The Six Worst Things To Add To Your Cup Of Coffee

Drinking a cup of  coffee has been shown to help:

• Improve memory.
• Promote the sense of well-being.
• Promote heart health.
• Reduce the risk of diabetes.

Nevertheless, there are also times when coffee can become your worst enemy: when you add artificial sweeteners and other ingredients that are not healthy at all.

Are you sure that your cup of coffee can be called somewhat healthy? Below we share a list of the worst ingredients that you can add to your daily cup of coffee.

1. Flavor Additions

Coffees that have artificial flavors added, such as vanilla, hazelnut, or caramel, are loaded with sugar and artificial colors.

For example, try adding a little vanilla, mint, or dried fruit extract if you’d like to add an extra flavor to your coffee. 

It would be best not to add anything to your cup of coffee at all and in fact you should also avoid these types of ingredients, with the idea that coffee is not naturally sweet at all.

2. Saccharin and Sweeteners

Calorie-free sweeteners can help you avoid consuming a massive amount of sugar with every cup of coffee you drink. The problem with this? Sweeteners are sugar-derived products that also affect your metabolism.

The result of these products can be that you eat more, because you have the feeling that you are not yet full.  This can then affect the growth of bacteria in the gut and even increase the risk of diabetes.

Stevia

Stevia leaf extract is the healthiest option for sweetening your coffee. It doesn’t contain sucralose (like Splenda), which is claimed to be healthy when it actually isn’t.

3. A cup of coffee with sugar

A small amount of sugar can hardly hurt, but if you drink several cups of coffee with sugar a day, it is important to know that these empty calories continue to build up in your body throughout the day.

However, you don’t have to stop drinking your daily cups of coffee. You can of course just look for more natural ways to disguise the bitter taste of coffee a bit.

For example, use less sugar

As long as you don’t exceed the recommended amount, you can also try to put a little less sugar in your coffee.

If you do stick with sugar, at the very least, always try to go for brown sugar, as it’s much healthier, or try adding spices like cinnamon. This spice prevents blood sugar from rising all at once and making you incredibly hungry.

4. Skimmed Milk

Skimmed milk isn’t necessarily bad, but it has been shown that milk products that still contain their natural fat content can be slightly better for you.

This means that people who drink whole milk generally consume fewer carbohydrates spread over the year. People who consume low-fat milk products generally consume much more carbohydrates, which often leads to weight gain.

And that’s not all.

Whole milk products are associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  This may be due to the specific fatty acids that whole milk contains, so adding whole milk to your coffee would be a wise choice.

5. Creamer

This is without a doubt the worst ingredient you can put in your coffee. All coffee creamer does is change the color of your coffee and mimic a creamy texture that other creams have.

This lactose-free product often contains corn syrup and vegetable oil, which means a lot of sugar and empty calories. This is a fancy name for artificial trans fats that cause blockages in the arteries and are linked to heart disease and diabetes.

So when you travel, for example, try not to use these ingredients that you often get with your coffee on the plane or in cafes.

6. Alcohol

Another bad combination that you can form is the combination of coffee and some kind of spirit. There is no way to get this combination into the healthy drink club.

Remember that alcoholic drinks may provide your body with energy, but they also provide no nutrients at all.

Drinking alcohol can also be the cause of many illnesses and health problems, such as mental and behavioral disorders. 

The disadvantages of alcohol

Also remember that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to, for example:

• Alcoholism
• cirrhosis
• heart disease
• Certain cancers

In addition, we will not talk about the secondary problems that this habit can cause, such as violence and traffic accidents.

With a view to this list, you probably understand that we recommend keeping your cup of coffee as simple as possible. If you want to add anything at all, stick to natural flavors.

The best options are:

• Cinnamon
• Vanilla extract
• Mint Extract
• soy milk
• almond milk