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?!

Sorry didn’t RTFT.

I’d print off an article on the fats/oil issue and leave it on his desk, with an empty packet of the coffee thingos next to it. In case he has no idea. Or tell his partner at the Xmas party and then leave it.

In my 20’s I created a whole fake ‘corporate health’ newsletter to leave on a colleague’s desk, just to get the message about ‘stale coffee breath’ across. These newsletters were a real trend then. He took the advice, and I got to hear about everyone’s relief. Never told a soul. Makes me laugh now, but it did the trick beautifully!

Is this you?

I think it's how you'd come across if you opened your trap.

YANBU, OP, I would want to know if I were your colleague. My boss has gout, I told him he should drink cherry juice and cut down on certain foods, you would think he would know this but no, actually he didn’t. He followed my advice and hasn’t had an attack in years. All those saying you will come across as a know all clearly don’t know how to communicate with tact and discretion. My boss was v grateful for my advice as I know your colleague will be; its all about the delivery

I'm a bit addicted to Pepsi Max. I know it's bad for me. It fucks me off beyond belief when people at work feel the need to comment like I'm too thick to realise. Ideally I would like to stop - but not because Carol from accounts is clucking at me. Carol who incidentally drinks a bottle of wine a night (I don't drink alcohol).

It stresses me out and the more I'm stressed the more I rely on it. It's not helpful keep your patronising beak out.

I would personally mention it somehow without causing issue or making it sound like you're patronising etc.

I drink plenty of coffee. Real bean to cup. I'm abroad and bought some sachet coffee, no I haven't read the ingredients and bothered to Google them into English. The coffee is nice enough, usually I'm too much of a snob to have anything but freshly ground beans made into a latte or cappuccino etc. I got tired of grinding beans in a small machine, using a moka pot lol so I tried the sachets.

Now I'm going to have a look at the back of my packet too, it's like an instant iced coffee sachet I honestly didn't even know of said ingredient and I was never exposed because at home I have a bean to cup machine. If I was accidentally drinking that ingredient I'll be mortified.

Thanks for this post anyway as I learnt something new today

Thanks @IncrediblySadToo That’s nice of you.
And thanks to others who have said they’d like to know and realise I’m not banging on about coffee in general or caffeine, sugar, nicotine ‘insert other naughty substance’

Hahaha @BadLad That’s funny Quite a likeness!

@BossAssBitch interesting about the gout, see that’s the kind of thing I’d find helpful too, someone said earlier they are sick of how the world is now because we’re all worried about certain foods but I also think the world could be better if people were ok with communicating things like this with each other.
What I mean is if some people were less sensitive to information sharing that would benefit each other, I KNOW that no matter how I frame it I’m going to come across as a know it all but it’s a shame because it could help this guy like it helped your boss.

@Alexel glad it’s helped!! I hope it’s not in your coffees

@Skittlesandbeer that fake corporate newsletter is amazing!!! I might try that one