This post has been updated from its original post date to include more information from experts.
Your morning cup of coffee can provide countless health benefits (in addition to helping you get through the day!). Many of them are weight loss benefits; health experts agree that drinking coffee in the morning can, among other things, aid digestion. “It may be beneficial by supplying the body with antioxidants, acting as a diuretic and improving bowel movements in people with digestive problems,” Trista Bestdietitian at balance one explain.
But, like everything you eat and drink, adding certain ingredients to your coffee can interfere with its benefits. We spoke with Best, Lisa Richardsregistered nutritionist and author of The Candida DietAnd Dana Ellis Hunnesregistered dietitian at UCLA Medical Center, about the coffee mistakes you should avoid losing weight. When brewing this cup of coffee they say to avoid adding refined sugar, sweet syrupAnd flavored creamer. Find out more below!
LEARN MORE: Doctors Agree: Why People Who Drink It In The Morning Have Trouble Losing Weight
1. Refined sugar
This one seems obvious, but adding sugar to sweeten the taste of your morning coffee can slow down your weight loss effortsBest advises, “That’s because sugar-laden coffee can increase weight gain and glucose even more when consumed early in the day.”
How bad is that? “Morning coffee filled with sugar and sweet creams will set the tone for cravings and food preferences for the rest of the day,” she warns. “Rising glucose first thing in the morning causes an insulin response and an inevitable crash. This cycle will lead to overeating, mostly refined carbohydrates and sugar, irritability and fatigue.” Ouch! All of this contributes to high blood sugar and weight gain.
2. Sweet syrups
Hunnes also points out that adding processed flavored syrup to your coffee negates the nutritional value of plain black coffee. “When you go to your favorite cafe, many of the syrups they add have a lot of sugar in them, which can add a lot of extra calories,” she notes. Hunnes points out that you might not even realize how many extra calories a coffee drink can contain. “A black coffee on its own is zero calories,” she notes, but “the syrups and creams used, plus any whipped toppings, can bring this zero-calorie drink now closer to 300. or 400 calories,” she adds. “It’s practically a meal,” she said. Ouch!
3. Sweet creams
Finally, there’s another ingredient you’ll want to avoid: all those tasty creamers. As much as we hate to say it, creams can be seriously detrimental to your overall health and weight loss plans. “Although it’s common, adding cream is also a way for calories, sugar and fat to sneak into our diets and it adds up quickly,” says Richards. Say it’s not!
But, Best warns that you shouldn’t think herbal creams are the way to go, either. Best says these can be even worse than their dairy counterparts. “Often, plant-based creamers can be just as, if not more, high in calories than regular dairy creamers,” she says. “The added sugars in these creamers should also be considered when brewing your coffee. An unnecessary amount of calories, fat, and added sugars are found in most coffee creamers, regardless of their base. “
The essential
Overall, it’s important to be careful about the ingredients you add to your cup of coffee. While a little cream, syrup, or sugar once in a while isn’t a problem, adding large amounts of sugary ingredients to your coffee can have a myriad of negative impacts on your health and plans. of weight loss. So, it is better to just sip black coffee if you want to lose weight. Your body will thank you!