Top Healthy Coffee Drinks For A Busy Lifestyle (2023)

FAQs

What is the healthiest thing to drink with coffee? ›

Iced tea unsweetened— crisp, refreshing, you really can't go wrong with unsweetened iced tea. It's just simple and easy, two of my most favorite words in the world. Take it to go, sip it on a warm day, and if you want some sweetness, stir in a little honey for a mild and natural sweetener.

Black Hot Coffee or Iced Coffee

These two beverages are as simple as coffee gets. They have 0-5 calories and zero sugar, fat, or carbs. If you need some milk and sugar, add your milk of choice and try to stick to one packet of sugar.

“For most people, moderate coffee consumption can be incorporated into a healthy diet.” Hu said that moderate coffee intake—about 2–5 cups a day—is linked to a lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver and endometrial cancers, Parkinson's disease, and depression.

No matter the reason you want to make a (fair) trade, there are plenty of coffee alternatives including teas, juice shots, chocolate milk, lattes made with beets, matcha, kombucha, chicory, and other functional or fermented concoctions that are good to the last drop.

Black Label Brewed Coffee is believed to have the most caffeine per ounce at 129.6 mg.

In short, tea beats any alternative morning drink. Although it may not have the same amounts of caffeine as coffee, nor the same levels of vitamin C as orange juice, tea has a host of other benefits that make the case for tea – hot or cold – being your new choice of drink in the mornings.

I recommend you go for Robusta coffee beans. On average, Robusta beans have twice as much caffeine content as Arabica beans. That means you can make and drink less coffee but still get the same energy boost.

If you're after a sweet bite to go with your hot drink, make a slice of fruit toast, piece of fruit, or tub of yoghurt your healthier alternative. If savoury's your thing, eat a small handful of raw nuts or seeds, or a high-fibre muesli bar.

Creamer: If you're looking for a sugar-free way to make your coffee less bitter, add a small amount of coffee creamer made from milk, almond milk, or another alternative milk. Creamer makes coffee milder and smoother, naturally reducing bitter notes for a sweeter taste that's not too sweet.

Which latte is the healthiest? ›

1. Caffè Americano. This simple coffee staple is made by topping espresso with hot water, resulting in a warm, soothing drink that's sugar-free and high in caffeine. One grande Caffè Americano contains just 15 calories, 2 grams of carbs, and 0 grams of sugar.

Ordering a skinny will mean it is made with nonfat milk, sugar-free syrup, and no cream.

Black coffee is a good drink for weight loss as it contains less than 5 calories/serving. Be aware of coffee drinks that contain milk or flavoring as this can jack up the calorie count. Drink coffee in moderation, no more than 4 cups a day, and at least several hours before bedtime.

For healthy adults, the FDA has cited 400 milligrams a day—that's about four or five cups of coffee—as an amount not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects.

The most popular caffeine alternative to coffee is black tea! Black tea comes from leaves of the Camelia sinensis plant. The Camelia sinensis plant also gives us white, green, oolong, yellow, and dark tea. You can drink any of these teas as coffee alternatives for energy.

Espresso is the best way to boost your brain, or opting for finely ground coffee instead. Not a lover of strong coffee? Add a little milk, but try and avoid added sugar. Many people use productivity tools such as music for extra concentration, but changing your morning coffee to an espresso could be just the ticket.

What caffeine won't make you crash? ›

Matcha: 30 to 70 milligrams of caffeine

There's a reason why matcha drinkers tend to be a bit more mellow than coffee guzzlers: It has less caffeine and no crash. “The reason for that is because of the ECGs [a type of antioxidant] and other phytonutrients in it,” James explains.

While a few glasses of water are the best thing to drink in the morning, black coffee is an awesome second drink after hydrating. Black coffee has some caffeine to kick-start your energy levels. Add some grass-fed butter or MCT oil to feel satiated until breakfast rolls around.

The healthiest way to drink coffee is plain with nothing added — also known as drinking it black. Dr. Hashmi explains, "Ideally, you shouldn't put sugar in your coffee.

Coffee. Coffee is a recognizable energy booster. The caffeine in coffee makes the body and mind feel alert and may make people more productive. Coffee also contains antioxidants called polyphenols, which may reduce oxidative stress in the cells and help the body function better.

What do you do when you need to concentrate, but you're tired? Many of us reach for a cup of coffee, or a soda. Mountains of solid research have shown us that caffeine (in doses ranging between 30 and 300 milligrams) improves attention, alertness, reaction time, and mood, especially when we're tired.

