EC Wisconsin News

3 recipes for a healthier cup of coffee

A plain cup of brewed coffee only has one or two calories, but it quickly can become an unnatural, high-calorie drink when you start pouring in the cream and sugar.

Most commercial creamers are packed with additives, artificial flavors, trans fats and added sugars – most in the form of corn sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup.

Then there are commercial coffee house drinks. A grande Caramel Chocolate Frappuccino with whipped cream packs a whopping 590 calories with 19 teaspoons of sugar (74g) and 19g of saturated fat.

But it’s easy and relatively inexpensive to make your own delicious concoctions to sweeten up your cup of coffee. You can control what it tastes like and how healthy it is.

Got milk? Whole milk, half-and-half, creams and even evaporated milk from a small tin can provide the flavor you need without any additives, preservatives, added sugars or trans fats.

Real milk has a little saturated fat, but chances are you won’t be using enough to matter. Calories? Half-and-half and commercial liquid creamers both have about 20 calories per tablespoon. If you need it a little sweeter, add a teaspoon or two of your own sugar, honey or maple syrup. Brown sugar is good, too. If you’re avoiding sugar, add stevia.

Original source can be found here.