Coffee can be many things to many different people. For some, it is simply a way to get enough caffeine to get started every morning. For others, it's more of an obsession and they will gladly spend time telling you about their favorite bean, blend, or brew. If you are a coffee lover, you may wonder if drinking coffee could be sabotaging your diet. Are you adding pounds simply by indulging in a few cups of coffee each day?
If you are drinking your coffee black, the answer to that question is a resounding "no." An eight ounce cup of brewed coffee contains only two calories. The calories in coffee come from the naturally occurring oils found in the coffee beans. If you are drinking instant coffee, the calorie count is slightly higher with four calories per eight ounce serving. This is due to the processing involved in creating instant coffee. For either option, brewed or instant, the calorie count is negligible.
Black & Decker Air Station
The problem with calories comes not from the coffee, but from what we add to it. If you are like many people who find coffee slightly bitter without being sweetened, you may add a spoonful or two of sugar. Each teaspoon of sugar contains fifteen calories, so adding just one spoonful takes the calorie count of your eight ounce cup of coffee from two calories to seventeen calories. A teaspoon of milk will add another nine calories, or, if you are someone who likes cream in their coffee, a teaspoon of that will add another fifty calories.
If you are watching your caloric intake, you can still enjoy black coffee. At two calories per cup, it is something you can feel good about indulging in.