To many of us, a cup (or two, or three) of coffee is an essential part of our daily routine. But while this morning beverage may be crucial to our mood, energy, and productivity, adding the wrong ingredients to the mix can be detrimental to our physical health and may even lead to unwanted weight gain. Unfortunately, the worst ingredients are typically some of the tastiest.
To learn more about how the ingredients you add to your coffee can cause you to put on some extra pounds, we spoke to health experts Rachel Scott, Co-Founder and Medical Practitioner at National TASC, Lisa Richards, nutritionist and author of The Candida Diet, and Trista Best, Registered Dietitian at Balance One Supplements. They provided warnings against refined white sugar and flavored creamers. Read on to learn why!
White Refined Sugar
You likely already know that sugar in general is never the best thing to put in your body—especially if you're trying to lose weight—but Scott warns that the refined white variety, in particular, should be avoided at all costs. That means it's best to leave this ingredient out of your morning coffee. "Refined sugar is those that came from natural sources but underwent processing to strip off other healthy ingredients and left only with the sugar part," she explains, citing white granulated sugar and corn syrups as examples.
So, what happens when you add a spoonful or two to your morning coffee? Your blood pressure will spike, which can lead to weight gain. "The bad thing about refined sugar is that the body is able to metabolize and break them down rapidly so it causes a spike in blood sugar levels. In turn, there is an overproduction of insulin. If this continues, your body will have insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes and other heart diseases. This can also cause you to have a hard time in losing weight," Scott warns. Yikes! Guess it's best to stick with natural sweeteners or take it black.
Creamer
There's another ingredient you'll want to steer clear of, too: all those delicious flavored creamers. As much as we hate to say, they can be seriously detrimental to your health. "While it is common, adding creamer is also a way calories, sugar, and fat sneak into our diet and it adds up quickly," Richards says. Say it ain't so!
You shouldn't think that plant-based creamers are the way to go, either. Best explains that these can be even worse than dairy varieties. "Oftentimes plant-based creamers can be just as high, if not higher, in calories than regular dairy creamers," she says. "The added sugars in these creamers should also be a consideration when making your coffee. An unnecessary amount of calories, fat, and added sugar are found in most coffee creamers regardless of their basis."
Does that mean you have to take your coffee black if you want to lose weight? Not necessarily. Making small changes to your coffee routine, such as choosing regular milk over fattening creamer or swapping out your white sugar for some natural honey, can make a huge difference in your health. Above all, though, it's important to pay attention to what you're really putting into coffee—and, in turn, your body.
