gail f wrote:Hi Jeff, I had an interesting experience this morning. I decided that I would wash the dried wild blueberries before adding them to my cereal. As I washed them I noticed that they felt oily....and so, as much as I like them, I decided to think it over.
But I do have a second newbie question. This morning I followed one of the bloggers to one of your writings on the Pritikin site. While I was there I poked around different articles and found one that suggested that a single cup of coffee a day is not harmful. I am having a very hard time adjusting to tea. I was always just a morning coffee drinker (although I did have a cup of decaf at night with whipped milk as dessert). I am wondering whether I could have a single cup of black coffee in the morning on the McD diet ? Best, Gail
Hi Gail
I never like to tell anyone what they can or cant do. My main concern is helping people understand the principles and guidelines for optimal health.
And, I am much more concerned with the main issues, (plant based, whole food, unrefined, high fiber, low fat, daily activity) then the minor exceptions. What will always matter most is getting the 95-98% of what we do right and not the remaining 2-5%.
So, like the questions about why no oil and no milk/dairy, my answer here is the same. If you have not read those threads, you may benefit from doing so.
Coffee has been shown to raise LDL, total cholesterol and homocysteine levels, and increase risk for GERD, so if these are issues, it is probably better off to avoid it completely. In most of the studies, the negative effect was seen in those who consumer 2-3 cups or more a day. That is where the information on the other website came from. Their recommendations are also the result of a consensus of their scientific board which did not always reflect the individual view of each of the members of that board but of the majority.
Tea, as others have mentioned, has been shown to have some potential health benefits. So, between the two, tea is clearly the better choice. Making the change may be well worth it.
Perhaps time is the real issue.
The reason is, all change takes time for us to adjust to the change and to get used to. However, once we go through the change and time has passed, we become as accustomed to our new habits and get used to them as much as we were to our old ones.
So, while I won't recommend coffee, and will encourage you to keep with the healthy change, the odds of 1 cup (6 oz) being detrimental to you, is slim, but I would not consider it optimal.
In Health
Jeff Novick, MS, RD
