If you are an everyday coffee drinker, you’ve probably considered the health repercussions it has.
Does coffee have calories? How can you reduce the amount of sugar and calories in your morning drink to make it better for your health?
This article will thoroughly explore the calories in every type of coffee and inform you how to make it healthier and fit your lifestyle.
With the countless benefits coffee has, it is vital to find a healthy way to add it to your diet.
Does Coffee Have Calories?
Plain coffee by itself contains very low calories at about 2 calories per 8 ounces cup.
A teaspoon of sugar adds 16 calories, and a teaspoon of milk adds 2 calories.
Roasted coffee beans provide very low calories.
How Many Calories Are in Coffee?
By itself, coffee has zero calories. Calories are added when milk or sugar is added.
Espresso coffee is more concentrated and can contain up to 20 calories per serving.
Are There Any Calories in Black Coffee?
Black coffee, whether it is hot coffee or iced coffee, has very close to 0 calories. If milk or sugar are added, then there are calories.
Calories in Coffee With Sweeteners
Low-calorie sweeteners contain fewer calories than sugar. They are increasingly popular for those wishing to watch their weight. Splenda packets that contain sucralose are about 3 calories. Sweeteners with aspartame or Saccharin contain 4 calories, while fructose contains 11.
Sweeteners are a sensible way to make coffee taste sweeter while keeping the calories and sugar content relatively low. These are usually used by those wishing to lose weight or watch their sugar intake.
Calories in Coffee with Honey
Honey is a great way to add flavor to coffee while also providing vitamins and nutrients that sugar does not. These include antioxidants and pollen. Honey still contains a high amount of sugar.
1 teaspoon of honey adds 20 calories and 6 grams of sugar, which is more than using plain sugar, suggesting that honey is not the healthiest or lowest calorie option to add to coffee.
Calories in Coffee With Sugar
1 teaspoon of sugar adds 16 calories and 4 grams of sugar. How many teaspoons are added will decide how many calories are in the coffee. If used in small amounts, sugar will not add a high amount of calories to your coffee drink.
The Reason for No Calories in Coffee
Coffee beans have low calories because they require very little energy to function. They are small beans that are sprouted and therefore contain a very little amount of calories. Coffee is created from beans, resulting in a very low-calorie drink.
How Does Coffee Affect Weight?
In a study conducting if coffee consumption affects Type 2 Diabetes, researchers found that drinking four cups of coffee daily can reduce body fat by 4%. Caffeine increases metabolism, which forces the body to burn more calories.
Can Coffee Cause Weight Gain?
If someone is ingesting more calories than their body burns, they will be gaining weight. High-calorie coffee drinks with lots of extra cream and sugar can cause this.
Since it is a drink rather than food, people don’t think about the sugar or calories they are consuming. These two drinks can range anywhere from 500 to 1000 calories, increasing their daily calorie intake by a lot. Decide your daily calorie count and fit in your coffee appropriately.
Another factor to consider is the effect that coffee has on sleep. Taking caffeine hours before bed can result in lost sleep. Not getting adequate sleep results in weight gain. Try to only have coffee in the morning or afternoons to help with this.
For some people, caffeine may decrease insulin sensitivity. Caffeine also messes with cortisol levels which can lead to weight gain. Caffeine elevates cortisol levels which cause the body to store belly fat.
Coffee is linked to an increase in sugar cravings. It can also mess with the taste buds, making food and drinks taste less sweet. When foods don’t taste as sweet, it makes us crave more sweets.
Drinking coffee first thing in the morning can lead to overeating later in the day, which happens because of caffeine’s appetite suppressant properties which can aid in weight loss.
Is Coffee Good For Weight Loss?
Yes, coffee has almost as few calories as water as long as high amounts of sugar and milk are not added. Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, which sends signals to fat cells and breaks them down. Epinephrine or adrenaline helps with this process.
Coffee also suppresses appetite. By reducing the hormone that is associated with hunger, Ghrelin, coffee reduces appetite.
Caffeine targets brown adipose tissue in the body, which is the fat that burns calories. By stimulating this tissue, more fat is burned.
