You have probably thought about the keto diet and decided to try it. Most likely, you have done intense research about let and come up with a plan on how to go about it. Maybe you have already seen firsthand results of the keto diet from family members or friends.
Essentially, keto is a low-carb diet. You reduce carb intake while increasing fat intake to lose weight quickly. In that case, you will have to forego sugary items. But are you willing to give up sugar in your coffee? More so, is flavored coffee ok on keto? Let’s find out.
What Is the Keto Diet?
The ketogenic (keto) diet emphasizes slashing your carbohydrate (carb) intake and replacing it with high-fat foods. When on a keto diet, your daily diet should have a maximum of 1 percent carbs and 20 percent protein. By eating foods rich in fat, your body burns fat and converts it into energy. This state is known as ketosis. As your body burns fat, you lose weight quickly.
Is Flavored Coffee Keto?
Black coffee contains zero calories and zero carbs. However, not many people love black coffee. Many people add sugar, creamer, flavors, or milk to their coffee to make it sweeter. However, when you add extra ingredients to black coffee, you introduce more calories to your diet.
The kinds of carbs you find in flavored coffees are often simple. Simple carbs are not ideal for keto. So is flavored coffee ok on keto? It depends on how the flavoring is achieved. The flavored coffee you find in your local coffee house is most likely not ok for keto.
Most cafes use flavored simple syrups to sweeten coffee. These syrups are made by dissolving a lot of sugar in water, adding flavorings, and giving the mixture enough time to cool to form a syrup.
An ounce of simple syrup contains about 14g of carbs and about 50 calories. All of the carbs in simple syrup are simple sugars. If you drink a 16-ounce Starbucks vanilla latte, you will be consuming about 28g of carbs from the flavoring syrup alone. Additionally, you will consume another 19g of carbs and 200 calories from the added milk.
If you order a Starbucks grande vanilla latte, you will consume about 47g of carbs and about 300 calories. With such high levels of carbs and sugars, you will likely add more weight than cut it. Also, most flavored coffees are topped with whipping cream. Seasonal coffee drinks, cold-blended coffee drinks, and mochas are typically finished with sweetened whipped cream, which introduces more carbs to your daily intake.
How to Make Flavored Keto Coffee
It is possible to make flavored keto-friendly coffee. Just ensure the flavorings you add to your coffee are sugar-free. Preferably, use sugar-free alternatives to make flavored syrups. Some good alternatives include agave, stevia, and xylitol. You can also use natural sugars such as honey, unrefined cane sugar, and coconut sugar. Also, you can brew with coffee beans that were flavored during roasting.
What is the Best Keto Coffee?
If you are on the keto diet, you are adopting a sugar-free and low-carb diet. Thus, you should avoid lattes and other coffees containing sugary flavorings. Traditional black coffee or cold brew does not contain any carbs or calories as long as you do not add any sweeteners, milk, or creamer. Keto-friendly coffees include plain French press coffee, AeroPress coffee, espresso, cold brew coffee, and pour-over coffee.
If you must add sweeteners to your coffee while on a keto diet, use stevia, honey, or other sugar-free sweeteners. When on the keto diet, always stick to natural, high-fat food items to keep you full for longer and help you cut weight.
