Whether you’re a senior or a caregiver, coffee is often a vital pick me up, one that can make your day so much better. Some caregivers might even find coffee a vital part of staying alert, especially after a few nights of broken sleep.
The right amount of coffee at the right time might even be good for you. But, there’s much you can do to make it an even better choice.
Are you looking for new ways to make your morning coffee healthier?
The good news is that there are tons of ways you can do it. In fact, in this post, we will show you 10 methods. For example, you can add cocoa powder, cinnamon, fresh mint, and even coconut water.
If you want to know more about these methods keep reading this article.
1. Stick to Black Coffee
There is a really good reason to drink only black coffee. And it is calorie intake.
When you add milk, chocolate, or cream to your coffee you are adding unnecessary calories that can make the process of losing weight more difficult.
One serving of black coffee (8 oz) only has 2 calories which are low if we compare it with a cafe latte that has around 189 calories per serving (16 oz).
Also, black coffee has many health benefits. For example, it can prevent Alzheimer’s disease, reduce the risk of cancer, reduce the risk of cirrhosis, it can improve your mood, can help with diabetes management, and Parkinson’s disease prevention.
All of this is because coffee is rich in antioxidants, Vitamin B2, and magnesium.
However, keep in mind that coffee contains caffeine, which isn’t always the wisest choice. If you are worried about the caffeine content, try decaf coffee instead, this gives you many of the same benefits, with barely any caffeine.
Note: The dose of caffeine can vary depending on the drink. Here you will see the differences between coffee and espresso regarding caffeine content and more.
2. Use Almond Milk to Add Texture and Flavor
Almond milk has become hugely popular in the last decade, and for a good reason.
The major benefit of almond milk over regular milk is that it has considerably fewer calories, which is extremely good if you are trying to lose some pounds quickly and you don’t want to remove milk from your daily coffee.
The reason almond milk has fewer calories than regular milk is that it’s lower in fat.
However, not everything is good, almond milk is not as nutritious as regular milk.
First of all, the fat content of regular milk is not necessarily bad if consumed moderately, in fact, it can be very beneficial for health. Also, almond milk has a lower content of calcium and vitamin D.
Still, not everything is as bad as it sounds.
Some almond milk providers fortify their products to provide you with extra nutrients. Sometimes you’ll get most of the same nutrients as in regular milk, while the calorie content remains much lower.
3. Use Cinnamon to Add Aroma and Flavor
Adding cinnamon to your coffee can increase its sweetness without having to add sugar, syrup, or artificial sweeteners.
Also, cinnamon comes with extra benefits, which is great for keeping you healthy.
For example, a tablespoon of cinnamon has as many antioxidants as half a cup of blueberries.
Also, some studies show that the intake of at least 1 g of cinnamon per day can lower blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides in people with type 2 diabetes.
Furthermore, the linked study suggests that people with type 2 diabetes can reduce the risk factors of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases by adding cinnamon to their diet.
Cinnamon is also very flexible. You can create tons of flavorful healthy coffee drinks using it, which is great if you want some variety.
4. Leverage Cocoa Powder
Cocoa powder (especially if it is 72% cocoa or above) has been linked to many health benefits during the years.
You can leverage these health benefits if you add some cocoa powder to your coffee each day.
But what are the benefits that you can get from it?
First of all, it improves your cognitive health. It improves your memory, attention and restores cognitive performance in people with sleep problems.
It boosts your immune system since it has lots of nutrients, like iron, zinc, and selenium.
Also, it is rich in theobromine which is great for reducing inflammation and protecting the human body from diseases like cancer and diabetes.
These are only a few of the many benefits that cacao powder can provide you.
The best thing about it is that it is flexible (like cinnamon) and you can prepare hundreds of coffee drinks with it. But if you want something quick, I recommend you just add a tablespoon of cocoa with some almond milk to your coffee.
5. Experiment with Your Coffee Consumption
Some people can drink coffee at any time of the day, without issue. Others find that they’re more sensitive to it at some times compared to others.
A common idea is to never have coffee on an empty stomach, as doing so can lead to undesirable side effects, like heartburn and indigestion. Others find that having coffee first thing makes them feel shaky.
Evidence for this idea is mixed. Some research suggests that coffee on an empty stomach could be a bad thing, while other people suggest that it’s people sensitive to coffee who experience these side effects and that they’d experience them regardless of whether they had coffee on an empty stomach or not.
Such differences suggest that you should experiment for yourself. We’re all different, after all, so why not see how you respond to coffee?
Which times of day are best for you to drink coffee? How much is too much? Do you feel better if you have coffee before food or after you’ve eaten?
