As you may know, my wife and I are the proud owners of Morena Espresso, a cafe/coffee shop here on the Gold Coast, Australia.
It’s our baby, we built it up from nothing, so let’s just say…
Coffee is a VERY important subject to us!
A few of my clients have started training with me after our conversations at the cafe, others have become regulars after training with me.
It’s awesome being able to split my time between coaching people to achieve their health and fitness goals and my passion for brewing a great cup of coffee!
The funny thing that not too many people know about baristas, we know most of you by your coffee order not your name.
So when someone comes in and asks for something other than their usual we notice.
Recently one of our regulars came in and asked for a long black instead of her usual oat latte, I had to ask why.
Her response “I’ve got a spare tire around my waist now! It’s got to be the oat milk!”.
I was impressed that she had narrowed it down to this tiny detail of her diet.
And while I think there are a few more things at play than just the milk in her coffee, it brings up the point.
Is our choice of coffee making us gain weight?
So, does drinking coffee cause weight gain?
The short answer, Yes.
When you compare the 200+ calories that come with 12-ounce coffee on full cream milk, to the 4 calories in an americano/long black you can see why drinking coffee can cause weight gain.
A standard 12 ounce coffee on full cream milk has around 200-240 calories, 11g of fat, 15g of carbs, and 11g of protein.
And while that might not seem like much, it adds up fast.
How many of you can honestly say you just have one cup a day?
I know I don’t.
The calories we drink are doing more damage than we think.
But that’s not to say you have to switch to drinking your coffee black.
If we look at low-fat cow’s milk with 100 calories and 4g of fats, 13g of carbs, and 8g of protein we’re already cutting our numbers back a lot.
But things start to get really interesting when we go to our plant-based milk options.
Almond milk is fairly easy to make, the process consists of blending almonds and water and then straining the mixture.
Almond milk has become a popular milk alternative.
Being high in nutrients and low in calories you can see why.
30 cal, 2.5g fats, 1g carbs, and 1g protein
Coconut milk follows a similar process to almond milk.
After soaking the grated flesh of the coconut in hot water.
And removing the cream that floats to the surface, the remaining liquid is strained and the coconut milk is left.
It may be higher in fats but these fats have been shown to lower bad cholesterol and improve good cholesterol.
45 cal, 7g fats, 1g carbs, and 1g protein
Oat milk is made by the same process as almond milk.
The main benefits of oat milk are being higher in protein and lower in fats.
It’s a good alternative for people who are lactose-free or have a nut allergy.
130 cal, 2.5g fats, 24g carbs, and 4g protein
Soy milk also follows a process of soaking and grinding the beans before being filtered.
Soy milk is high in protein, fiber, and things called isoflavones which have antioxidant and cholesterol-reducing properties.
80 cal, 4.5g fats, 4g carbs, and 7g protein
Yes.
And the reason is most creamers are dairy-free but made of sugar, sugar substitutes, oil, and thickener so it’s already off to a bad start.
To make things worse the average unmeasured pour is 4 times the recommended servings size of 1 teaspoon!
Meaning the 35 calories the package is telling is now 140 calories, 6g of fat, and 24g of sugar.
Adding a dash of milk to your morning coffee instead is a much better option.
Not only is it higher in calories than you thought it may also lead to other health problems.
Often the oils used are partially hydrogenated, which makes them an awful trans fat to be consuming daily.
Too many trans fats in your diet can lead to having higher bad cholesterol increasing your risk of heart disease and having a stroke.
Bulletproof coffee is basically coffee, butter, and MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) oil, an extract from a type of fat found in palm and coconut oils.
Being high in fats makes this a helpful option in a low carb or keto diet.
However, it does contain over twice the recommended daily amount of saturated fat.
So even though it has its pros it’s probably better to be viewed as a bit of a treat.
Being higher in fats and calories it’s going to be easy to blow out your portions for the day.
We only have so much room for fats in our daily calories that it’s going to make our options at meal time-limited that day.
Honestly, I feel like the verdict is still out on this one.
Caffeine may have a mild diuretic effect causing you to need to pee.
But it’s still hard to say if it definitely leads to dehydration.
Various tests have been done with results varying.
When tests are being done with people who drink coffee regularly and have a high tolerance it’s hard to say how accurate results will be.
But just the fact that coffee does make you want to pee I play it safe and make sure I keep my fluids up.
And never count a cup of coffee towards my water goals for the day.
For starters, we need to cut out the added sugar.
There are plenty of better options out there.
The main 2 being honey and stevia.
Not everyone knows stevia comes from a plant meaning it’s not an artificial sweetener.
Next, we can choose a better quality coffee.
Using a bean that has been through a more organic process and sprayed with fewer chemicals is much better for your body.
Swap the chocolate powder on your cap for cinnamon.
And finally, start experimenting with other kinds of milk and cutting back on the sweeteners.
Being the owner of a specialty coffee shop I encourage you to try coffee as simple as possible.
Taste all the flavors the bean offers.
So looking at the numbers, your lower-calorie options are almond and coconut. But both these options are also very low in protein. But if you’re looking to find the right balance, soy is a good option also and not too different from low fat cow’s milk. But drinking your coffee black is still hands-down the lowest calorie option.
But that’s not to say you even have to change how you have your coffee.
The most important thing you need to understand is how many calories you need.
And how your preferred coffee fits into your daily macros.
I usually have a coffee with full cream or soy milk every day as I want to bump up my protein numbers.
But the majority of the coffee I drink is black.
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