How to Make Your Morning Cup of Coffee Healthier

By MC Kelby HERWriter

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How You Can Make Your Morning Cup of Coffee Healthier

Elena Elisseeva/PhotoSpin

The aroma of coffee floating up to the second floor of my house is my alarm clock. We don’t need to set the alarm in our house when we have the smell of fresh brewed hot coffee waiting for us in our kitchen.

For many, coffee starts their day or in some cases jumpstarts their day. But, have you ever stopped to think how many calories and grams of fat are in your morning coffee?

Mine is always in a huge mug with sugar and 1 percent milk. My 16-ounce drink is virtually calorie free, but cream and sugar add to the calorie and fat content.

A tablespoon of cream along with 16 calories per teaspoon of sugar is 52 calories. So my coffee is now approximately 136 calories, give or take the speed of pouring cream in the early morning.

However, if you invade the local coffee shop in the morning for a fancy cup of joe, the calories and fat might increase, as well. For example, if you order a 16-ounce pumpkin spice latte with 2 percent milk, you are ingesting 310 calories and 6 grams of fat.

If you want to cut back on the calories and fat by purchasing a 12-ounce cup with nonfat milk, this will reduce the calories to 200, and zero grams of fat. Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to portion sizes.

Here are some tips to make your cup of coffee healthier:

• Reduce the size of your coffee.

• Experiment with a premium coffee.

• Try decaf coffee to reduce insulin resistance.

• Use non-fat milk, skim-milk or a non-fat creamer.

• Use a non-nutritive sweetener.

• Try tea or green coffee.

• Avoid flavored syrups as they loaded with calories and fat.

My husband and I tend to splurge on Hawaiian Kona coffee and the flavor is so rich that you don’t need to add sugar or cream.

Also, try a green or rooibos tea in the morning. Most tea shops will let you sample their teas.

For those of you who are watching your weight and need your morning coffee, one of my nurse friends only drinks half a cup of black coffee every morning with her breakfast.

She saves the other half of her coffee for her mid-day pick-me up when she is on the hospital floor or before her workout. She says that a full cup of coffee is overkill and half a cup is just enough.

Sources:

Starbuck nutrition chart:
http://www.starbucks.com/menu/catalog/nutrition?drink=all#drink=all&page=2

Samuels, Mike. "Is Coffee Good or Bad for Losing Weight?"LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 05 Mar. 2014. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/427532-is-coffee-good-or-bad-for-losing-weight

Wile, Elise. "Is Coffee Good to Drink While Dieting?" LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 18 Dec. 2013. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/458289-is-coffee-good-to-drink-while-dieting

Reviewed November 3, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.