Eat fiber and protein

“But when we start the day with fiber from a whole food source, we can majorly help to balance blood sugar.” She suggests having half a cup of berries, a banana, an orange, or a date with almond butter before your morning coffee.

Your beans' greatest enemies are air, moisture, heat, and light. To preserve your beans' fresh roasted flavor as long as possible, store them in an opaque, air-tight container at room temperature. Coffee beans can be beautiful, but avoid clear canisters which will allow light to compromise the taste of your coffee.

Coffee is fresh produce, and its enemies are oxygen, light, heat, and moisture. To keep coffee fresh, store it in an opaque, airtight container at room temperature.

What is the healthiest alternative to sugar? ›

Unlike sugar and artificial sweeteners, both of which offer little in terms of nutrition, honey provides some vitamins, minerals, and other health-boosting compounds that may give your coffee a slight nutritional boost ( 1 ).

Water is the best choice for quenching your thirst. Coffee and tea, without added sweeteners, are healthy choices, too. Some beverages should be limited or consumed in moderation, including fruit juice, milk, and those made with low-calorie sweeteners, like diet drinks.

What Is a Superfood latte? Superfood lattes are a combination of a milk of your choice (dairy, nuts, or grain) to make them creamy and nutrient-dense powdered ingredients made from herbs, roots, spices, and vegetables that are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

When it comes to lattes and cappuccinos we always recommend whole milk before anything else. It has just the right balance of fats, proteins, sugar, and water to make smooth microfoam without being overwhelmingly creamy.

One 12-ounce cup of coffee (about the size of a standard coffee mug) has around 140 milligrams of caffeine. So if you're watching your blood sugar levels, worst coffee habit you can have is drinking it before you eat breakfast.

Some experts suggest that decaffeinated coffee is the safest option for people with diabetes because it provides the benefits of other coffee components without the potential risks of caffeine. It is also important to note that adding sugar or creamer to coffee increases blood sugar levels.

Black coffee and espresso

Plain coffee and espresso are virtually carb-free. That includes the drink called an Americano, which is espresso plus hot water. A 12-ounce (355-ml) serving of black coffee contains less than 1 gram of carbs, while a 1-ounce (30-ml) shot of espresso provides around 0.5 grams ( 1 , 2 ).

Caffeine may reduce your appetite

Drinking caffeinated coffee may reduce levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin (7). Additionally, studies show that drinking caffeinated coffee may reduce the number of calories you consume throughout the day, compared to not drinking it ( 8 , 9 ).

What's the difference between a latte and a skinny latte? ›

The main difference is that a skinny latte uses low-fat milk and thus contains fewer calories. Both coffees are made with espresso and milk, but a skinny latte uses skimmed or low-fat milk, while a latte is made with whole milk.

Ask for “less whip” or “no whip” • Make it “Skinny:” Most handcrafted espresso and Frappuccino® blended beverages can be requested “skinny,” which means the beverage is made with nonfat milk, no whipped cream and a sugar-free syrup if available.

Milk and It's Nutrients

Milk is one of the chief sources of calcium, which helps maintain bone health. Coffee with milk is far more calorie and nutrient dense than black coffee. People often avoid drinking milk on its own so its better to take the recommended dosage through your daily coffee.

With the same caffeine content, black coffee is clearly more beneficial to your health in comparison to milk coffee. It can stimulate brain activity, help improve memory and even protect against cognitive decline long-term.

Benefits of Drinking Black Coffee

Coffee also contains antioxidants and vitamins like B2, B3, and B5. Adding cream and sugar to your coffee can turn it into a high caloric and unhealthy beverage. So if you're looking to lose weight, or to improve your health, consider taking your coffee black.

However, researchers commonly use black coffee for this work, and there's generally no reason that adding milk or cream would be better for your health than drinking your coffee black.

Oat milk has the added benefit of being both nut-free and dairy-free, which is a plus for those who may have nut allergies. And oat milk has a higher fat and protein content than almond milk, which helps with satiety."

Oat milk provides a rich and creamy flavor to coffee drinks, so it's a great dairy alternative. Best of all, it froths up nicely, just like cow's milk. Not all dairy substitutes are the same in that regard. All things considered, if you want to go non-dairy, oat milk is the perfect alternative.

What do heart surgeons say not to put in your coffee? ›

Be aware that cream, sugar, flavors or other additives that add calories, sugar and fat will likely negate any heart benefits from black, caffeinated coffee, the AHA said.

Black Coffee

It's served without added sugar, milk, or flavorings.

Adding milk to coffee decreases antioxidant activity and cuts absorption of chlorogenic acids in the bloodstream, but adding soymilk does not. So, if you want to add milk to your coffee, add soymilk.