To tell colleague his coffee is bad for him?

[BeautyThief]

It sounds bad I know, but we have a coffee machine in the office that we rent. I read the ingredients in the powdered milk that makes the coffees and the main one is hydrogenated vegetable oil. It’s supposed to be really bad for us and has been banned in some countries. He has about 4 cups of it every day, I know because I’m right next to the machine. He has heart problems and is on medication for these and is in his early sixties.

I don’t particularly get on with him and are not that friendly but I can’t help but worry when I see him drinking all that coffee! It’s ridiculous isn’t it? But that oil can’t be doing him much good...should I mention it?!

If he was my husband I'd be grateful for you having a quiet word with him about the hydrogenated fat in this "lovely" coffee he likes so much .
Unfortunately he is probably in denial about his underlying medical condition . Your concern does you a lot of credit - sone of the vituperative responses leave me breathless - and some posts make it clear it's the caffeine they think you are concerned about . Stick to your principles. Better than nailing your colours firmly to the fence !

Honestly OP I think you’ve been given a bad time here. You sound lovely to me. The way I look at it if he’s a grump anyway you’ve nothing to lose. It IS bad for you, so is the liquid non dairy stuff. I think I’d just come right out with it and say you know it isn’t any of your business, and then tell him. It’s not like you are going to ruin a friendship. Tell him then forget it. But I know I’m in the minority here.

I come at this from the perspective of someone with a chronic disease (ulcerative colitis). It is basically irresistible for some people to give me diet advice. I cannot tell you how often I have been told that Aunt Annie cured her colitis by cutting out dairy, gluten, meat, fish, cereal and everything else at one point or another. I am recommended to try the paleo, the vegan, the fruitarian, the keto, the anti-inflammatory, etc etc etc diet and to try a list of supplements as long as your arm. I must confess having tried many of these things.

I know they mean well but honestly it gives me the rage. My favourite come back now is to tell them I would eat nothing but sawdust if it would cure this dastardly disease.

You are obviously a caring person op, but I would not say anything directly targeted at your co worker. He may actually have very low cholesterol etc due to medication. Diet is seldom enough. It is hard enough to have a chronic health problem without others judging your food choices.

But you could raise this in a more general way. In the lunch room where I work people talk about nutrition a lot. Sometimes it is annoying, for example when our anti-salt crusader gets going on pre-made weight watcher meals etc., but mostly it is ok. It could be an interesting conversation...

Another Diet Coke guzzler here. Someone once sent me a link to an article about how bad it is for me. As if I didn’t know! So patronising. I mean we all know loads of stuff is bad for us but people still drink, smoke, eat crap. Just leave it OP.

Honestly leave it . You aren’t great mates . He won’t want to hear it from you.

God, food police are tedious in the extreme. Who even notices all this shit that other people who don't live with you are doing? Get a life!

Unfortunately he is probably in denial about his underlying medical condition.

Oh, please! He's an adult. My BIL has a heart condition that is not from blocked arteries, in fact, they cannot figure out what is from, hence, it is 'idiopathic'. It's entirely possible this man is the same.

What Teatea said.

I think some folk have read your OP as if you're being the caffeine police, but you're not - it's the hydrogenated vegetable oil you're talking about which is nasty stuff. I think it's nice you're concerned about a colleague.

I wouldn't say anything, but only because I think the amounts in the powdered milk will be so relatively small it'd be highly unlikely I'd have thought to cause harm. I feel like I should call you a bastard and tell you to fuck off now, as that seems to be the way we're talking to each other on here judging by some of the posts

Gotta die of something.

Not to him but I would mention it to facilities/ office manager so they can do a risk assessment.

That’s a good idea @runoutofnamechanges I’ll maybe consider mentioning it to our manager again but within earshot of colleague.
I admit I didn’t know that about fully hydrogenated oils

Thank you @MrsRufusdog789 and @TowerRavenSeven for your kind words! And for hopefully seeing that I’m not some busybody desperate to get my view across. I’m like a mouse at work I barely speak but my colleagues are so chatty I just get drowned out so keep to myself.

