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Habitual coffee intake shapes the microbiome, modifies physiology and cognition

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Re: Habitual coffee intake shapes the microbiome, modifies physiology and cognition

#161
post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What stimulants have you landed on? And do you feel they're better for you? I'm pondering getting a coffee machine at home. 400 EUR is not a sizable investment and one I'd have forgotten about it 3 months but I'm getting cold feet when it gets to committing. Americano coffee definitely picks me up and is a full net positive for me. But that's only if I drink 2-3 times a week. Not sure how it's going to be if I start…

Get yourself a moka pot, aeropress or French press. Fantastic coffee for very cheap. Highly unlikely that 2-3 times a week will last though - either religiously stick to once a week or be open to drinking it daily.

I have a moka pot but I guess I am doing it wrong -- maybe I should not fill its coffee compartment to the brim? is there other way of doing it? -- because the coffee that gets out destroys me: heart palpitations, slight arrhythmia, headaches, and energy crash. I can't drink too much caffeine but light doses (i.e. the Americano) actually help me and energize me. It's really weird.

What's good about the aero-press and the French press btw? I am only just trying to understand the landscape.

Re: Habitual coffee intake shapes the microbiome, modifies physiology and cognition

#162
post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Get yourself a moka pot, aeropress or French press. Fantastic coffee for very cheap. Highly unlikely that 2-3 times a week will last though - either religiously stick to once a week or be open to drinking it daily.

I second either a moka pot or an AeroPress. The moka pot would be better if you have easy access to cooking facilities (the stainless versions are also easier to clean, and work on induction). The AeroPress would be better if you only have access to hot water.

As written above, coffee from moka pot absolutely destroys me. :(

It's too concentrated.

Re: Habitual coffee intake shapes the microbiome, modifies physiology and cognition

#163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What stimulants have you landed on? And do you feel they're better for you? I'm pondering getting a coffee machine at home. 400 EUR is not a sizable investment and one I'd have forgotten about it 3 months but I'm getting cold feet when it gets to committing. Americano coffee definitely picks me up and is a full net positive for me. But that's only if I drink 2-3 times a week. Not sure how it's going to be if I start…

Especially if you like Americanos, chances are you'll be happier with filter coffee from good beans, rather than spending it in an espresso machine. Get an Aeropress, or Hario Switch, or Clever dripper. A kettle and some filters. For beans buy from roasters that do light/meduim roasts, and print a recent roasting date on the package/website. The only expensive item should be a grinder, look at 1zpresso Q/Air/X or Kin…

Not gonna lie, this sounds like way too much work.

What I am mostly looking for is some sort of an easy access to a diluted coffee like the Americano, really. I am OK with buying 1-2kg of beans because I am fairly sure that's going to last me 3-6 months. Cleaning the machine I've done in offices -- 3 minute job.

But any more commitment just sounds tiring. I am not a coffee connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination. But light caffeine doses absolutely do help me in very measurable ways. I need easy access to that.

Buying a coffee machine is not a big commitment obviously, I am just afraid I'll deem the experiment unsuccessful in a month and then I'll have a nice machine lying around doing nothing that I can't easily sell.

Re: Habitual coffee intake shapes the microbiome, modifies physiology and cognition

#164

After habitually consuming caffeine (not in coffee form) daily, usually multiple times a day, for more than a decade, a horrible mental health incident happened to me that forced me to stop it for a while. Afterwards I didn't resume the habit, and so I no longer have a tolerance. This has let me evaluate what caffeine does with fresh eyes, so to say, because I can now consume it occasionally while having many non-caf…

The occasional cup where you can actively feel you don't like it, doesn't sound like a solid analogue to the steady state of daily consumption.

I jog every day and enjoy vs I don't exercise but I occasionally sprint and I feel awful after.

