The Do’s and Don’ts for Healthier Coffee

2011 was the year of fitness. It went from new years resolution challenge with INSANITY to a life style. 2012 I hope to add healthful eating and drinking to the mix. I envision this as me starting to see a Naturopath and educating myself on nutrition that supports an active lifestyle. Here goes :) The following article got me thinking about how I order/make my green tea and my americano with soy. My vice isn’t sugar, but 1-2packets of Splenda. Time to learn and change.
By Nicole German (Reg. Dietitian)
Now in the age of Starbucks at every corner, or at least some kind of coffee within walking distance, we have to be conscious about our coffee consumption.
Pour in a little non-dairy creamer every day, multiple sugar packs here and there, and you may be picking up an unhealthy habit.
Just two sugar packets a day adds up to 10,950 extra Calories a Year!
But, as usual, there are always exceptions to the rules.
Here are my choices for healthy and unhealthy coffee condiments:

Healthy Coffee Condiments

• Soy milk: My number one choice although it could be considered controversial. It adds a depth of flavor and touch of sweetness. You could even try a soy creamer.
• Almond milk: A pure and clean option.
• Skim milk: Always a great choice instead of creamers for those watching their waistline. Also boasts a hefty serving of calcium and vitamin D.
• Stevia: An all natural no calorie sweetener. The flavor in coffee is a little off, but some people like it just fine as their coffee sweetener of choice.

Unhealthy Coffee Condiments

• Sugar: More than one teaspoon of any sugar source is considered to be “too much” in my books. This includes excessive honey, agave, brown sugar, and other natural sugars.
• Sweet’N Low/Equal/Artificial Sweeteners: Used sparingly this could be OK, but why “dirty” up a clean antioxidant source with chemicals? As an alternative I would encourage you to use one pack of Splenda with one pack of real sugar to try to reduce how sweet you like your coffee.

• Non-dairy creamer: Any powdered creamer or mystery creamer packets that aren’t refrigerated. These contain trans fat which we want to avoid to keep our hearts healthy and happy.
• Liquid flavored creamers: Some contain trans fat, while others contain a long list of ingredients. It would be best to stick with one or two tablespoons of half and half as to avoid the lengthy list of artificial ingredients.

To answer the original question, if you like a certain condiment in your coffee and you know it is not the best choice, just use it sparingly or have it as a dessert coffee once and awhile. What do you put in your coffee, if anything?