Also pay attention to how you feel the next day. This is particularly true for seniors, as they may be more sensitive to the caffeine in coffee.
6. Remove Syrups From Your Coffee if You Want to Lose Weight
The reality is that sweet syrups are not good if you are trying to lose weight.
Let’s make an example with one of the most popular syrups out there.
The Torani Vanilla Syrup has 70 calories per serving (2 tablespoons).
Now, let’s suppose that you are putting this syrup in your latte.
A Cafe Latte has around 189 calories per serving as we said before and if we add a serving of Torani Vanilla Syrup now this Cafe Latte has 259 calories.
This is only one Cafe Latte, imagine if you decide to drink two lattes one day. that would be around 518 calories.
Balancing your calorie intake is important when you want to knock some pounds off. So, for many people, syrups won’t be a wise move.
You could turn to sugar free syrups instead, which removes the calorie issue. However, many of these rely on artificial flavors or sweeteners and those aren’t great for your health either.
7. Add Fresh Mint For Better Digestion
Mint is one of the most used herbs in the world. People often use it in desserts, medicine, teas, and coffee drinks.
Adding some mint to your morning coffee could bring you lots of benefits:
- It is anti-inflammatory
- Expectorant
- It has analgesic properties
- It is antibacterial or antitussive
- It has fiber
- It has minerals such as potassium, copper, calcium, magnesium
- It has vitamins A, B, C and D
However, although mint has so many beneficial properties, you should still be wary with it, as herbs can have unexpected effects in high doses. For example, mint is a natural stimulant, so it’s not desirable for anyone who struggles with insomnia.
I highly recommend adding mint to a cold brew coffee, there are hundreds of delicious recipes that use mint as an ingredient.
8. Coconut Water for Extra Hydration
Coconut water is another thing that can boost the health benefits of your morning coffee without much effort.
Let’s talk about the health benefits of coconut water.
First of all, it works great for hydrating your body since it is mostly water and contains some electrolytes. This is great for seniors who love their coffee and aren’t too fond of plain water.
Furthermore, it is recommended if you have headaches. Since it has natural sugar on it, it works great for increasing the sugar levels in the blood which is ideal to fight the symptoms.
Also, it is great for people who want to lose some pounds, one serving of coconut water (240g) only has 46 calories and it is low in carbohydrates and fats.
Now, you would be asking yourself, how to add coconut water to your coffee?
Well, there are hundreds of methods, but let’s talk about two of them. Firstly, you can just use coconut water to make your morning coffee or you can use coconut water to prepare an iced coffee.
If you don’t like any of these ideas just look for recipes and I am sure that you will find something that you like.
9. Leverage The Benefits of Coconut Oil
Recently, people have started adding coconut oil to their coffee for various reasons.
Some people just like the flavor of coffee with coconut oil, some people like to add it because they follow a ketogenic diet and some people add it because they want to leverage the health benefits of coconut oil.
Let’s take a look at the benefits and downsides of adding coconut oil to your coffee.
Coconut oil contains MCTs (Medium-Chain Triglycerides) which in combination with caffeine may speed your metabolism causing you to burn more calories in a day. This is beneficial for people who want to lose some weight (you can also find MCT oil).
Also, the combination of MCTs and caffeine can give you a boost of energy for those slow days. Finally, coconut oil can increase the level of HDL cholesterol in your body, which is beneficial for reducing the risk of heart disease.
The major downside of adding coconut oil to your coffee is that coconut oil is very caloric (121 calories per tablespoon). If not used properly, it can be counterproductive when losing weight.
Coconut oil is also high in saturated fat and is very controversial. As such, it’s always important to talk to your doctor before consuming it regularly. Some seniors won’t be able to try this approach at all, especially if they have heart problems.
10. Remove Coffee If You Cannot Sleep
This advice has less to do with improving coffee as such but with removing it from your diet.
If you find that you’re often nervous, irritable, in a bad mood, or suffer from insomnia, there’s a chance that coffee is harming you more than it’s helping. Try cutting down the amount of coffee that you’re drinking and avoid having any after 2 pm in the afternoon.
If this still isn’t enough, you might need to cut coffee out of your diet entirely. You can replace it with natural herbal teas or decaffeinated coffee, which will bring you more benefits such as tranquility and relaxation.
Final Words
We hope that these 10 coffee hacks to make your coffee even healthier have been useful.
However, don’t just stick to these methods, we encourage you to look for new recipes and more ways to make your coffee even healthier.
There is nothing better than enjoying a good coffee in a healthy and balanced way.
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