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Your morning coffee contains a wealth of antioxidants that are actually good for your health — but some of the ingredients you add to your coffee only bring it down.
Keep your coffee, but lose the additives that could be contributing to weight gain and abdominal fat. Here are four coffee mistakes you’re making every morning that cause stomach rolls.
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You Add Non-Dairy Creamer
There are a number of reasons why adding non-dairy creamer to your coffee is one of the worst coffee mistakes you can make. But when we’re talking about what it does to your weight loss goals, three words come immediately to mind: partially hydrogenated oils, or trans fat.
According to Prevention: “These highly processed fats are downright dangerous, raising levels of bad cholesterol, and put you at higher risk for heart disease. That's why most experts say you should avoid them completely. Even in your coffee.”
The negative side to non-dairy creamer doesn’t stop there. These often sweeter-than-sweet additives contain artificial flavors that give them their mocha or caramel taste and smell and artificial sweeteners, which can make your blood sugar levels soar (and then come crashing).
One Too Many Scoops Of Sugar
According to the American Heart Association, women should have no more than 26 grams or 6 teaspoons of added sugar each day. If you’re used to adding 2 teaspoons of sugar to each cup of coffee, and you drink two cups of coffee, you’ve already exceeded your daily intake. And a diet that is high in added sugar is linked to weight gain and diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
You Choose Low-Fat Milk Over Full-Fat Milk
You may think choosing skim or low-fat milk is a smart way to keep your calories in check. But studies have shown eating and drinking full-fat dairy is associated with more weight loss and less risk of diabetes than low-fat alternatives.
According to Time: “Since full-fat dairy products contain more calories, many experts assumed avoiding it would lower diabetes risk. But studies have found that when people reduce how much fat they eat, they tend to replace it with sugar or carbohydrates, both of which can have worse effects on insulin and diabetes risk.”
You Order Fancy Coffee Drinks
Your average cup of plain deli coffee or coffee you brew at home shares little in common with fancy, expensive coffee drinks you may be ordering at Starbucks or cafes.
Mocha cappuccinos and lattes may taste delicious, but are usually packed with more sugar than dessert.
Not to knock down Starbucks, which is great for the occasional tempting, delicious coffee or tea beverage, but some findings have shown that certain Starbucks drinks have as much sugar as a can of Coca Cola (which has 33 grams of sugar).
According to CBS News, here are some astounding numbers that prove three popular Starbucks drinks have more grams of sugar than soda:
Venti (extra large) white chocolate mocha with whipped cream -- 73.8 grams of sugar (about 18 teaspoons)
Venti chai tea latte -- 52 grams of sugar (about 13 teaspoons)
Venti caramel macchiatto -- 42.1 grams of sugar (about 11 teaspoons)
You don’t have to give up Starbucks for good if you’re trying to lose weight, but decreasing the frequency of your orders and changing up fancy drinks with plain old coffee will save you a ton of calories and grams of sugar.