Yes I think some posters think I’m bothered about the caffeine - no way, I consume too much caffeine myself and eat too much sugar but I know it’s bad and still make that choice.

@tryingtobebetterallthetime I understand what you’re saying. There’s nothing worse than someone telling us what we should do about OUR illnesses. I speak as someone with chronic illnesses also and someone who has to listen to similar things as you do - ironically enough sometimes from my colleagues 😂 I don’t want to be like that at all!

@ThirstyGhost yep it does seem the way on here these days sigh
I’ve been on mn for years under many name changes and have noticed lately the desire to be nasty is overwhelming in some posters.

Thanks for deciding NOT to tell me to fuck off

We don't know whether this man is aware of the possible health risks or not. . .and it is absolutely none of your business in any case! You've said yourself you have OCD esp around food, this is very much YOUR problem, not his. He isn't a relative, you're not a doctor, he hasn't asked you for information or advice about this stuff so. . . back off.

No-one likes the food police. I knew someone once who was obsessed about sugar (and I do mean obsessed): she would not leave anyone alone about it, spent a lot of time sniffing round the kitchen, checking up on what people had bought, what they were putting in certain recipes. And no-one liked her. Take note.

However well-intentioned you are, it is still completely inappropriate to go whining and plucking at people's sleeves over their food choices in the workplace. If your colleagues or anyone else want to hear your opinion, they will ask for it.

You really need to do the job you're paid to do rather than being the office irritant. Who on earth do you think you are?

My sister, much as I love her goes through food 'revelations' so one time I'll be greeted with her announcement that coffee is so bad for me she'd rather I chain smoked than ever touched caffeine, another time she's forgotten all about that & vegan is the only way to be, then teetotal, then not, another day she's at the door with a McDonald's in one hand & a litre of cola in the other spouting off about the healing power of goji berries or whatever.

I know she means well but it drives me mad & if I didn't love her I'd tell her where to shove her opinions.

Leave the guy alone.

Haven't even read the thread but please OP, don't be an absolute fucking douchebag

I think I’ve totally given the wrong impression of myself in this thread. I’m not the office irritant believe me, I’m the quietist and least likely to put my opinion across, and outside of work I never make any comments about what people consume, it’s truly because I think there’s a chance he doesn’t know what he’s drinking and I had it in my head from years ago that this oil is very bad for our hearts.

The coffees he likes are the lattes, obviously very milky and are going to have this oil in - 4 times a day 5 days a week just makes me worry and I know it sounds ridiculous! Like I said we don’t even get on and I have no ulterior motive to say this to him.

It would make people’s opinions of me go down which isn’t really great so that proves it’s not for my benefit that I’d tell him. However I’ve taken everyone’s opinions on board and I’ll just mention it to the manager again in front of him casually, because tbh I’d like to drink the coffee but don’t because of the oil.

Are you in perfect health OP?

Absolutely not @chesterdraws1

@Snugglepumpkin that sounds really annoying and stressful actually.

It is ridiculous.
Don’t mention it.
You worry about what you consume and leave him to it. Don’t mention it to a manager and FFS don’t ask them to do a risk assessment on it like a PP suggested. You’ll sound like a loon.

Coffee Mate
Glucose Syrup, Palm Oil, Milk Proteins, Stabilisers (Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Sodium Citrate), Acidity Regulator (Dipotassium Phosphate), Emulsifiers (Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Ester of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Anti-Caking Agent (Silicon Dioxide), Colour: Riboflavin

What next?
Scrutinise the biscuit tin or confiscate the muffins?
Worry about your own diet and health and leave the poor bloke to enjoy his coffee.

Nah, it comes from a good place if you're concerned for his health but at the end of the day he is an adult and it can come across funny to some people.

Why are you so concerned with whether your colleague is making a 'fully informed' decision to drink coffee. Whether he has read all the ingredients and studied the health effects of each in detail or couldn't give a fig and just wants to enjoy a coffee - it's his choice, leave him in peace and try to back off from worrying so much about the choices of other adults.