Why coffee isn’t a great diet hack

Resolving to lose weight is a very common resolution during this time of year, and for sure, exercising more and leading a healthier lifestyle are always good ideas.

Sometimes, however, vague resolutions about weight loss can lead to unhealthy choices, and taking on an extreme diet to cut calories often falls into that category.

Another potentially problematic tool for losing weight? Coffee.

Coffee is not all bad. It is packed with antioxidants, and drinking black coffee may actually help you process glucose. Johns Hopkins actually produced a fun article outlining some benefits of drinking a moderate amount of coffee.

The caffeine in coffee is also a stimulant, which may increase the metabolism, which in turn burns more calories throughout the day. That is why many popular weight supplements contain caffeine. I don’t like the way excessive stimulants make me feel, and generally would never consider them in a weight loss regimen, but many find value in them.

On the other hand, a common misconception is that coffee curbs hunger. That is debatable. In this study, overweight and obese women were given either water or black coffee with breakfast. Over the course of the day, the women recorded how they were feeling. Here are some interesting findings that don’t necessarily help a pro-coffee argument:

1) Appetite levels were the same in both groups.

2) The coffee drinkers desired sweet foods more than the water drinkers.

3) The coffee drinkers had higher triglyceride levels.

More testing needs to be done to show the actual results of using coffee to curb hunger, but what we know is that coffee consumption is not a fool-proof diet.

If you do choose to consume coffee (as I do), moderation is key. Drinking excessive amounts of coffee to curb hunger is a dangerous and unhealthy practice. All benefits that coffee offer fly out the window if you choose to go too far.

According to Johns Hopkins, a healthy amount of coffee is 3-5 cups (8 oz) for men and women who are not breastfeeding or pregnant.

It is best to avoid adding sweeteners and/or cream. If you can’t drink black coffee, try using pure maple syrup in small amounts.

Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash