For many, a hot mug of coffee is more than just a drink; it's the launchpad for each day. But delicious taste and healthy habits don’t have to be mutually exclusive. This article explores how to make your coffee habit healthier and potentially aid in weight loss.
The Building Blocks: Choosing the Right Coffee
Not all coffee is grown equally. Start by choosing beans sourced from sustainable growers. If you don’t know, ask! You should be able to find out if your brand of choice does this by some light internet research, or by asking your local roaster.
Sustainable and Ethical Sourcing
Buy from roasters who work with farmers focused on quality and sustainability. Look for environmental certifications to ensure your coffee is grown naturally. However, consider that most coffee farms don’t have enough financial security to invest in that particular certification, since it can be costly for small, rural businesses. If there’s a local roaster you want to support, call them and ask how their coffee is grown and sourced. While they may not have the certification on their beans, their farmers may be following great practices that are worth supporting!
Organic vs. Conventional Coffee
There is a potential downside to only sticking with Certified Organic coffee. By only buying Certified Organic beans, you may unknowingly penalize incredible farmers, because they can’t afford the certification. By the time coffee beans have been extracted from the coffee cherry, roasted and brewed into rich coffee, there’s hardly any chemical residue left from pesticides. However, especially with low-grade commercial coffee, many of the pesticides being used abroad are actually banned in the United States. People are on the fence about the effect of pesticides on humans, but if you prefer to avoid them, buy organic coffee. If you buy locally, that’s even better. Your healthy choices can support the economy in your area.
Freshness Matters
Grind the coffee at a coarse setting just before brewing to preserve the freshness and flavors. To get the freshest beans for your coffee or espresso, you really do need to grind them yourself. For espresso, you should look at buying a high quality burr grinder to ensure the beans get ground fine enough.
Read also: Healthy food access with Highmark Wholecare explained.
Healthy Coffee Additions and Recipes
What is the healthiest cup of coffee? Second, don’t fill that freshly brewed coffee with sweeteners. Opt for grass-fed butter over half n’ half or creamer and try to avoid added sugar.
Natural Sweeteners and Spices
Try adding a dash of cinnamon or ground vanilla bean to naturally sweeten it. Cinnamon is an excellent, natural way to add some flavor to your coffee without having to add any calories. It’s an age-old barista secret to sprinkle cinnamon on coffee beans before brewing. The added kick of spice will lead to a smoother taste and cut down on the bitterness. Plus, it boosts your metabolism!
Dairy Alternatives
Maybe dairy isn’t your thing. Over the years, I transitioned from love for cream, to grass-fed butter in my coffee. Removing super-processed dairy from my coffee has not only helped with tummy trouble but also acne and bloating. For a macro-friendly drink, the milk is critical because it can make or break the macro balance of your drink.
Milk and Milk Substitutes
I’m going to spend a lot of time on the subject of milk and milk substitutes, because if you’re making something like a latte, the milk ends up being the highest volume ingredient in the recipe. You want something that complements the other ingredients in your coffee drink, not something that overpowers the flavors you worked to create.
- Ultra-Filtered Dairy Milks: These are your best bet when it comes to maximizing protein content without much else. I personally prefer the 2% versions, which of course have a bit of fat in them. I think the extra richness is great in iced coffee drinks. These milks are also great because they froth like champions, making it really easy to use them for cold foam!
- Oat Milk: My advice when it comes to oat milk in iced coffee - exercise caution! Most of the ones I tested had an overwhelming flavor that totally ruined my coffee. Not all of them are duds, but the ones that are taste like a cross between bland oatmeal and cardboard.
- Almond Milk: Almond milk is my go-to for everyday use because it’s pretty neutral tasting and not overly sweet. There is of course some variation in flavor between brands, but overall I think almond milk is a reliable option with relatively few calories.
- Coconut Milk: Coconut milk kind of runs the gamut of flavor and texture. There are brands that have a strong coconut flavor and others that are pretty neutral.
- Soy Milk: If you’ve never tried it before, soy milk does have a distinct flavor, but it’s one that I enjoy. It also has a bit more protein than the other non-dairy milks.
- Cashew Milk: Cashew milk is my nut milk of choice. Cashews are high in fiber, full of protein, and overflowing with healthy fats. They also have vitamins and minerals which may help with weight loss.
Avoiding Protein Shakes
For that reason, I really don’t recommend making your coffee drinks with pre-made protein shakes. I tried both espresso and cold brew based drinks with them and the protein shake completely overpowered all the flavors in the drink, leaving me with a mildly coffee flavored protein shake instead of a latte or whatever I was actually trying to make. If you’re adamant about combining a pre-made protein shake with coffee or espresso, here are my thoughts on the best tasting protein shakes.
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Healthy Fats
Opt for grass-fed butter over half n’ half or creamer and try to avoid added sugar.
Bulletproof Coffee
Never heard of bulletproof coffee? It’s basically just coffee with butter and coconut oil, popular because it fits into a ketogenic diet and claims to boost your brain in the morning. The blender emulsifies the grass-fed butter and coconut oil, creating a creamy and frothy drink with a boost of beneficial fats.
MCT Oil
I prefer MCT oil to coconut oil because it is flavorless and contains only medium-chain triglycerides. A little goes a long way with this potent oil!
