Concealed calories at the coffee shop

Though many of us are conscious of the calories in our favourite fast food haunt, the calories contained in the coffee that we consume on a daily basis are often overlooked. If you, like the majority of us, depend on a strong caffeine hit in the form of a steaming hot cup of coffee in the mornings, you would do well to know that you might be causing yourself a significant amount of weight gain without even realising.

A take out cappuccino on average contains 200 calories per cup, while a latte can contain up to 300. Shockingly, if you opt for some of the mocha varieties you could be packing away up to 700 calories without even knowing.

And often, with coffee comes cake and biscuits. Other calorie laden treats and snacks are never far behind. Needless to say, always skip the tempting extras as even a toasted savoury sandwich, which is often considered to be the healthy option can pack almost half of a woman’s daily calorie allowance in one snack.

Also, even if the sweet treats are labelled ‘skinny’ and ‘light’, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are, and neither will you be after scoffing them. One ‘skinny’ lemon and poppy seed muffin from the coffee giant Starbucks tips the scales at almost 400 calories. To burn off this seemingly ‘skinny’ treat you would have to walk uphill on a treadmill for a whopping 45 minutes.

Worryingly, if you consume just an extra 200 calories per day, that can add up to a weight gain of 21lb’s in one year. And that’s without the calorific extras such as whipped cream, syrupy flavoured shots and slab of rocky road cake.

To minimise the damage that your daily coffee habit can have on your waistline, always ask for skimmed milk. This can save you up to 140 calories per cup of coffee, and hold off on the sugar. If you can’t take your coffee unsweetened try sweeteners instead of sugar which contains 0 calories.

If you’re looking to enhance your health as well as to lose a few pounds the next time you drop into your favourite coffee shop, give plain green coffee a go. Green coffee is an aromatic blend of unroasted coffee beans and roasted Arabica beans that are rich in the natural plant compound chrorogenic acid. This has been found to actually speed up your metabolism to aid weight loss, working by reducing your sugar absorption.

In a 2 week trial, those who drank a daily cup of green coffee shed on average 3.5 lb compared to those who drank regular coffee who only lost 0.3lb in the same amount of time.

Instead of a daily necessity, we should think of take out coffee with all the added extras like a dessert; a yummy occasional treat, and not a daily indulgence. By making sensible, educated choices at the coffee house you can easily cut the calories from your diet and be on your way to achieving a leaner, fitter, and healthier you.