This post gives tips to choosing low fat/calorie coffee options in a world of dessert coffee.
It wakes, sobers, comforts, and warms. It has been around since civilization came across a little brown bean and decided it could be edible. Coffee’s caffeinated properties allow society to function every morning and midafternoon without fail. The addictive liquid crosses socioeconomic lines and has become the invitation for many first dates. No longer is just the average black coffee drinker attracted to these coffee houses. With sweet dessert-like coffee drinks trending, it is no wonder that people of all ages are attracted to this substance. With frequenting the local barista becoming the new acceptable “it” activity, knowing more than just the basics about coffee is essential. The only problem is that like many of your other choices you make throughout your day, you don’t want to drink your calories. How do you get a great cup of coffee without consuming the caloric equivalent of a hot fudge sundae?
For the original coffee consumer who likes the traditional cup but want to dress it up a bit, look to the condiment bar. Often coffee houses have cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and chocolate powder at the drinker’s disposal. The most important aspect of these additives is that they are monetarily free as well as calorically free. Surprisingly so, a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg adds a spicy sweetness when combined with a little milk. Be careful, however, when adding your dairy. Most coffee shops will have a choice of half and half, whole, 2% and skim milk. When creating your lowest calorie drink, opt for the skim milk. You might discover in any kind of coffee exploration that amount of fat in your coffee cutter doesn’t make a big difference. If you need to add a bit of sweet to that almost perfect cup of coffee, opt for raw sugar instead of white sugar.
When the average cup of coffee isn’t going to cut it, get fancy not fatty. A cappuccino is a good place to start when attempting an espresso drink. Since a cappuccino is comprised of espresso (basically highly concentrated coffee) as well as a little bit of hot milk and steamed foamed milk on top, it is highly important to specify your milk. For the health conscious, once again choosing skim (non-fat) milk is key to this order. A non-fat cappuccino will be about 60 calories per 12 ounces. This is a fairly common estimate amongst most coffee houses. Starbucks® has a good online nutrition guide. Starbucks® coffee nutrition
Second best to the cappuccino is the latte. While very similar to a cappuccino, a latte has a higher concentrate of milk with little foam. Since this is a richer drink, it will cost you around 100 calories per 12 ounces when made with skim milk. This is a fairly universal estimate. Many coffee houses will ask if you want whipped cream with your latte. Lattes are sweet and creamy enough that the drinker doesn’t even notice the topping. If you can, skip the whipped cream and add cinnamon or nutmeg instead.
Some coffee houses have a choice of soy milk. While this might seem like the healthiest choice, many different soy milks are heavy in sugar. Why deprive yourself when the fat-free stuff tastes better and is better for you? Unless you are lactose intolerant, go with non-fat milk.
If you follow these simple tricks of the trade you can enjoy your coffee guilt free one sip at a time. Get up and brew your cup every morning with the rest of the world and remember: try to hold the whipped cream and give cinnamon and fat-free milk a chance.
