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Posted 2/3/2010 12:56 PM (GMT 0)
Do people find that coffee makes everything a lot worse?

I have found that the only hot drink that really works okay for me is green tea.

I love the taste of coffee and really miss it, but it seems that when I drink it, all of my symptoms get worse.  I have heard that coffee is quite hard on the whole GI tract.

Does anyone know of a reasonable coffee substitute? 

What hot drinks do people drink in place of coffee?

Thanks,

L

Posted 2/3/2010 1:16 PM (GMT 0)
     I found that coffee with caffeine irritates me and I love it too.  However, I can drink decaffeinated coffee, but I only drink one cup in the morning.  I can tolerate tea with caffeine though....hmmm.  Another thing that irritates me is the flavored creamer I put in the coffee.  Don't know why that is.
Posted 2/3/2010 1:33 PM (GMT 0)
Caffeine is a stimulant which is why many people with gut issues have problems with it. I love my coffee and that is the one thing I refuse to give up. I have already stopped eating and drinking many things I love but this is one sacrafice I refuse to stop! :) There is a coffee on the market, I forgot who makes it (Folgers I think) but it is low on acid and caffeine and it causes less intestinal upset. I've tried it but I don't really care for Folgers. But when I did drink it I did notice less of a problem then drinking regular coffee. I too drink decaf coffee when I am flaring and it doesn't seem to be a problem.
Posted 2/3/2010 2:02 PM (GMT 0)
I can't drink drip coffee (regular brewed coffee) at all. Have you tried espresso drinks? I can drink a latte when I'm not flaring if I'm careful about the number of espresso shots they put in. Also if I get a medium and they are putting 2 shots I ask for 1/2 caff. You could even order a medium with just one shot. I think it being mixed with milk is a good buffer. You could also try a hot cocoa if you can do chocolate. Mostly I drink herbal tea too.
Posted 2/3/2010 2:25 PM (GMT 0)
Christine, I bet the carrageegnan in the creamer is the reason you can't tolerate them. I eliminated using them all together & have found
that coffee was not my problem...it was the creamer I was using! Funny though how I can tolerate caffinated coffee's, tea's etc...everybody's
different!

Lynn- Folger's makes a "half caff." drip. Maybe you could try it?? Just out of curiosity, what do you put in it? As I mentioned above, for me
it was not the coffee but it was what I was putting into it! Now I only use very little whole milk & half teaspoon of cane sugar b/c arti-sweetners
bother me. Good luck...gotta have your coffee :o)
Posted 2/3/2010 2:53 PM (GMT 0)
I remember being told to give up coffee when I was first diagnosed - but I flatly refused to. When I'm flaring I have only one small cup in the mornings; when my gut is calm I'll have 2 - 2 1/2. I take it with whole milk.

As far as hot drinks in general, my first GI used to tell me that his grandmother recommended a mug of hot water to stimulate a bowel movement. I guess hot drinks have that effect on anyone, not just UCers.

Sometimes I have used that info to my advantage, having a hot drink before bedtime so that I'll empty out and feel more comfortable in doing the enema du jour.....
Posted 2/3/2010 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't drink coffee when I was flaring (I'd given it up during pregnancy and breastfeeding), but when I got out of my flare, I started drinking it again and do fine with it.
Posted 2/3/2010 6:22 PM (GMT 0)
It's the caffeine. Have you tried decaff?
Posted 2/3/2010 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
Coffee is a natural bowel stimulant (so are tomatoes)...even decaff has some caffeine in it so if you drink decaff you still have to limit your daily amount (or avoid it all together if you happen to be very sensitive to it) some people can tolerate it better than others but should still tread on the cautious side with coffee.

:)
Posted 2/3/2010 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
If one has stool in the lower colon and drinks coffee, it will stimulate a movement....just as will eating or being excited or drinking water, etc. Mornings are my time of having a bm, and I would eat/drink to stimulate it.

