Toxin in your coffee

[Guest guest]

Other than the excess caffeine, I've always thought of coffee as a

fairly healthy beverage - especially when it's organic. But I've

recently discovered that most of us add something to our morning cup

of java that makes it extremely unhealthy. You probably think I mean

sugar or fat-laden cream. While those definitely take away from the

healthiness of coffee, they aren't the only things you should be

concerned about here.

 

Besides, most health-conscious people use Stevia or simply take their

coffee black. But even if you add nothing extra to your coffee,

chances are, there's already something in it that can turn it into a

disease-causing beverage. It's your water! That's right. Most water in

the industrialized world has chlorine added to it. And chlorine and

coffee don't mix. Here's why:

 

When chlorine combines with any organic compound from plants, it

produces a dangerous chemical. You may have heard of dioxins. They are

a dangerous class of chemicals produced by the chlorine bleaching of

wood pulp (to make paper). When chlorine combines with the plant

compounds in coffee, it creates a chemical called alloxan. Alloxan is

a poison that destroys the beta cells of the pancreas (the ones that

produce insulin). In fact, researchers use it to induce diabetes in

laboratory animals.

 

What does all this mean? Well, let's say you use regular tap water to

make your coffee every morning. The chemical reaction that takes place

with the chlorine gives you a microdose of alloxan in every cup. If

this is a one-time event, it's probably not a big deal. But if you

drink three or four cups of coffee a day for years, the cumulative

effect could raise your blood sugar significantly.

 

Now, I don't think drinking coffee will cause diabetes by itself. In

fact, there are many studies that indicate drinking coffee can

actually drop your blood sugar (I suspect most of those studies were

done with coffee made with non-chlorinated water). But if you drink

coffee made with chlorinated water, add some sugar and cream to it,

and eat a pastry made from white flour and sugar, you've got a recipe

for serious health problems. If continued daily for many years and

even generations, irreparable damage could occur.

 

So what should you do? You already know to avoid sugar and refined

carbohydrates. So the next step is to avoid coffee made from

chlorinated water. When you make coffee at home, make sure you use

filtered water. Many filters on the market will eliminate chlorine

from your water. You can find inexpensive brands at most home

improvement stores. When you visit a restaurant, coffee shop, or

convenience store, ask if they use filtered water. I have noticed some

places do. That's good news. If they don't know, assume the water is

chlorinated.

 

Naturally I also reccomend filtered water for tea, green

smoothies(blender drinks) and cooking, if you must cook your veggies.

 

[For other discussions that we've done on the quality of water and

it's importance to your health, visit our archives at chiDiet.com/news.]