Tips to Make Your Coffee Healthier

A hot cup of coffee not only helps start your day, it can also be good for your health. Coffee contains polyphenols, a group of natural plant compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Polyphenols provide a wide range of health benefits, including lowering blood sugar levels, reducing risk of heart disease, improving digestion, and helping to prevent cancer.

However, those health benefits can be greatly diminished by how coffee is prepared. Adding calories and fat through sweeteners, flavorings, and creamers can make that cup of joe a lot less healthy.

To help make your coffee healthier, here are some tips for buying coffee and preparing it at home. We also offer some suggestions for when you’re on the go, such as when ordering a cup in a restaurant or coffee shop.

Selecting Beans

When purchasing coffee, look for beans that are:

• Organically grown. Coffee marked with the USDA organic symbol has been certified as organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Coffee grown organically doesn’t have pesticide and herbicide residues.
• Higher in polyphenols. Beans grown at high altitudes and in certain areas of the world tend to have more polyphenols. Look for beans from the Huila region of Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Costa Rica, or Ethiopia.
• Lightly roasted. Polyphenols break down as coffee beans are roasted. Light roasts retain more polyphenols than dark roasts. Lighter roasts are more acidic, so if that’s a concern, choose a medium roast.
• Freshly roasted. The more recent the roast, the more polyphenols are preserved. Check the roast date printed on the bag and buy coffee that’s been roasted within the last week or two.

Grinding and Brewing

To get the most out of your beans:

• Grind just before brewing. Contact with air causes oxidation which degrades the coffee. For the most flavor and health benefits, grind immediately before brewing. Store any leftovers in an opaque air-tight container in a cool, dark place like a pantry — away from direct sunlight and heat.
• Finely grind. When coffee is made from finely-ground beans, it contains more polyphenols.
• Use a filter. Coffee made using a filter is healthier for you. According to a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, people who drink filtered coffee have lower rates of artery disease. Why? Unfiltered coffee has much higher levels of diterpenes, compounds that can raise cholesterol, than filtered coffee.
• Hot brew instead of cold. Coffee brewed with hot water has more polyphenols than cold brewed coffee, because hot water helps release beneficial compounds from the grounds.
• Keep the water at the right temperature. The optimal extraction of polyphenols happens when the water is between 195- and 205-degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just below the boiling point of 212 degrees. An easy way to do this is to heat water to boiling, remove from heat and wait 30 seconds until pouring.  

Healthy Serving Suggestions

Now that you’ve selected the healthiest coffee beans and prepared them carefully, top it off by choosing healthier ways to serve it.

Use a small amount of maple syrup to sweeten your coffee. Another option is simple syrup, made with equal parts of boiling water and sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Simple syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month.

If you’re accustomed to very sweet coffee, try gradually reducing the amount of sugar or other sweeteners you add.

Using low-fat milk or plant-based milk alternatives is another way to make your coffee serving healthier.

Coffee On The Go

When getting coffee outside your home, pay attention to portion size. Many coffeehouses offer 12 to 16 ounce or even larger portions, which can lead to higher calorie and caffeine intake. The standard cup of coffee in the U.S. is 8 fluid ounces.

Other tips for healthier coffee on the go include:

• Ask to add your own cream and sugar, so you can control how much goes in.
• Choose black coffee. Opt for a simple brewed coffee or an Americano with minimal added sugar. An 8-ounce cup of black coffee has about two calories, while some coffeehouse drinks can have 300 calories or more.
• Ask for less syrup. If you want a flavored drink, ask for less syrup or a sugar-free option. You can also ask to add you own.
• Select low-fat milk. Choose 2%, skim, or plant-based milk alternatives.
• Watch the extras. Enjoy sweet extras like whipped cream and chocolate or caramel syrups in moderation. Excessive sugar consumption can increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and tooth decay.

Enjoy in Moderation

Even a healthy cup of coffee can cause health problems, if you consume too much of it. The caffeine in coffee can cause insomnia (trouble sleeping), anxiety, irritability, upset stomach, increased heart rate and palpitations, high blood pressure, and muscle tremors.

To prevent health issues, limit your consumption to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day — about two to three 12-ounce cups of coffee. To learn more about caffeine and how to manage it, check out our blog article on healthy ways to get caffeine.