Edamommy’s Vegan Diary: Vegan Venture
I have been telling more people about my vegan venture. Some people think it’s cool and trendy. Others think I have lost my mind. I ha
ve given up coffee, too, and my sister thinks that alone qualifies me for a 5150 in California.
The coffee part isn’t going very well at all. I think about coffee a lot and sneak it. Always decaf. I switched to soy and stevia. But, it’s still coffee, no matter how you grind the bean.
I was in the Peace Corps in the former Soviet Union from 1998 to 2000. I joined when I was 32. Talk about raising eyebrows!
Going vegan is nothing compared to telling friends and family I was ditching it all, getting rid of most of my stuff and moving to a country no one has ever heard of. Slovakia is the former half of Czechoslovakia and is bordered by Poland, Austria, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Hungary. Speaking of Hungary, I’m starving.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:02 am
Why did you give up coffee? If it was for the caffiene, I wasn’t sure why you’d “sneak” decaf. Or is it just for abstaining (flexing your willpower muscle) in general, and coffee was the biggest elephant?
May 9th, 2008 at 7:28 am
This is the last cheese-straw, Edamommy. My Vegan celery-ribbing stops where my beloved black gold flows: coffee deprivation is SERIOUS BUSINESS.
For over a decade, I functioned on a two pots of black coffee a day habit, with no adverse side-effects (I could drink a pot and fall right to sleep). Until two babies and edging into the second half of my thirties played havoc with my body’s ability to process even the most previously benign of substances, from cruciferous vegetables (let’s not talk about it), to non-drowsy cold-medicine (lies!, lies!). More than a single cup of coffee relegated to the morning, and I am a neurotic mess of tics and agitation beyond usual Motherhood (do NOT Google “eye twitch).
Being dragged kicking & screaming into my own ascetic experiment has yielded interesting research: Decaf is NOT all it’s cracked up to be (1979 Sanka commercials, be darned). In fact, the chemicals they use to take the caffeine out are lethal and have their own slew of unpleasant bodily effects and are dreaded “stored toxins.”You’re better off drinking a single cup of espresso which, despite public perception, has the least caffeine. Better yet? I’m a big fan of New Orleans coffee with chicory–at least I can call it herbal…
May 9th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Girls, girls - stop fighting! There’s enough of me to go around!
I gave up coffee because I feel like I have a major addiction to caffeine and I use the morning joe as a crutch. I know decaf coffee has tons of chemicals so I am phasing that out, too. I think I sneak the decaf because it seems like I should be able to go cold coffee on this habit without much kerfuffle but it’s challenging.
Considering my handsome husband is in the tea business, it makes good sense to drink Brassica decaf green tea with sulphorophane (that’s the good stuff in broccoli that protects against cancer).
Well, rest assured, my lovely mompatriots, your vote will count when Kiwi Magazine and I embark on a new experiment for Edamommy. Same soy place, same soy channel.
Ed.a.mom.my
May 13th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Wrongo, you two. I used to work at a coffee shop in Lewes (it changed names and is now called Nottinghill Coffee), and there is indeed one form of decaffeinated coffee that does NOT use ANY chemicals. Any reputable roaster that sells Swiss Water Decaffeinated coffee is where you want to shop. Swiss Water Decaf is a process, not a product - many different roaster use Swiss Water Decaf processing, including Seattle’s Best, Caribou, Starbuck’s, and our own local Baltimore Tea and Coffee. Here is a list of nationally available brands:
http://www.swisswater.com/buy/brands
Also, keep in mind that some brands try to fudge by on their decaf, using chemicals but calling it “natural process”, “water process”, “European process”. What you want to look for is the Swiss Water Decaf logo.
I also have to correct HappyHoarfrost: espresso can potentially have less caffeine than regular drip coffee, and often does (caffeine being entirely dependant on bean, roast, extraction & temp), but it will never have less than decaffeinated coffee.
A halfway decent alternative is Cafix (100% caffeine free) a Swiss product from barley, chicory, figs and beet root. And hey, it’s vegan!
July 7th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
caffeine effects on babies…
Sorry, don’t agree 100% with you on this!…