I don’t really want to answer this question, to be honest. I’d rather enjoy my daily cup – or cups, to be more accurate – and not think about how many calories I take in each time I take a sip of this wonderful brew. Yet what can I do? Health is of utmost importance as well. If I am to gain some benefit from my attempts at exercise (as small as they are, I have to day), I have to watch what I take in in terms of calories as well.
So, after some research, here is what I came up with. The good news is that plain black coffee contains zero fat and very few calories. That means I can drink as many cups of black coffee that I want, right? The bad news is that I like more than plain black coffee! I like Coffee Mate (as you might know by now) – 2 heaping tablespoons of it in every cup. How many calories does this add? According to the Mayo Clinic, one tablespoon plain nondairy creamer has 33 calories. That means 66 calories per cup for me! Whew! For other “extras” and their corresponding calories, check out the Mayo Clinic’s data.
How about Starbucks coffee? My favorite is café latte which, according to Diet Bites, has a whopping 260 calories in it! By the way, that is with whole milk in it. Other combinations range from 160 to 210 calories. For more information on other drinks, go here.
So, will this affect my coffee intake? Maybe I’ll lessen my Starbucks visits. Maybe I’ll put 1 tablespoon of creamer instead of 2. What I know for sure is I’ll still have a cup or two – or even three, a day.
Originally posted on February 9, 2008 @ 1:00 pm