When you think about managing the calories you take daily, your beverages are probably the last thing you think about.
Most people only consider the foods they eat when calculating their calorie intake.
It may surprise you to know that the beverages we take can contain a lot of calories. An example is black coffee.
This simple coffee beverage made by extracting coffee from coffee grounds is the most popular coffee drink in cafes and homes.
Why Black Coffee Is So Popular
Black coffee is easy to make and is the ideal coffee drink to consume if you want to appreciate the flavors of a roast and its caffeine content. This is why according to these statistics, 41 percent of people prefer black coffee.
It’s one of the healthiest coffee drinks you can take because of its low calories, rich flavor, and antioxidant content.
Despite these facts, some coffee drinkers think drinking lots of black coffee can add up to a lot of calories in a day. Is this true?
No. Coffee experts will tell you that plain black coffee contains very few calories. In fact, one cup of this beverage made from coffee grounds only contains 2 calories.
An espresso, which is a small cup of strong black coffee made from espresso coffee beans, contains 1 calorie. And a cup of decaf coffee contains even fewer calories than an espresso.
This low-calorie content is why black coffee is usually included in weight loss diets. Other benefits are its rich antioxidant content and ability to prevent chronic ailments such as Alzheimer’s.
Drinking black coffee is also one of the best ways to boost your concentration and metabolism.
Despite these advantages, black coffee has a reputation for containing many calories. Why is this?
One reason is the sweeteners and flavoring agents we add to it. These are sugar, creamer, milk, and sweetened flavored syrups.
Most black coffee drinkers who add these flavoring agents to their black coffee do so to make it creamy and sweet. This cuts down the slight bitterness associated with this beverage and makes it easier to drink many cups of it daily.
The only downside is these sweetened cups of coffee add up to a lot of calories in a day. And only a small portion of these calories are metabolized by our bodies, while the rest is stored as fats. This adds up to significant weight gain after some time.
How to Keep the Calorie Content of Black Coffee Low
Therefore, you should keep your coffee calorie intake low by drinking black coffee with very little sugar. You may also use low-calorie sweeteners such as Stevia and Monk fruit to manage your sugar intake.
When it comes to creamers, opt for low calories options such as skim milk and plant milk alternatives like oat milk.
You may also choose sweeter coffee beans for your black coffee. This will be easy if you focus on the fact that the sweetness of coffee beans depends on the length of the roasting process.
The darker the roast, the more bitter its flavor. So opt for medium-light roasts when brewing your black coffee to make it sweeter and reduce the flavoring agents you use in it.
These coffees contain more caffeine than dark roasts, so you won’t miss out on your desired caffeine kick. They also have more antioxidants.
Some examples of sweet coffee are Hawaiian Kona coffee and African coffee beans, which are naturally processed to retain their sweetness by roasting them for long enough to caramelize their sugars without burning them.
This brings out their sweetness and unique fruity, floral, and spicy flavor notes resulting in a pleasant cup of coffee that requires no sweetener.
Conclusion
Now you know the calories in black coffee and how to keep the calories low when taking this coffee.
Plain black coffee can be a great weight loss aid if you take it without too much sugar or flavor-enhancing additives because it suppresses the appetite and improves the metabolism.
If you enjoy taking this coffee for an energy boost in the morning or during the day, consider using only low-calorie sweeteners and flavor enhancers.
This will ensure you keep any diseases associated with taking high-calorie coffee beverages at bay. You can also have your favorite coffee beverage without worrying about your weight.
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