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Author:
Kaelin Harris
For coffee drinkers, there’s nothing better than the rich aroma of a freshly brewed cup of Joe; except for maybe the first sip of it.
Everyone drinks their coffee differently. From a special mug to the kind of roast – we all find something indulgent in our brew.
So, how about those carbs? In our coffee?! Never! Actually, there is something to this. It just depends on how you take your coffee; which indulgence you indulge in.
Now, you can definitely drink a cup of coffee and still find your carb intake ranks low on the ‘carbometer’ (which is not a real thing, just a pretty cool made-up word). This is great news, if you take your coffee plain, with no milk or cream, and without sugar too.
Some people do like to enjoy the flavor of just the coffee, without any added extras diluting its signature flavor. For those who drink their coffee, as is, your carbohydrate intake from the coffee is likely to be really, really low.
This isn’t to say that you can’t drink your coffee how you like it for fear of ingesting carbs. Not at all! Carbohydrates are an important macronutrient, but it’s the source of the carbohydrates and the quality, that makes all the difference.
That brings us to the next point: Can you drink coffee on a low-carb diet? There are, in fact, ways that you can still enjoy a cup, and here’s how:
Whether you’re at home or out at a coffee shop, having the ability to control how much extras, i.e., milk/cream or sugar you add in, enables you to put in a little less than if someone else were to prepare it.
If you’re used to a grande-sized cup of coffee, order a short or even a tall size instead. It’ll reduce the carb count, especially if you’re taking it black, sans extras.
If you have a passion for flavored syrup in your coffee, because let’s face it, it takes your drink to a whole new level, why not try making carb-friendly subs? Sugar-free syrups may taste a bit different, but you’ll still get the flavor you love without all the carbs. You could also completely forego the syrup in lieu of the raw coffee experience – tasting the flavor profile of your favorite roast in its entirety.
This doesn’t mean you have to eliminate milk or creamers. It just means that you could make a switch for unsweetened nut-based milk or creamers instead of the sweetened versions or their dairy counterparts. It’ll bring that carb count down.
The bottom line is that there are ways in which to make drinking coffee a carb-friendlier experience than we think, without having to sacrifice all the added tasty-goodies we’re used to. It’s all about the choices we make with the thing we use to prepare our coffee the way we like it.
Well, you’ll be pleased to know that you certainly can enjoy a coffee while living a keto lifestyle.
There are a couple of caveats – but don’t stress, they’re not horribly restrictive! Since a ketogenic lifestyle means you drastically minimize carbohydrate intake and increase fat consumption, the caveats are this:
You see, it’s not the coffee itself, rather it’s what you add in that determines what the number of carbs in the coffee will be.
Okay, with that being the case, it’s a fair bit easier to navigate the menu (an epic adventure for some of us, even if we aren’t watching the carbs – so many options!) at some of our favorite coffee shops.
The short answer would appear to be no. The company’s website has this awesome tool that allows you to customize your ‘order’, which then gives you all the pertinent nutrition information.
For example, a grande size coffee (16 Fl Oz) contains 0 grams total carbohydrates, 1 gram of protein, and 310 mg of caffeine. Once you start customizing the coffee order, you’re able to gauge the amounts in the corresponding nutrition information panel.
What are the best ways to be as carb-conscious as possible with all the Starbucks options available to us? Well, the rule of thumb would be to go for a nut milk (unsweetened ones are best), as they contain significantly less sugar and carbs than dairy milks.
In fact, a splash of almond milk in your Starbucks coffee will give you 7 grams of sugar and 130 calories per serving. Not too bad, right?
If you really need your dairy creamer or milk, consider that a splash of that adds 26 grams of sugar to your drink and 180 calories.
So, while the calorie content isn’t necessarily that much higher than what a splash of almond milk provides, the leap between the sugar and carb content between the two milk options is considerable.
And if you just have to have a little sweetness in your brew, then you could always opt for Stevia or Splenda to cut down on the carbs and calories that actual sugar provides.
Here’s the deal folks: coffee itself isn’t the source of all things carb-rich, in the world of coffee-drinking. It’s the things that are added into the coffee that takes the carb counter up and up, and if you’re wanting to keep that carb count low, the best coffees to choose are:
Just as a side note here: a blonde roast coffee, is simply another way of saying the roast is light or lighter.
Additionally, for those who don’t yet know, Nitro cold brew coffee is basically a cold coffee on tap that’s had tiny nitrogen bubbles infused into it. What results is a with brew with an almost foamy texture. Pretty cool, right?
It doesn’t matter what your personal preference for coffee is, the experience is such an individual one. When making any changes to your lifestyle, always consult your primary care manager first, they are the only ones equipped to guide you on health-related matters. As for coffee? Regardless of how you like your brew, there are always options to bring the carb count down and still enjoy that cup of Joe!
Does Coffee Have Carbs?
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/carbs-in-coffee
Here’s an Important Questions: Does Coffee have Carbs
https://www.openfit.com/does-coffee-have-carbs
8 of the Best Keto-Friendly Drinks
https://www.everydayhealth.com/ketogenic-diet/diet/best-drinks-keto-diet/#:~:text=Plain%20Coffee%2C%20or%20Coffee%20With,Okay%20on%20the%20Keto%20Diet&text=Like%20with%20tea%2C%20it’s%20what,your%20brew%20that%20matters%20most.
Which Starbucks Milk Option is Actually the Healthiest?
https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/bananas-according-to-ripeness-healthiest-time-to-eat