The Skinny on Coffee

Americans are obsessed with coffee. We drink it to stay awake, treat ourselves, take a break and keep our energy up. But as our caffeine craze extends far beyond the simple black brew, it’s time to stop and ask: Is this quest for a delicious caffeine kick destroying our diets? Here, Marion Nestle, a New York City nutritionist and author of several books including What to Eat, gives her assessment of some popular coffee orders.

 

Order this: A large (16 ounce) regular coffee from McDonalds.

 

And you’ll drink this: 0 calories, 0 grams fat, 0 grams saturated fat and 0 grams carbohydrates.

 

Add one packet of cream, and you’ll drink this: 20 calories, 2 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat and 0 grams carbohydrates.

 

Add the cream and one packet of sugar and you’ll drink this: 35 calories, 2 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat and 4 grams carbohydrates

 

Marion Nestle’s take: “This is coffee—what's not to like? It probably isn't even super-caffeinated. But skim milk is a better choice than cream, if you can get used to it.”

 

Did you know?

Your coffee’s caffeine content depends on how you brew it. On average, an 8-ounce cup of drip coffee contains 184 milligrams of caffeine, while 8 ounces of percolated coffee contains 128 milligrams of caffeine and a cup of instant coffee just 104 milligrams of caffeine.

 

 

By Bethany Lye for MSN Health & Fitness