I just got a job at an Espresso Bar and I'm a little confused and am still trying to figure out how to stay primal amongst all this new food which comes at a discount to me as an employee.

The "duh" things are to avoid are all syrups (Man made carbs) the crackers in the "Cheese and Cracker" snacks (maybe even the cheese too), and of course ALL the pastries like the bagels, muffins, cake, etc. I don't even miss the pastries anymore, but the cheese still calls me.

I am still a little lost on the whole Caffiene, coffee, and Espresso, and here's my dillemma. I am VERY fortunate to have this new job in this economic climate, and I'm determined to be the best employee I can be. Throughout the day however, we are REQUIRED to perform quality checks on the Espresso, with TASTE being the ultimate test, despite the previous things we check like; 1) Grams dispensed is correct 2) Tamped to 40 Lbs 3) Water level 4) Brew time. This is something I'd normally skip alongside Grok, unless he DID eat these beans on occaision. I don't know.

For now, I have decided to limit my tasting of Espresso to THE SMALLEST SIP, just to taste for quality. I HAVE to do this along side my boss who stands right next to me, sipping on the other shot. I HAVE to develop my tongue for Espresso. I must also sip on the Sugary drinks I am asked to sample, so I can describe the taste to customers, and this occurs up to 5 times a shift. With these, I also have limited myself to sips alongside another employee. I try to make up for this by always staying active wiping down tables, restocking, cleaning this, doing that, taking out trash, and the like. There's always something to be done and I am literally always moving.

There's nothing I can do aside from what I'm doing with the sugary drinks, but my question is: Do I worry about the espresso? Or is it even GOOD for a diet? I just looked up espresso on


and they give it an "A" rating saying it's high in iron, manganese, and all sorts of other things. It was actually paradigm changer if I'm completely wrong. In TPBP Mark lists caffiene under things to do in moderation or "cut out if you are persuing ambitious weight loss goals". My goal is a six pack, and I don't want espresso to interfere. I would imagine I'm fine so long as I don't take full shots and trigger and adrenaline fight or flight cortisol fat storing response. Someone please clear me up here.

-Chris, Biochemist in Training