Are you one of the 160 million-plus people in the U.S. who drink coffee or tea regularly? Do you also flavor your beverage with sugar, cream, flavored syrups, or other calorie-laden additives? Well, I have bad news for you. A new study by the University of Illinois reveals how much Americans increase their caloric intake when they add sweeteners and creamers to their beverages.
What the Data Tells Us
The research analyzed 12 years of data – from 2000 to 2012 – collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The data comprised a nationally representative sample of 13,185 adults who preferred coffee and 6,215 adults who claimed tea as their preferred drink. Based on this sample size, 51% of U.S. adults drink coffee, and nearly 26% drink tea daily. Then, about two-thirds of coffee drinkers add cream or sugar, whereas only one-third of tea drinkers flavor their drink. “Many people prefer drinking coffee and tea with sugar, cream, half-and-half, or honey,” said Ruopeng An, who led the study. “These add-in items are often dense in energy and fat but low in nutritional value.”
On average, consumption of black coffee results in 69 fewer total calories per day than mixing it with caloric add-ins. More than 60% of the additional calories come from sugar. The rest of the added calories comes from the rich, fatty creamers. As for tea drinkers, additives can, on average, increase the daily caloric intake by 43% or more; most added calories – about 85% – come from sugar. However, most tea drinkers tend to avoid additives. Though small increases, consuming more calories than necessary adds to extra pounds. Ruopeng An says, “Our findings indicate that a lot of coffee and tea drinkers regularly use caloric add-ins to improve the flavor of their beverages, but possibly without fully realizing or taking into consideration its caloric and nutritional implications.”
The Right Stuff
If you are going to add flavor to your coffee, you want the healthiest choice when you do so. Health experts recommend you pour a dash of whole milk into your coffee instead of skim or low-fat milk because whole milk provides much more nutrients. “Since vitamin D (which is found in whole milk, but not skim) is a fat-soluble vitamin, your body benefits from the fat that the milk offers,” says Dietician Rachel Fine.
Add a teaspoon of cocoa powder to your morning cup of joe as another healthy option. Purchase an organic cocoa powder that is 100% cacao and unsweetened for better nourishment for your body. So, how else is it healthy? Research indicates that drinking cocoa powder can reduce stress levels in your heart. Plant-derived polyphenolic compounds called flavanols improve blood pressure and blood vessel processes. Scientists in 2021 gave study participants a cocoa flavanol beverage 90 minutes before taking an eight-minute stress level test. The findings suggested that participants who drank the flavanol-rich drink had lower stress on their blood vessels than those who did not drink the beverage.
Health professionals also recommend adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to coffee to tickle your taste buds. This natural substance offers many benefits. It is anti-inflammatory, may aid in lowering blood sugar levels, and decreases triglycerides and cholesterol levels along with other heart disease risk characteristics. Pay attention to the type of cinnamon you buy at the grocery store. Cassia cinnamon is the most often used and unhealthiest form of cinnamon. It is darker in color, thicker, less expensive, and may cause harm to your body. Ceylon cinnamon remains the healthy alternative. Ceylon sticks are lighter in hue, thinner, and labeled as Ceylon.
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This article was updated on 6/27/2024.