Hidden Sugars in Your Morning Coffee

Did you know that the average American consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar per day? This amounts to an extra 350 calories. It is estimated that over 30 million Americans drink specialty coffees including mochas, lattes, espressos, café mochas, cappuccinos and frozen/iced coffee beverages daily. While coffee is a staple for many morning rituals, it’s also where excess sugar and calories are consumed. With little to no nutrition, these sugary beverages may offer a quick pick me up and sugar rush, but the sugar crash that follows can leave you feeling just as sleepy and hungry again an hour later. If you’ve been searching for places to cut calories in your diet, your morning cup of joe could be a great place to start.

Excess sugar in these beverages contributes to the development of obesity, tooth decay, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Reducing the added sugar in your coffee can have great health benefits over time and you may notice a reduced craving for sugars as well.

When too many calories of added sugar are consumed, there is less room for more nutrient-dense foods and drinks. It’s not necessary to avoid all sources of added sugars, however; when the amount of added sugar exceeds the recommendation, try to cut down.

Recommendations: The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the World Health Organization recommend less than 10 percent of calories come from added sugars. That's about 12 teaspoons (48 grams of sugar) in a 2,000-calorie diet.

At 25 teaspoons of sugar, Starbucks’ Hot Mulled Fruit contains more than double the recommended maximum adult daily intake. While a grande (medium) White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream from Starbucks contains 15 teaspoons, more than the daily amount recommended for an adult (based on a 2000 calorie diet)… in one beverage! A can of Coca-Cola contains about 9 teaspoons of sugar.

Sugar can be listed under many different names. Examples of sweeteners and sources of added sugars include: brown sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, maltose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, molasses, sucrose, white granulated sugar, agave nectar, evaporated cane juice, malt syrup, cane crystals, fruit juice concentrate, cane sugar, glucose, raw sugar, corn sweetener, syrup, crystalline fructose and invert sugar.

You can find information on the sugar content of many of your favorite specialty drinks here.

Tips for reducing sugar:
· Ask your barista to include one less pump or use sugar-free syrup or sweetener
· Order a smaller size
· Make your drink at home to gain more control over the ingredients used

Bottom Line: Plan to reduce the sugar in your coffee over the course of a few days or weeks. You’ll notice over time that you no longer crave as much sugar. Honey and agave are not necessarily “better” forms of sugar. Sugar is sugar. One might taste better to someone, but all added sugar contributes to added calories.

Written by: Stephanie Coburn, Wellness Workdays Dietetic Intern

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A Cup of Joe Cannot Replace Adequate Sleep

If you didn’t get enough sleep last night, you may be relying on a cup of Joe (or two) to get you through the morning. Instant, percolated or pressed – with cream, sugar or just plain black – coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, and we are counting on it to perk us up.  How exactly does it work? Sleepiness comes from a brain chemical called adenosine; adenosine builds throughout the day, giving you that tired, sleepy feeling. When you finally get some sleep, adenosine is removed from your system and the cycle repeats. So what do you do when that 2 pm slump hits and you can’t stop for a nap -- drink a cup of coffee and ward of sleepiness. The caffeine in your cup of Joe helps repel adenosine molecules from reaching the brain’s receptors, preventing that tired, sleepy feeling. New research, however, finds the even the magic of caffeine may have its limits.

A recent double blind, placebo-controlled study looked at whether caffeine is sufficient to prevent performance decline after long-term sleep restriction. The study included 48 healthy individuals. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups: the intervention group and the control group. Participants in the intervention group were administered 200 mg of caffeine twice daily, while participants in the control group received a placebo twice daily. Participants in both groups restricted sleep to five hours per night for a total of five days. Participants underwent cognitive testing six times per day throughout the five-day period. Testing included a psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) test (measures reaction time), Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS).

Results showed that relative to the placebo, caffeine significantly improved PVT performance during the first two days, but not the last three days of sleep restriction. Lead author Tracy Jill Doty, PhD, states, "These results are important, because caffeine is a stimulant widely used to counteract performance decline following periods of restricted sleep. The data from this study suggests that the same effective daily dose of caffeine is not sufficient to prevent performance decline over multiple days of restricted sleep.”

Bottom Line: The recommended amount of sleep is seven to eight hours per night, but as many as 40 percent of Americans are getting less than seven hours of sleep. With a packed schedule, sleep often moves to the bottom of the priority list. This study is an important reminder that adequate sleep should be considered a necessity, not a luxury. While that cup of coffee may add pep to your step over the short term, your performance may start to suffer if restricted sleep becomes a habit. If you’re not currently getting the recommended seven to eight hours, try setting a consistent bed time for yourself that is at least 30 minutes earlier than when you typically hit the hay. Use that thirty minutes to unwind and unplug to promote a restful night’s sleep.


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