If I'm going out for breakfast, I drink a few cups of white tea to stimulate or 2 large glasses of water (but I tend to get cold when I do that).

I drink coffee with no problems, but if I were flaring, I'd possibly limit the amount I drink since it definitely stimulates whatever is "in" the lower colon, although it's good to get it all over with before I have to go out.

Not all coffee is equal to me....the thought of Starbucks coffee would stimulate a bm all on its own...lol...kidding, but it's nauseating to me.

I have about 3 cups in the morning and if I'm out for supper I'll have 3 more. If I'm home and saved some coffee from the morning, I'll have only one cup after supper.

I never use milk substitutes.

q
Posted 2/4/2010 4:24 AM (GMT 0)
Coffee only bugs me if I drink a lot every day (then again, I'm talking gas station 94 cents a cup coffee). And hot things bother me more. So maybe once in a while opt for a small iced coffee?
Posted 2/4/2010 6:02 AM (GMT 0)
I'm one of the odd balls not effected by coffee. I've had a cup almost every day of my adult life. It does nothing to me, but make me stay up late if I drink it in the evening. I also drink tea like it's going out of style. I drink Rockstars and Coke too. I like my coffee black though. I bet if I used lots of creamer that would do me in.
Posted 2/4/2010 6:36 AM (GMT 0)
I couldn't do without coffee. It does increase urgency for most, but it doesn't cause me so many problems that i'd ever think about giving it up.I also like green tea, i only started drinking it a few weeks ago.. but i like it turn
Posted 2/4/2010 2:44 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, I'll bet it is the caffeine. I use a nondairy, but nonflavored creamer - just the original powdered coffee mate because I don't do dairy. Maybe if it was just a splash of dairy in the coffee it wouldn't give me trouble.

Isn't it interesting how there are just some things that we refuse to give up. It is really a quality of life issue.
Thanks for all of your answers!
L
Posted 2/5/2010 1:32 AM (GMT 0)
Coffee is one of the only things I know I can't tolerate. I can basically handle everything else. seriously. so, I drink a black tea with milk. or sometimes hot chocolate, but not hot coco everyday since it is so sugary. a good mug of black tea in the morning, with milk and sugar if you want, isn't as good, but is still pretty good.
Posted 2/5/2010 2:02 AM (GMT 0)
Decaf coffee is the only type I can tolerate; apart from the caffeine-as-stimulant issue hot foods/drinks bother my G/I tract in general. (So does anything icy cold!) I usually let anything heated majorly cool down to a warmish temperature before swallowing it. Warmed apple juice once revived me when I got debilitated during a severe flare. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 2/5/2010 5:52 AM (GMT 0)
I can't tolerate coffee at all

I was 5 cups of short black espresso daily for 30 years

Came off Clod turkey

Didn't expect the withdrawal to be so bad

I was really crook for about 2 weeks

 

Posted 2/5/2010 6:36 AM (GMT 0)
I gave up coffee just to know that I'm doing everything possible to get better... I do like green tea like you though.. I find it gives me just a little bit of a pick-me-up to make it through the day..
Posted 2/5/2010 6:42 AM (GMT 0)
I tried green tea, was so excited about it at the time too cuz I was having a bit of weight issue so was looking forward to it helping with that but it gave me such bad heartburn and I'm not prone to getting heartburn so I was stunned when I found green tea causing it for me...I just stick with chamomile, has no caffeine in it.

:)
Posted 2/5/2010 5:49 PM (GMT 0)
Im sitting here srinking a decaf coffee .... havent had one for months .... and im hoping tomorrow i wont have a bad tummy!!!!!
I know that hot chocolate and malted drinks give me severe cramps so maybe steer clear of them ......
try mint tea thats quite nice
Posted 2/6/2010 4:35 AM (GMT 0)
I will drink decaf coffee from time to time. It's not good for me though. Ginger teas are great. I make my own Chai--without the tea--and put extra ginger in it.
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