SoberRunner

...but coffee isn't!" That's what my doctor just told me.

If you've been following my posts, you know I love my wine--BUT, I'd rather live a sober life so his 'wine is ok comment' didn't really tempt me. Well, it was slightly tempting until he firmly said, "Only a glass (5oz) per night!"

Hhhmm, I wonder if my eyes lit up when he said wine was ok, as he quickly added the "only one" comment and gave me 'that' look. Anyway, that minuscule amount of wine is not evening tempting. 5oz!? What's the point!?!?

That said, I'm bummed I can't have coffee or "acidic/fattening" foods. Those are my go-to comfort foods while trying to live a sober life. Now, I can't have wine, coffee, or the foods I consider yummy due to health reasons.

How will I comfort myself now? I know a lot of you guys ate a lot of your go-to foods in early sobriety--any words of advice? I'm kind of bummed out, as I really love my morning cup of coffee--it relaxes me and it's a great way to start a sober morning. Coffee in the morning is what I look forward to every night I don't drink; it was kind of like my prize.

Dee74

what's your Drs rationale behind the no caffeine thing?

D

SoberRunner

I have really bad acid reflux and it's starting to affect my throat / voice... He said drinking coffee is the worse thing I can do right now.

Cleomie

Maybe try decaf. Same great taste. ��

LBrain

attention coffee lovers: it is NOT only the caffeine in coffee that affects gerd or stomach acid production, decaffeinated coffee is no better for you.

Try a mild tea but don't drink it too hot - that's bad for your throat too.

Upwardspiral

Look into Teechino, it's an herbal coffee substitute that's pretty delicious, robust, but definitely has it's own flavor going on. You brew it like coffee and it costs roughly the same. Caffeine and acid free. If you don't live near a hippy grocery store you can get it online.
Gotta have those comfort foods!!

Axiom

I love waking up and making a smoothie. You can play around with flavors whenever you get bored. Plus you can get a boost if you use apples or some other high fructose fruit.

My current kick:
Kale
Blueberry
Raspberry
Greek yogurt
Sour Cherry Juice

SoberRunner

Thanks, US! I'll try Teechino... There's a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods nearby; they should definitely have it.

Ah, great idea Axiom! I've never made my own smoothie but it sounds fun (and healthy!). I can also find ingredients that give me a natural, pre-run boost. I'm excited to try mixing things together, but I'll have to get a blender, first.

Do you (or anyone?) have any suggestions as to what I should put in my smoothie to give me energy while running in the morning? I've heard kale is a good choice--anything else? Thanks in advance!

Crossfitdad

Look, if you're relying on a doctor for diet advice, good luck. Doctors are the ones who told us to avoid natural lard and butter for trans fats and seed oils. Things that we know know are deadly. **** doctors. Doctors are good for two things: diagnosing disease and prescribing drugs.

Don't listen to them.

Venecia

This is SoberRunner's thread and I don't want to hijack it.

But that's just wrong, Crossfit. Based on their training and the best research possible, most physicians do a good job at treating their patients. Are they perfect? No. And I recognize they receive minimal training in addiction. Do they also tell us things we don't want to hear? Sometimes.

But putting a blanket indictment -- "Don't listen to them" -- out there is really irresponsible.

Upwardspiral

Back to the smoothie question, some distance runners have been swearing by chia seeds. They do become delightfully mucilaginous when soaked in liquid for a while, which may be soothing for GERD symptoms? (I'm no expert)

Ruby2

I just whirled some cantaloupe up with ice, coconut milk and some lime juice and it is sweet- ish. You could try it with lite coconut milk.

I googled mock cocktails the other day and there is a ton out there. Without wine.

SoberRunner

I disagree. They may not be certified nutritionists but physicians--especially specialists--are beyond capable of knowing which (specific) foods exacerbate certain conditions, diseases, etc.

Agreed!

Ok, good to know--I've never heard of those but I'm always up for trying new foods. Thank you!

Upwardspiral

Agreed!



Ok, good to know--I've never heard of those but I'm always up for trying new foods. Thank you![/QUOTE]

Yeah, a quick Google search suggests there is some disagreement around their use, and they should ALWAYS be soaked first. I'd do some research.

Good luck with your new morning rituals! :-)

FLCamper

My acid reflux disappeared when I quit drinking. I'm off the Rx I'd had to take for it.
I'm not a chia seed fan - the texture puts me off.
Looks like you have some good suggestions here. I don't use a blender for smoothies, I have one of the Bullets but there are a lot of options out there.

D122y

I'm not sure if this is healthy or not, but I drink oj and pretend it is a screw driver. It feels pretty good. Thoughts?

KaleGrrl

My acid reflux also diminished and then stopped when I stopped drinking after a couple weeks.
Yes, kale is great (thus my name, health nut that I am). Blended kale (maybe other greens) with frozen berries, banana, water, Ceylon cinnamon, ground lemon balm, cocoa gives you a great antioxidant boost and good whole body nutrition from all the phytochemicals. I'll have some ground flax seed or soaked chia seeds with it to help the body to assimilate the greens. A daily smoothie in the morning can do a remarkable amount of good. I use a Vitamix blender to really pulverize it all.

SoberRunner

Yeah, I'm sure all of my previous drinking hasn't helped the situation. This is a good wake up call to get healthy! I've been meaning to axe coffee for the past few months but I love it, so I never took the plunge. I will now, and I'll try all of the suggestions you guys posted. (Well, all besides yours, D122y. Lol. It was pretty funny though!)

Many thanks!

Dee74

I see now - and yeah thats good advice

D

sleepie

Sorry to hear that Soberrunner... It's difficult and irritating to have to give up yet more, or our reward foods/drinks after all the effort of giving up alcohol.
I understand. I have to do a bit of that myself.
And very glad to hear you have no desire to drink, keep it up you can only benefit