. Sadly, it would follow that the yummy dark-roast coffees are higher in them than the lighter roasts.

3 comments:

dave asprey said...

um...you're welcome to quote my stuff, even extensively, but please provide a backlink, and leave the comments on my site. Thanks, Dave (aka @bulletproofexec and bulletproofexecutive.com)

etr said...

Dave,
Sorry, I'm a little technologically challenged. I'm learning though--slowly. Thanks for letting me quote you. This post is probably my least clear on sources. I will try to fix it. I have to wait until I find someone to help me.

Organic Coffee said...

Organic coffee pods are individual portions of coffee grounds, which are pre-sealed in a coffee filter paper.