Re: Habitual coffee intake shapes the microbiome, modifies physiology and cognition

#165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What stimulants have you landed on? And do you feel they're better for you? I'm pondering getting a coffee machine at home. 400 EUR is not a sizable investment and one I'd have forgotten about it 3 months but I'm getting cold feet when it gets to committing. Americano coffee definitely picks me up and is a full net positive for me. But that's only if I drink 2-3 times a week. Not sure how it's going to be if I start…

Working with a psychiatrist, I take half the minimum therapeutic dose of generic Adderall as-needed. Caffeine makes me feel like I'm overclocked, but Adderall lets me run tasks async. The latter is so much more preferable for dealing with the demands of life. Medicate at 4pm, then I know I can effortlessly interleave chores, family time, social obligations, and my own creative pursuits. Otherwise I'd spend my evening…

That's pretty interesting, thank you. To me Adderall is a bridge too far though. I don't want to truly medicate (though I guess we can always argue semantics i.e. is getting coffee everyday not like medication?).

I just need something like the Americano every now and then really.

I agree on vigorous exercise completely. My last two jobs have been (well, the current one still is) hugely demanding and that led to me dropping a lot of exercise. Still trying to understand why and to undo that because I gained back 5kg (sigh).

Tried Earl Grey too. It's actually awesome but I must be careful; easy to go above a certain dose that just tires me and makes me crash.

One thing I'll try before considering the coffee machine really seriously: theacrine pills. I'll give them 2-3 weeks and will make a decision.

Re: Habitual coffee intake shapes the microbiome, modifies physiology and cognition

#166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A grande americano at Starbucks is a 16 oz drink with three shots of espresso. Have one in the morning and one in the afternoon and you are at six shots of espresso. That doesn't seem all that enormous to me.

75mg per shot = 450mg caffeine That's a bit over the recommended limit of 400mg a day the Mayo Clinic, FDA, etc. recommend. Not sure it it qualifies as 'enormous' or not.

The amount of caffeine that humans require to live is 0 mg. So ...

Re: Habitual coffee intake shapes the microbiome, modifies physiology and cognition

#167
post #159

After habitually consuming caffeine (not in coffee form) daily, usually multiple times a day, for more than a decade, a horrible mental health incident happened to me that forced me to stop it for a while. Afterwards I didn't resume the habit, and so I no longer have a tolerance. This has let me evaluate what caffeine does with fresh eyes, so to say, because I can now consume it occasionally while having many non-caf…

Can you speak more to the psychoactive and cognition impacts to you in specifics? Very interested. I am a regular coffee drinker, mostly limited to very early morning (e.g. 5-7 am). Also consume celsius here and there when I want to minimize stomach disruption in the morning (e.g. I am about to run). But have also used THC in the past (no longer, major anxiety inducer for me). Alcohol like so many people. And more re…

I had heart/chest pains from Lisdextroamphetamine (ADHD meds) that went away when I stopped drinking coffee. And I drunk very little, just one half cup in the morning.

Much less anxious now too, but that's more likely due to ADHD meds.

Re: Habitual coffee intake shapes the microbiome, modifies physiology and cognition

#168
post #98
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have the same experience, and I drink one cup of coffee (270 ml) almost every day. No agitation, no impulsiveness. I can drink coffee in late evening (let's say 8 pm) and sleep well. I guess I'm trying to say that we should not project our own experience on others, everyone is different.

[flagged]

Only true if they drank a cup of coffee since their earliest memories began.

Re: Habitual coffee intake shapes the microbiome, modifies physiology and cognition

#170
post #164

After habitually consuming caffeine (not in coffee form) daily, usually multiple times a day, for more than a decade, a horrible mental health incident happened to me that forced me to stop it for a while. Afterwards I didn't resume the habit, and so I no longer have a tolerance. This has let me evaluate what caffeine does with fresh eyes, so to say, because I can now consume it occasionally while having many non-caf…

The occasional cup where you can actively feel you don't like it, doesn't sound like a solid analogue to the steady state of daily consumption. I jog every day and enjoy vs I don't exercise but I occasionally sprint and I feel awful after.

GP said they previously had daily consumption.
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