Lower Coffee Calories

Seemingly small indulgences can really add up. Coffee, for example, can add extra calories to your day before your brain is even awake enough to realize what’s happening. It’s all about making tiny changes, let’s learn to start the day right by cutting unwanted calories from our morning indulgence.

Now, I need coffee every morning, so simply switching to something else is not an option. Plus, studies have shown that drinking coffee can lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, colon cancer and heart disease. That’s good news for something I do daily, anyway.

So let me reiterate: Every morning, I need coffee. Without it, I can’t function before 10 a.m. Recently, at our favorite corporate neighborhood coffee shop, a friend of mine ordered a cookie-candy-caramel-sugar-whipped-mocha-choco-latte. It was dessert in a cup — for breakfast.

This morning monstrosity weighed in at 400 calories, plus whipped topping, according to the company’s Web site. I had a regular coffee. Three sugars, one cream — roughly 100 calories.

Upon further investigation, we found that both of us were brewing up potential weight gain with our morning caffeine kick. So how can you enjoy your cup o’ joe and avoid unwanted calories?

Black and Brew
Taking your coffee black is the best way to get the caffeine without the calories. A cup of coffee contains 5-15 calories per cup — next to nothing. If you can get used to your coffee sans sugar and cream, you can drink it regularly without any guilt.

If you take your coffee with sugar, however, add 16 calories per teaspoon; small sugar packets are about one teaspoon of sugar. Try using sugar substitutes if you want to save even more calories. The fat in your morning mug comes not from the sugar, but from the cream.

One tablespoon of nondairy creamer has a mere 20 calories and 1 gram of fat. And since it doesn’t require refrigeration, you can keep it on hand just about anywhere. Switching to fat-free milk is another easy option to lighten up your java. You’ll save 8 grams of fat per cup and get even more calcium.

To make the change even less noticeable, follow the advice of registered dietitian Nicole Bengtson, LD/N: “If you’re used to using regular milk or half and half in your coffee drinks, switch to 2 percent milk for a few weeks before changing to fat-free milk or nondairy creamer. It’ll be such a gradual change that you won’t even miss the extra calories and fat.”

Desserts don’t belong at the breakfast table, so skip the chocolate, caramel, cookie crumbles and whipped cream with your coffee. A tablespoon of whipped cream will tack on an additional 50 calories and 6 grams of fat to your drink.

Sweet syrups like hazelnut, French vanilla and Irish cream can tack on 80 calories to an already high-calorie morning pick-me-up. If sugar-free flavored syrups aren’t available, don’t worry. You can still jazz up your coffee by sprinkling in some cinnamon. The mild sweetness of this spice complements the rich coffee flavor and makes ordinary coffee taste gourmet. Now that’s a great way to start your day!

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