Coffee: Friend or Foe?

slashfood.com

I'd like to introduce our guest blogger for the week, Marilyn Thomas, Dietetic Intern from Meredith College.  Marilyn graduated from Winthrop University with a Bachelors in Human Nutrition. After completeing her internship, she'd like to earn her Registered Dietitan credential and pursue a job in the field of dietetics.

As the weather cools down, our drinks heat up, and a latte, espresso or mocha from Starbucks seems even more inviting.  In general, we love coffee!  And we drink it often…maybe to get that extra energy boost after a late night of studying, or simply to warm us up as we sit down to read a book.  Have you ever wondered about how healthy a cup of coffee is?  Is it in our best interest nutritionally speaking to drink coffee several times a week, or even every day?

Scientific studies reveal that coffee actually has several health benefits. Coffee contains antioxidants which become more potent after roasting, and coffee may reduce cavities, improve athletic performance, stop headaches and better your mood.  Additionally, coffee may reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, colon cancer and Parkinson’s disease.  Not to mention it helps you wake up in the morning!  However, coffee should be consumed in MODERATION!  Drinking very large amounts of coffee is NOT beneficial and can cause a rapid heartbeat and palpitations, nervousness, sleeplessness, high blood pressure and irritability. Not fun! So, for most healthy people, it’s best to keep daily coffee intake to 1-3 cups per day.

So how do you ensure that, when choosing a coffee drink, you are making a healthy choice? A cup of plain coffee has 0 calories…but a signature drink from Starbucks or your local coffee shop may contain HUNDREDS of calories—mostly from fat and sugar. Realize that the difference between even 2% and nonfat milk can be substantial, not to mention holding the whipped cream!  Here’s an example: a Caffé Mocha from Starbucks (Grande, 16 ounces) made with 2% milk and whipped cream contains 330 calories and 15 grams of fat. However, simply asking for no whip brings down the calories to 260, and the fat grams to 8! If you choose to ALSO ask for non-fat milk, you are now drinking 220 calories, with 2.5 grams of fat. Not to mention getting a Tall (12 ounces) would bring your calorie count down to 170, with 2 fat grams included.

Another ingredient to be aware of is sugar—sugar can be pretty high in coffee drinks. In the example above, the Grande drink contains 34 grams of sugar (that’s 136 calories from sugar alone!) and the Tall drink contains 27 grams (108 sugar calories). Another example: a Vanilla Frappuccino from Starbucks contains 67 grams of sugar (268 sugar calories!). There are a few ways you can cut back on sugar, such as getting a smaller size drink, simply asking if your drink can be made with less sugar, with a sugar-free sugar substitute or choosing a drink containing less sugar. For instance, a Grande Cappuccino or an Iced Skinny Flavored Latte contains 10 grams of sugar, or 40 sugar calories—much lower! Check out starbucks.com or the website of your favorite coffee shop to check out nutritional info of your favorite drinks. This can help you choose a healthier coffee option!