Caffeine also reduces water retention in the body. Water retention or edema is swelling that happens when the body holds onto fluids. The body is unable to store caffeine and rather excretes it through urination.
Since caffeine has a diuretic effect, it helps the body alleviate water retention when there is an increased output of fluids. Caffeine also promotes thermogenesis which causes the body to sweat more and give off even more fluids.
Losing these fluids prevents water retention, which can lead to bloating and weight gain. Drinking too much caffeine can lead to dehydration and have the opposite effect.
Caffeine May Boost Metabolism
Caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called adenosine, increasing the firing of neurons and the release of dopamine and norepinephrine. By waking the user and increasing the feeling of awakeness, they can go harder in the gym.
Building more muscle in the gym is related to fat loss, and the more muscle on the body, the more body fat that it naturally burns. The extra energy boost from caffeine can also be used to do cardio for longer periods, burning more fat, which is why caffeine is very popular in pre-workout supplements.
Caffeine increases basal metabolic rate, which is the rate your body burns calories at rest. A showed that those who drank coffee over two months had greater metabolites in their body. These help the metabolism to burn more calories during the day.
Caffeine May Reduce Your Appetite
Chlorogenic acids in coffee suppress appetite, making the consumer not as hungry. By eating less, weight loss is a lot easier. Caffeine acts on ghrelin and leptin peptides in the body. Ghrelin is responsible for stimulating appetite, and leptin decreases food intake.
Do Hot Coffee’s Burn Calories?
It doesn’t matter if coffee is hot or cold. Its weight loss effects will be the same. Coffee will boost the process of thermogenesis in the body, which is a metabolic process where the body burns calories to produce heat. The burning of calories is the goal when trying to burn fat.
What’s the Healthiest Way to Drink Coffee?
The healthiest way to drink coffee is to have it black as it has the lowest amount of calories and zero sugar. If black coffee is a little too extreme, there are still ways to enjoy your coffee healthily.
Purchasing a coffee maker and making your own coffee at home is much healthier as you can control what you put into it. When eating out, check the nutrition facts of the coffee you are consuming.
Plant, nut-based, or coconut milk does not contain as much fat and calories as regular milk. Nonfat milk is also available. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cacao are great, healthy ways to increase flavor while keeping the sugar and fat content very low.
While caffeine does have plenty of health and weight loss benefits, high amounts are dangerous. The recommended daily dosage of caffeine consumption should not exceed 400 mg, which is about 4 cups of coffee.
Consider any other caffeinated beverages or supplements you are using, such as energy drinks or workout supplements. Stay away from whipped cream and bulletproof coffee as they contain high calorie and sugar contents.
Best Ways to Reduce Calories in Coffee
Consider adding cinnamon, sweeteners, low-calorie almond or nut kinds of milk, or vanilla extract. These are all low-calorie options that still add flavor to coffee. There are many different brands of low-calorie sweeteners and many kinds of milk to add to coffee.
When you order coffee from a coffee shop, look at the menu for low sugar options. Switch out regular milk for unsweetened nut milk or skim milk. Skimmed milk has a lot fewer calories than 2% milk.
Try drinking matcha green tea. This low-calorie beverage still provides some caffeine and is rich in antioxidants, promotes heart health, and even promotes weight loss. By switching out your coffee for green tea, you are saving on a considerable amount of calories.
Ensure that you are not adding high amounts of sugar or milk into your green tea.
Flavoring the rind of your coffee can work wonders for increasing the taste while keeping the calories low. Rub an orange peel around the rim of the coffee cup to add flavor. Consider trying flavored coffee beans. They utilize natural extracts like vanilla for taste rather than sugar.
If you currently are putting two cream and two sugar in your coffee, consider slightly cutting back. Start by having one cream and one sugar every day until you are used to it, and then you can try it black.
Wrapping Up
Coffee is a very popular drink that over 60% of people drink daily. With caffeine being such a prevalent ingredient, it is important to consider the effects it has on health. The benefits of caffeine make it worth drinking in small amounts. By not putting too many extra calories and sugar in your coffee, it will allow you to enjoy its benefits.
