Dear Sun Spots: I am looking for a product by the name of Postum. It is a coffee-like beverage. I used to be able to purchase it at Wal-Mart. The last time I tried to get it, I was told that they no longer carried that product. – Heidi, Greene.

Dear Sun Spots: I am a faithful reader of Sun Spots and I know you help lots of people. I can’t have any caffeine, so I enjoy Postum instead of coffee, but the local stores are not carrying it anymore. Can you please tell me where I can find it? – Wanda, Auburn.

Answer: Postum is a powdered roasted grain beverage that was sold by the Kraft Foods company as a coffee substitute. According to a January article from the Adventist News Network, Kraft Foods stopped making it in the fall of 2007 because the demand for it was so low.

Postum was created in 1895 by C.W. Post who stumbled upon the recipe while he was a patient at Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. The article explains that “Post was a charity patient at the Battle Creek Sanitarium when Harvey Kellogg was there. He was snooping around the kitchen and discovered that Kellogg was making a caramel cereal coffee. Kellogg is reputed not to have minded when Post took the recipe. He said ‘so much the better if it helps people’s health,’ having no idea that it would make Post so much money.”

Made of wheat bran, wheat, molasses, and corn dextrin, Postum was considered a “healthier” drink. It did not cause the jittery side effects that coffee gave some people.

Postum can still be found on eBay, where unopened jars are being sold for around $20. One seller is offering 6 jars for $155.

Another alternative is Teeccino, an herbal coffee. We corresponded with a spokesperson from the company who mentioned that they have had many people convert to Teeccino after drinking Postum. They are offering a free sample on their Web site, www.teeccino.com or you can call a customer service representative at 1-800-498-3434 and mention that you read about the sample in this column. You may purchase it locally at Axis Natural Foods, 250 Center St., Auburn. It is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

Dear Sun Spots: You have helped so many people, and I am one of them. You helped me to get some puzzles. I had a great response. This time I am in need of a walker with brakes and a seat. I have an aluminum one and I keep falling with it as it is not solid. Medicare will not pay for another one as it has not been long enough since I got this one.

I am on low income and cannot afford on. My caregiver will pick it up if I can find someone who has one to give me. I would be able to take short walks and sit in between my walk as my legs don’t hold me up that good. I would appreciate any help I could get in finding a walker with brakes and a seat. My phone number is 753-1163. – No Name, Auburn.



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