Hidden Calories in Your Daily Cup of Coffee

Coffee must arguably be one of the most popular hot beverages on earth. Since it comes in so many recipes and with so many flavors, chances of someone not finding just the type that suits them are slim to none, it has been said. Coffee-making is now an art and, as such, few are those of us who still enjoy their daily cup of coffee black. Yet, the more we add to it, the more calories and, eventually, the more pounds on our waistline and thighs, as FitSugar also informs.

A cup of black coffee, either brewed or percolated, has just 2 calories. Add to that the fact that it also comes with many, many health benefits, and one could almost say that coffee is a miracle drink that tastes fabulous while also keeping an eye out for our health. Nevertheless, the situation changes drastically whenever we add a new ingredient to our daily cup of this hot beverage, and it is precisely here where we must exercise as much caution as we can.

To learn just what a dash of a new ingredient adds to your coffee, check out the list below, as comprised by the aforementioned health and fitness e-zine.

- 1 tbsp cream: 52 calories;
- 1 tbsp half and half: 20 calories;
- 1 tbsp whole milk: 9 calories;
- 1 tbsp 2% milk: 7.7 calories;
- 1 tbsp 1% milk: 6.6 calories;
- 1 tbsp skim milk: 5.7 calories;
- 1 tbsp plain soymilk: 6 calories;
- 1 tbsp vanilla soymilk: 6 calories;
- 1 tbsp whipped cream: 90 calories;
- 1 tbsp flavored plain non-dairy creamer: 20 calories;
- 1 tbsp French vanilla flavored non-dairy creamer: 35 calories;
- 1 tbsp hazelnut flavored non-dairy creamer: 35 calories;
- 1 pump of Starbucks flavored syrup: 20 calories;
- 1 pump of Starbucks flavored syrup, sugar-free: 0 calories;
- 1 pump of Starbucks Chocolate Mocha Sauce: 60 calories;
- 1 tbsp caramel: 15 calories;
- 1 tbsp chocolate: 18 calories;
- 1 tsp, 1 cube, or 1 packet white sugar: 11 calories;
- 1 tsp brown sugar: 11 calories;
- 1 tsp or packet Sugar in the Raw: 20 calories;
- 1 tsp maple syrup: 16.7 calories;
- 1 tsp honey: 21.3 calories;
- 1 shot of espresso: 5 calories.

As we have already pointed out in a previous story, if something sweet is what we’re looking for in our cup of coffee, nutritionists recommend regular sugar instead of the artificial sweeteners now available on the market. Sugar has fewer calories than the sweeteners, while, at the same time, being healthier. If that not be the case, though, the best thing (for our health and figure) is to simply enjoy coffee black.