OK before I begin my analysis I want to be honest. I love coffee and unless I found some significantly detrimental of drinking coffee, I'll never stop. That being said I am going to attempt to give an unbiased facts and opinion.
The Good
Coffee does raise your metabolic rate by 10% and even more if you don't drink it regularly. That equals about 200-300 calories. Because of this yes coffee can aid in weight loss. Coffee also has a diuretic effect on the body which will aid in keeping water weight off. Coffee also does have antioxidants which can aid in preventing cancer and other illness. Coffee improves focus, alertness, and energy.
So far coffee is sounding like a super food right?
It pains me to do this but....
The Bad
Coffee's biggest negative side effect is dependence. The caffeine in coffee is specifically what patrons become addicted to, so much so that it can effect their mood, productivity, and alertness. Coffee also causes short term elevated heart rate, dehydration, and browning of teeth. The general rule in terms of avoiding dehydration by coffee is it takes 2:1 water to coffee ratio just to replace the water you will have lost. In other words if you drink 8 oz of coffee you need to drink 16 oz of water just to return your body to the state it was in pre-coffee. If you add a lot of sugar, milk, syrups, etc. this will obviously result fat gain. Liquid calories are still calories.
More Facts
Black coffee has about 4 calories in it, but results in a metabolic increase which can burn up to 300 calories. Lattes, fraps, and anything that looks more like a milk shake or hot chocolate doesn't count. One small latte can have 400 calories or more in it, and still barely has any of the antioxidant packed coffee. If you drinking traditional black coffee 1-2 times per day we believe it is good for you. The amount of antioxidants, plus the increase in alertness is worth the water you have to drink to replace it.
So what can I order?
Black coffee with a dash of cinnamon is going to be the best thing for you. If you need it to be sweet go ahead and add an equal or a sweet n low. If you really need the dairy (ugh please try to get out of this habit), but if you really need it; we'd recommend a non dairy creamer such as Coffeemate (the plain one) or 1-2 tablespoons or heavy cream.
WAIT A MINUTE?! Heavy Cream!? What about all the fat?
While heavy cream does have more fat than milk it requires less of to satisfy most coffee drinkers. Also it has a lower glycemic index and does not produce the insulinic effect that milk does. In short milk results in more fat storage than cream, but still the best thing to do is to avoid the dairy altogether. Soy milk, also an awful option as the flaivonols, or plant estrogen can cause hormonal imbalance in both men and women. Soy altogether has to be significantly processed just for our bodies to be able to digest it. Avoid soy like you should avoid dairy.
If this all sounds like to much work just to drink coffee, then switch to tea.
The Good
Coffee does raise your metabolic rate by 10% and even more if you don't drink it regularly. That equals about 200-300 calories. Because of this yes coffee can aid in weight loss. Coffee also has a diuretic effect on the body which will aid in keeping water weight off. Coffee also does have antioxidants which can aid in preventing cancer and other illness. Coffee improves focus, alertness, and energy.
So far coffee is sounding like a super food right?
It pains me to do this but....
The Bad
Coffee's biggest negative side effect is dependence. The caffeine in coffee is specifically what patrons become addicted to, so much so that it can effect their mood, productivity, and alertness. Coffee also causes short term elevated heart rate, dehydration, and browning of teeth. The general rule in terms of avoiding dehydration by coffee is it takes 2:1 water to coffee ratio just to replace the water you will have lost. In other words if you drink 8 oz of coffee you need to drink 16 oz of water just to return your body to the state it was in pre-coffee. If you add a lot of sugar, milk, syrups, etc. this will obviously result fat gain. Liquid calories are still calories.
More Facts
Black coffee has about 4 calories in it, but results in a metabolic increase which can burn up to 300 calories. Lattes, fraps, and anything that looks more like a milk shake or hot chocolate doesn't count. One small latte can have 400 calories or more in it, and still barely has any of the antioxidant packed coffee. If you drinking traditional black coffee 1-2 times per day we believe it is good for you. The amount of antioxidants, plus the increase in alertness is worth the water you have to drink to replace it.
So what can I order?
Black coffee with a dash of cinnamon is going to be the best thing for you. If you need it to be sweet go ahead and add an equal or a sweet n low. If you really need the dairy (ugh please try to get out of this habit), but if you really need it; we'd recommend a non dairy creamer such as Coffeemate (the plain one) or 1-2 tablespoons or heavy cream.
WAIT A MINUTE?! Heavy Cream!? What about all the fat?
While heavy cream does have more fat than milk it requires less of to satisfy most coffee drinkers. Also it has a lower glycemic index and does not produce the insulinic effect that milk does. In short milk results in more fat storage than cream, but still the best thing to do is to avoid the dairy altogether. Soy milk, also an awful option as the flaivonols, or plant estrogen can cause hormonal imbalance in both men and women. Soy altogether has to be significantly processed just for our bodies to be able to digest it. Avoid soy like you should avoid dairy.
If this all sounds like to much work just to drink coffee, then switch to tea.
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