14 DAY TRIAL // Healthy habits are what makes our life as beautiful as it is, it has been claimed. Health experts and nutritionists, for instance, say that it’s the healthy eating habits that we have that make the restrictions we impose upon ourselves easier to bear. On this note, the morning cup of coffee many of us can’t get through the day without should not be eliminated – as long as we make sure it’s healthy and calorie-free.
Nutritionist Alexa Fishback, author of “The Daily Fix,” tells FitSugar that the morning coffee routine is to be encouraged, but only on the grounds that we pay close attention to what goes in it so as to not gain weight. For instance, if a sweet tooth is what would best describe us and there is absolutely no way we could have black coffee, then it’s best if we just add a teaspoon of plain sugar to it, Fishback tells us, as it has only 20 calories, which makes it considerably better than other artificial sweeteners on the market.
A general list of types of coffee that are both good for our health and kind on our silhouette would include regular or flavored brewed coffee (black), espresso, americano (espresso topped with hot water), misto or cafe au lait with skim or lowfat milk (half regular coffee, half steamed milk), as per the same nutrition expert.
However, if your favorite caffeinated drink is not on the list, that does not mean that all hope is lost. Fishback says that there are plenty other coffee-based drinks that we can have on a daily basis without having them show on our waist and thighs. For instance, latte with skim or lowfat milk (“a shot or two of espresso that has been poured into a cup filled with steamed milk and then topped off with foamed milk”), cappuccino with skim or lowfat milk (“one-third espresso, one-third steamed milk, and one-third foamed milk - more foam than a latte”) and macchiato with skim or lowfat milk (“an espresso with a small amount of milk on top”) are all allowed.
Also allowed as a daily drink is tea, be it hot or iced, plain, black, white, herbal or mixed. Again, the secret to not piling on the pounds because of this one habit is to not add sweeteners if possible. For more flavor and a boost of taste for our fave morning drink, Fishback recommends spices, the kind we also find at various coffee joints, such as cinnamon and nutmeg, which make a cup of coffee a truly wonderful experience without having to count the calories.