5 Products You Shouldn’t Drink Coffee With
Coffee is among the most popular beverages around the globe. People love it. They drink it. Many practically worship it. Recently we started to turn coffee drinking into some sort of a cult, where we put the coffee on a pedestal. We create numerous coffee drinks, add even infuse coffee in our food. We drink coffee that reminds desserts more than beverages. Yet, it seems there is a lot we don’t know about coffee and how to drink it. It turns out, we often combine our coffee with products that we should avoid. Here is a list of five products that we should avoid when drinking coffee. Let’s see what they are.
1. Sugar
Yes, sugar is not so great in your coffee. I know it may be a shocker for many. However, you need to know that coffee on its own has some great health benefits. Coffee doesn’t just do wonders to your energy levels. It can also give you needed nutrients and decrease your chances of diabetes. Coffee can also burn fat. However, all of these benefits basically disappear when you add sugar to your coffee. People drink too many sugary drinks on their own. Turning your coffee dependency on sugar dependency is not a great idea. I know it can be very hard to hear for many people who can’t take their coffee without sugar. However, the market is full of natural sugar replacements if you just can’t imagine having unsweetened coffee.
2. Artificial sweeteners
Speaking of sweetness, you should avoid any artificial sweeteners out there. First, they don’t do any good to your body. Second, they lead to an imbalance in your intake of nutrition. They give you empty calories, which is a solid path to other products with little nutritional value.
3. Shelf-stable creamers
Who even knows what they put into those things? Yes, Shelf-stable creamers can be quite convenient for hotels or people on the go. However, whether this convenience is worth the health risks you are putting on yourself? I doubt. Creams are not supposed to be shelf-stored in the first place. They are basically all the fats from the milk, which leaves them with an even shorter expiration date than milk itself. Usually, manufacturers use sodium phosphate or other additives to preserve the cream for long term use. However, whatever those additives are, they do no good for your health. Avoiding those things altogether is not hard, so, please, try to stay away from them.
4. Flavored syrups
Many people these days don’t remember what coffee should taste like. All because of these flavored syrups that baristas so generously add to your coffee cups. Well, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they are never good for you. A few grams of such a syrup can increase the sugar content almost ten times! If you want more flavor in your coffee, try adding spices instead.
5. Condensed milk
Yes, once again, we are returning to the sugar content of your coffee. Many traditional coffee recipes come with condensed milk. Such countries as Spain or Vietnam love adding condensed milk into their coffee. However, there is no need to do it. Seriously. They are even worse than the flavored syrups we just talked about. A spoon of this product can turn your morning coffee into a proper chocolate bar if to compare their calories content. Of course, if you are not big on sugar products in general, you can treat yourself to such coffee occasionally. But drinking it daily can become a big health risk for you.
How to make your coffee healthy
Now, as we know that not all coffee is good for you, let’s see what kind of coffee you should drink. First things first, this is not about the usual Turkish coffee vs espresso argument all coffee lovers have. Here, we offer a few tips on how to make delicious and healthy coffee at home.
To start off, you should buy high-quality coffee beans. It’s better to have a coffee grinder at home than buying ground coffee. Ground coffee loses its taste and good qualities much faster than whole beans. Next, you need to choose a brewing method for yourself. There are numerous methods you can try and tools you can use. If you feel confused about them, just get familiar with this simple budget coffee makers buying guide to choose something for yourself. Having a perfect brewing method also defines the amount of coffee you have. At home, you will never make a large Starbucks-like coffee that still tastes well. Drinking too much coffee at once is not good for you, anyway.
Use natural sweeteners, such as honey, if you want your coffee sweet. Or try adding spices or cocoa for new flavors. Adding cinnamon, for example, can be very good for your health. It helps the digestion system and lowers your cholesterol. Overall, try drinking freshly-brewed plain home-made coffee over other take-out coffee options.