Problems With Coffee?

[waterlily-]

I haven't been drinking coffee for the past few months because I felt sick from it. It's not flavored or anything, just regular cheap coffee, with milk and sugar. Lately I've tried drinking it again and I get EXTREMELY bad gas pains to the point where I can't move or breathe and I still have that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Is this gluten related or what? Does anyone else have this problem?

[cassP]

coffee can be a HUGE irritant to the intestines (for some people). im addicted to it now- and cant go to the bathroom without it. but when i first started drinking it- (or if i overdo it in one day)- i get MAJOR "D"... and pain.

i also get queasy if i overdo it.

so, the coffee could be irritating you- or even the milk in it. i THINK the only possibility of glutening is if you got a "flavored" coffee... or if someone crosscontaminated your cup or pot.

[luvs2eat]

Going gluten free wasn't too hard. Having to eliminate dairy was REALLY hard. I've learned to drink my coffee black. If I had to give up coffee... I think I'd really have to take the gas pipe!!

I put my coffee into a travel cup for a few weeks so I couldn't see it... that's how I went from coffee w/ milk to black coffee.

I'm so sorry you can't drink coffee. Maybe switching to tea might be better?

[dilettantesteph]

I had problems with coffee (instant). I'm very sensitive. I found that if I get organic beans and wash them with soap and rinse well, I don't get sick. I'm not sure if all that is necessary. I didn't try it without.

[cassP]

I had problems with coffee (instant). I'm very sensitive. I found that if I get organic beans and wash them with soap and rinse well, I don't get sick. I'm not sure if all that is necessary. I didn't try it without.

i had heard that the instant coffee had traces of gluten..??

[Lisa]

Maybe it's not the coffee, but the milk in your coffee. Dairy can have a "gluten-like" effect on some, until healing can take place.

[burdee]

Caffeine is one of the substances which can relax esophageal sphincter and cause reflux. So anyone with heartburn, reflux, etc. may want to substitute herbal teas. Even decaf coffee has enough caffeine to exacerbate heartburn for some people.

[Skylark]

Coffee is a pretty major GI irritant. Before I healed there were times I had to switch to tea for a while.

I've read posts where some people have had trouble with ground coffee. It's hard to know why - the best guess is that some flavors have gluten in them and it gets on the grinder. Can you buy whole beans and grind them yourself? Also go for a darker roast, as it's less acidic.

If three is a Peet's in your area, there is no gluten in any of their coffees so you can get a cup to see whether it's the coffee or hidden gluten. Not sure I'd trust Starbuck's for a really thorough test as they keep doing weird corporate "wiggle" language about gluten.

[waterlily-]

I can see how it would irritate the gut because it's healing. But, how would the dairy affect it when you mix it in the coffee? And how could I drink it before I went gluten-free?

What if I ground my own coffee, would that make a difference?

About milk, most kinds of milk you buy like in Walmart (for a universal example) makes me sick. I'm guessing it has something to do with the processing it goes through, I don't know. The milk I can drink by the cup fulls is Fieldcrest brand. (not sure if you can only get this here in Florida but I thought I'd put that out there) So I can't see how the dairy could be affecting me when I can eat dairy products fine if they're from certain brands. Why this is I have no idea.

[Skylark]

If you could drink it before, I'd try grinding your own coffee from a known gluten-free brand like Peet's. Coffee tastes better freshly ground anyway.

As for the milk, is Fieldcrest antibiotic or hormone free? Some people aren't sensitive to the milk itself, but to the antibiotics in it. Cows on hormones tend to be sicker and given more antibiotics. You might try other kinds of organic dairy.

[grainfree]

I haven't been drinking coffee for the past few months because I felt sick from it. It's not flavored or anything, just regular cheap coffee, with milk and sugar. Lately I've tried drinking it again and I get EXTREMELY bad gas pains to the point where I can't move or breathe and I still have that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Is this gluten related or what? Does anyone else have this problem?

Welcome. Yes, I did, after switching to a cheaper brand of ground coffee. I took this to mean that I should decrease my coffee consumption and have subsequently increased my water intake (to about 2 liters per day) and find the craving for coffee dissipating. I have also heard about gluten in instant coffee. As Lisa has posted about dairy being the problem; many of my GI upsets vanished when I eliminated dairy from my diet.

The good news, waterlily, is that the gluten free diet will lead to a healthier diet overall. After almost one year gluten free (with two accidental glutenings, one of them from flavored coffee, the other from a crouton) I find that my diet is very much the same as pre gluten free (same likes and dislikes of foods) with only the need to eliminate certain food items. Your body will adjust. Hope the additional information helped. Please seek additional advice should you need to; a beverage should not cause you to not breathe. Be well, and all the best.