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It’s not a new concept that to reduce total daily calories is to avoid adding sugar, whenever possible, to anything we consume.
Cutting the sweet stuff from hot beverages such as tea and coffee and making it healthier is understandably the best place to begin.
If you’re craving unhealthy foods such as cakes and cookies following your morning cup of coffee it may not be carb addiction but caffeine addiction.
Why Drink Coffee?
Coffee contains many antioxidants and can play a vital role in cancer prevention. Drinking a morning cup of coffee can feel like an indispensable habit given the way it pushes you through your morning rituals and offers a host of health benefits.
If you prepare one cup after another to recharge your caffeine levels, then it will most likely lead to sugary food cravings.
Drinking coffee gets your heart rate up and has the potential to increase weight loss results in the short-term.
With long-term coffee consumption, you can become more tolerant and get hooked on caffeine. Effects of caffeine are usually less pronounced in regular coffee drinkers. Nonetheless, it certainly gives you a boost if you’re after a pre-workout to fuel your workout.
One study found it makes your immune system stronger with a higher consumption of coffee associated with lower risk of death.(1)
In another study containing two groups, one group drank caffeinated coffee and the other drank decaf with sugar added to their drinks.
The people who drank caffeinated coffee considered it less sweet than those who drank decaf, yet the sugar was the same quantity in each cup.(2)
Therefore if you eat food immediately after sipping a caffeinated coffee or other caffeinated beverages, it’s plausible to regard food differently.
This may lead to consuming an additional quantity of sugar in the way of wanting to eat extra food.
Drinking coffee is also beneficial for enhancing your short-term memory and state of well-being. Stimulators received from coffee improves your memory and ability to learn.
Often added to painkillers, the caffeine in coffee can ease migraines and headaches. Be careful though as too much caffeine can also create the same problem in the first place.
Ways to Make Your Coffee Healthier
1. Adding Sugar To Your Coffee
First things first, this goes without saying you want to avoid unnecessary calories so eliminating sugar is a must. Switch to using a small amount natural sweeteners Erythritol or Stevia if you need sweetening up.
Stevia grows from a leaf and is an all natural sweetener source rather than a common artificial sweetener.
Avoid artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, sucralose, and aspartame as your brain will still be craving sugary things. If you insist on artificial sweeteners, change your habit and transition gradually to using tiny quantities.
To make it healthier you may also try adding a small amount of manuka honey or agave, or even blackstrap molasses. The taste can be unusual so you may need some experimenting to see what work’s in replacement to sugar.
2. Creamy Coffee
If you follow a high-fat low sugar regime such as a keto diet, then carbs in milk will add up slowly but surely.
Using a teaspoon of heavy cream or coconut oil will bulk up the fat intake while effectively keeping carbs at zero.
Drinking heavy cream can be an effective strategy to lose weight as it is highly satiating.
Adding a dash of milk may not seem much but calculate how many carbs you’re consuming after a few cups every day for a year. It all, adds up to needless extra calories.
Dairy-free milk such as coconut, soy, rice or Unsweetened Almond Milk is also a useful alternative. Sure you won’t get that creamy texture, but it’s half the calories of cows milk and better for your digestive system if you’re lactose intolerant.
3. Spicing it up
Spices are probably one of the easiest ways to add additional flavor to your cup of coffee while also providing many health benefits.
Add a dash of cocoa powder for a chocolaty taste. Cocoa is good for lowering high blood pressure, bad cholesterol and increases cognitive performance.
It also provides vital minerals such as calcium, zinc, and potassium as well as dietary fiber.
Remember, be sure to buy the healthier unsweetened variety.
Nutmeg freshly grated adds intensity and a hint of earthy sweetness. Nutmeg is an excellent source of minerals and a calorie-free way to add flavor to your cup of coffee.
A popular choice is to add cinnamon. This healthy spice helps maintain blood sugar, improve the bad LDL cholesterol, and it’s a source of iron and vitamins.
Crushing a whole cardamom pod or adding ground cardamom powder to your brew is another healthy option full of vitamins and minerals and dietary fiber. Start slow and adjust the amount accordingly to taste.
4. At the Coffee House
When you’re out and about at your local Starbucks or Costa the best option would be to drink it plain black.
Failing that the safest alternative is to ask for sugar-free syrups and add a dash of spices mentioned above such as cinnamon or nutmeg. Treat yourself when out with friends and family.
Conclusion
To be sure you’re drinking the best quality cup of Joe then choose organic blends such as wild jo whenever possible. Not only is the taste notably finer, but you also won’t be drinking coffee from pesticide sprayed crops. Instant coffee varieties provide lower antioxidants, nutrients and chemical additives.
To be sure you get all the benefits of consuming healthier coffee, it’s best to drink it without any sweeteners including creams, sugar-free syrups, milk or sugar.
Including these only deny its health-boosting properties.
If you add sugar to your brew, it not only gives unnecessary carbs to count but it raises insulin resistance and puts you in jeopardy of chronic illnesses.
Not only are sugar-free sweeteners choices packed with chemicals, they frequently contain synthetic sweeteners including Splenda or Sucralose.
These artificial sweeteners can cause migraines, diabetes, diarrhea and digestive issues amongst other things.
Eliminating caffeine from your diet is a challenging thing to do. If you feel addicted, try cutting down or drinking de-caffeinated if possible but as long as you have a healthy diet in place then have no concerns and enjoy yourself.
Everyone needs to relax somehow.
Explore your love of coffee by trying a variety of different beans. Learn the different textures, aroma, and caffeine content. It all make each delicious cuppa more refreshing.
What are your favorite ways to make the coffee habit healthier?