Collagen Powder
Lately, I have been upgrading it even more with grass-fed collagen powder. I think once you hit your 30s and the grey hairs start popping up, it’s time to take aging seriously. Another thing I’m focusing on is strengthening my hair and nails. While these ingredients are a bit expensive, you are only using a little of each per cup, so I can get a lot of servings.
Recipe Ideas
- Almond Vanilla Black Coffee: If drinking it black isn’t your cup of tea-er, coffee-we have two simple add-ins to recommend: almond extract and vanilla. This delicious recipe has only four calories, as it doesn’t require any added sugars. Add one to two tablespoons of vanilla extract.
- Whipped Banana Latte: This decadent whipped banana latte recipe tastes just like a Starbucks Protein-Blended Cold Brew, with half the calories.
- Homemade Latte: If your go-to Starbucks order is a latte, opt for a healthier (and cheaper!) version at home! This easy latte recipe is simple enough for coffee beginners but allows you to use any milk. Substitute full-fat for almond milk, skim or whichever milk you prefer!
- Cinnamon Mocha: Cinnamon mocha with only 2 grams of fat? Sign us up! This simple, wintery recipe combines the rich taste of hot chocolate with freshly-brewed coffee-with a bit of sugar to sweeten things up.
- Honey Spiced Coffee: For a fall drink with rich flavor and creamy texture, skip the pumpkin spiced latte and try this honey spiced version. By swapping heavy cream for regular milk, it’s a bit lighter than your typical PSL-but the added sweetness of molasses and honey create an indulgent taste.
- Homemade Creamer: If you’re still going to use a creamer, try making one yourself instead of going with store-bought. That way, you can customize the sweetness and know exactly what’s inside!
- Iced Hazelnut Latte: With less than 150 calories, this version of an iced hazelnut latte is far healthier than one you could order in a coffee shop.
- Pumpkin Spice Coffee: This pumpkin spice powder combines all the flavors of fall into one convenient mix. It makes a great gift-but it’s also ideal if you’re hoping to start your autumn morning with a healthy, spiced brew.
- Iced Caramel Latte: Made with our sweet caramel syrup, the iced caramel latte is a fan-favourite Coffee over ice recipe.
- Salted Caramel Cold Foam Cold Brew: This is an incredibly simple cold brew drink that’s made impressive with the easiest salted caramel cold foam.
- Chocolate Malt Cold Brew: The secret to the chocolate flavor in this drink is actually chocolate malt powder.
Coffee and Weight Loss: The Connection
Can drinking coffee be healthy? Yes! Coffee has natural caffeine that can help you focus. There is research that points to coffee aiding weight loss. Caffeine can promote weight loss in adults by improving your energy and boosting your metabolism. One study found that coffee consumption can be linked to lower body fat in men. We know that more physical activity leads to weight loss. Coffee also contains a variety of nutrients, including potassium and magnesium.
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Moderation is Key
Adults shouldn’t be drinking more than four cups of coffee per day. However, it’s theorized that drinking a small amount of coffee daily can have some benefits. Adipocytes are the cells that compose body fat and specialize in storing energy as fat.
Caffeine Sensitivity
Yet listen to your body! If you find that you’re sensitive to caffeine then definitely drink a smaller amount, add things like grass-fed butter and collagen to your cup to help your body turn that caffeine into long-lasting energy without a crash.
Coffee Alternatives
What if coffee just isn’t your thing? I totally get it. If you’re a decaf person, then I recommend using Dandy Blend, as it is the best coffee alternative out there, in my opinion. I’m in love with this stuff! It’s caffeine-free, gluten-free and delicious. I seriously don’t even realize I’m not drinking coffee.
Brewing Methods
Brew your coffee.
French Press
A good specialty-grade bean ground fresh and made in a French press. Bitterness? Gone. Gross acidity? Gone. It’s incredibly balanced, as well as full of flavor on its own. Heat water until boiling then pour it over the grounds in the French press. Start a timer. After one minute, take a spoon and gently submerge the grounds that have formed a ‘crust’ on the surface. After four minutes, press down the plunger. After plunging the filter, make sure to decant all the coffee.
Cold Brew
If you’re looking for a stronger flavor (and more caffeine) than a regular coffee/iced coffee, cold brew is where it’s at! My favorite thing about cold brew is how well it works in more complex coffee drinks because its stronger taste can stand up next to to the added flavors, cold foams, creams, etc. It’s also easy to make at home if you’d prefer not to buy it in the store - here’s my recipe.
Espresso
To make the ultimate coffee drinks at home though, I really recommend investing in an espresso machine. Don’t be intimidated by the complicated looking setup - it’s surprisingly easy to make your own kick ass espresso at home (even without an automatic espresso machine like a Nespresso). You’ll thank me once you’ve made a few of your own lattes or macchiatos.
Iced Coffee
Iced Coffees aren't just a summer drink, and more importantly, you don't need to buy your favourite cold brew coffee from an expensive coffee chain every time you get the iced lattes craving! If you prefer to start your day with an iced coffee, we have the perfect recommendation for you.
Making Iced Coffee at Home
I don’t actually have any iced coffee recipes in my repertoire yet - probably because they’re just so simple to make - but when I do make iced coffee, I just brew regular hot coffee and chill it until cold before throwing in ice cubes. Wait for the coffee to cool.