I'm on a Diet So I'll Have a Large Skim Latte with 2 Sugars. And That Muffin, thanks.

The notorious cup of coffee.  Let's name its purpose.  A swift kick in the pants to start the day.  A pick-me-up in the afternoon.  If you do your research like I do, you will know that caffeine has been proven to increase mental performance in the short-term.  So starting your day with a black coffee or gulping down an espresso in the afternoon to increase focus is not a bad idea.  But if you like to add milk and sugar and you're trying to lose or maintain your weight, that coffee is working against you, even if you choose skim milk!

I can't tell you how many times in the last 5 years I've made a skim coffee with 1 or more sugars.  Especially around the beginning of the year when those new year's resolutions are in high demand.  These uninformed individuals think they are doing themselves a favor by cutting out calories from fat and then adding sugar since they do not prefer the taste of skim milk coffee.  What they don't know is that consuming more sugar can be just as upsetting, if not more, to their goals of weight loss.

Let's take a more in depth look into this.

1 cup of whole/full cream milk = 11-13g of sugar & 140-150 calories
1 cup of skim (non-fat) milk = 11-13g of sugar = 85-90 calories.

1 level teaspoon sugar = about 4g of sugar
1 g of sugar = about 4 calories

1 cup of black coffee = 0 sugar, 0 fat, 2 calories

As you can see, although drinking skim may reduce your fat and calorie in-take, you are actually drinking the same amount of sugar as in whole milk.  If you are indeed the type of person who is drinking a skim latte with 2 sugars on the way to work, you've just consumed around 20g of sugar for breakfast.  Nearly as much as one cup of coke at 27g of sugar.


It is a generally accepted that consuming "too much" sugar is not healthy.  On a basic level, one reason is because sugar contributes empty calories to your diet.   An empty calorie is a calorie that is void of nutritional benefit.  On a more complex level, another reason is because consuming a lot of simple carbohydrates such as sugar increases your blood glucose level which inhibits fat loss which can lead to obesity.  As your blood glucose level rises, your body produces more of the hormone insulin in order for your body to absorb excess glucose.  At a certain point, this increase in insulin will tell your body to stop burning stored fat as an energy source because it has enough fuel (carbohydrates) readily available to burn instead.  This is one reason why many choose to follow low carb diets.

Let's not forget the "sugar spike."  Foods with a high glycemic index, like sugar, cause the level of glucose in the blood stream to increase dramatically over a short period of time which can send the pancreas into overdrive to produce a lot of insulin.  This tells the cells in your liver, muscles, and fat tissue to start absorbing the glucose quickly and in as little as 30 minutes can leave your body with low blood sugar levels which causes a myriad of undesirables including hunger, fatigue, irritability and decreased mental focus.  

Not exactly what you wanted for your $3.50?  Then here are my suggestions:  Skip the sugar, and drink your coffee black if you can.  Or better yet, trade your morning coffee for a breakfast high in protein and complex carbohydrates.  Try an egg-white omelette (4 egg whites + 1 whole egg) filled with chopped broccoli.  If you're short on time, a protein shake and an apple will also deliver sufficient energy and focus to get you well into lunch time.  If you need an afternoon snack, try a small handful of almonds, or a half a cup of natural yogurt with berries.  If you can't forego your sweet milky addiction, you can make it a small or reduce how often you have one.  Your body, your mind, and your colleagues will thank you for it