We all have our vices when it comes to how we drink our coffee. Yours might be adding tons of creamer, getting that extra pump of vanilla, or topping it off with whipped cream. Whatever the vice may be, there's a chance it's derailing some of your weight loss goals.
Thankfully, there are ways to still enjoy our favorite coffee drinks while staying on track with our weight lossit just depends on how we choose to consume it!
According to Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, member of our medical expert board and author of The Sports Nutrition Playbook, the #1 best coffee habit for weight loss is drinking your coffee with low-fat milk and using spices as natural flavors.
Continue reading to learn why Goodson says this is the best way to enjoy your coffee and still lose weight, and for more healthy coffee tips, make sure to check out 6 Coffee Habits That Help With Weight Loss, Dietitians Say.
Some people may assume that in order to drink coffee in a healthy way, they have to drink it black without any cream or flavor. But this just isn't true.
"Cow's milk contains one gram of protein per ounce, and protein helps you get full faster and stay full longer, making it a great start to the morning," says Goodson, "and milk naturally has a lightly sweet and creamy taste, which makes a low-calorie coffee taste delicious."
She does suggest using milk that's lower in fat if you're going to add cream, as the calories can still add up quickly without you noticing.
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Ultimately, one of the worst coffee mistakes people make when they're trying to lose weight is using too many sugary syrups or other forms of sweeteners with added sugar. (Read more:7 Things You Should Never Add to Your Coffee.)
For example, just one pump of the Pumpkin Spice syrup at Starbucks can have up to 10 grams of added sugar, and a grande PSL usually comes with four of these sugary pumps in just one drink! With the recommended daily limit of added sugar being around only 12 teaspoons, you can see how these sugary coffee drinks can add up.
Not only that but drinking these sugary calories without any fiber can have negative effects on your health. This is because fiber can help slow down your body's absorption of the sugar you consume, so when you drink a sugary coffee beverage with absolutely no fiber at all, your blood sugar levels may increase more rapidly.
This is why Goodson recommends skipping on the sugary syrups when you're trying to lose weight and using natural spices instead. "Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, and cocoa powder are all calorie-free but provide a lot of flavor," says Goodson.
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