coffee lovers please help!

WendyTerry420

I can't drink coffee without sweetener. I heard agave is better than sugar, and it tastes like sugar too

I'm confused. Agave IS sugar, so how is agave BETTER than itself?

I asked the girl that at the juice bar at the gym. She said is has a lower glycemic index than 'sugar'. :laugh:

Glycemic index is irrespective of calories. It is also irrelevant unless you have a medical condition that causes blood glucose or insulin problems.

xero2099

I slowly eliminated sugar form my coffee and now no longer use it i just a little bit of light cream

jannalovescoffee

I would NEVER EVER give up coffee!! I just figure it into my calories for the day, as I do everything else. It's something I love (obvious by my username, lol), and would feel really deprived if I cut it out completely! I even have Starbucks once or twice a week.

JeanSoCal

I use Sweetleaf stevia. Stevia is a natural herb. It comes in powder form, packets or container, or liquid. I use the Sweetleaf brand because it is the only brand that I have found that is all natural without anything added. Some will say Truvia is stevia, but it isn't. http://www.dietitiancassie.com/the-truth-on-truvia/ I buy my Sweetleaf stevia at a local Sprouts grocery store, and you can also buy it online. It is not man made as other sweeteners like Spenda with added ingredients. You also asked who had a Keurig. I do and I love using it daily. For coffee and to make tea.

anhirn1768

Try cinnamon exact. 1 packet of splends and 1 tbsp cream = 25 calories!

MrsAustin1480

I drink my coffee with Splenda and 2 percent milk at home. Not too shabby. In the afternoons (about once a week) I'll get an iced vanilla coffee from McDonalds (oh the horror) with sugar free vanilla and non fat milk. *i think* it is delicious!

Edit: if I remember right, it's 60-70 calories for a 20 oz.

BaconMD

i started MFP this week and haven't had coffee till today. and i tried to have it with less sugar and its awful

what do you guys use ?

Sounds like you're more of a sugar-lover than a coffee-lover, or you are drinking crap coffee. You can solve this by buying good green coffee beans and roasting it yourself at home. This is by far the best coffee I've drank. Grind with a conical burr grinder. Alternatively, you can buy fresh-roasted coffee beans from a reputable (and preferably local) roaster, and grind them yourself just prior to use. I would recommend single-origin light roasts, to start. Do not use a standard drip machine. Invest in a good French press or AeroPress, or a pour-over setup. If you ever come around to enjoying strong coffee, look at stovetop moka pots for a nice cup. I'd stay away from espresso machines - the affordable stuff is junk, and without a rather rich budget, you'll be kicking yourself for spending several hundred dollars on low-end machines.

If you get your coffee on-the-go from shops, start ordering from a different chain or different part of the menu. Americano is the way to go.

An alternative if you're more of a dark chocolate-lover than a coffee-lover is to pick up something like Criobru. It's cocoa beans that were roasted and ground to brew like coffee. I just got some last month, and once I finish drinking the coffee I've got, I think I'll be buying Criobru primarily. There are some other alternatives like the pyramid scheme Choffy, or of course roasting raw cacao nibs yourself (I've done this, it's good).

WendyTerry420

i use equal

mee too! And fat free half n half...

Wish I could take it black....

:huh:

What is fat-free half and half? By definition half and half is equal parts light cream and milk. It is generally 10%-12% fat.

WendyTerry420

I use Sweetleaf stevia. Stevia is a natural herb. It comes in powder form, packets or container, or liquid. I use the Sweetleaf brand because it is the only brand that I have found that is all natural without anything added. Some will say Truvia is stevia, but it isn't. http://www.dietitiancassie.com/the-truth-on-truvia/ I buy my Sweetleaf stevia at a local Sprouts grocery store, and you can also buy it online. It is not man made as other sweeteners like Spenda with added ingredients. You also asked who had a Keurig. I do and I love using it daily. For coffee and to make tea.

It's an extract from the stevia plant. That's like claiming that coffee grinds aren't coffee since they aren't beans.

VCanadapt

Does anyone have a keurig?

I have one.. LOVE IT! I use Dunkin Donuts K-Cups or I have the attachment for the coffee grounds and make my own

Generally I use splenda in my coffee and unsweetened almond milk or half & half

No_Finish_Line

i started MFP this week and haven't had coffee till today. and i tried to have it with less sugar and its awful

what do you guys use ?

drink it black you get a taste for it. i guess if i had to i'd put some fake sweetener in there

No_Finish_Line

I have a hamilton beach single serve coffee maker where you just take a metal scoop of any coffee. basically a kurig that you don't need K-cups for. just wish i could make the liquid hotter.

friend of mine said she could never get the kcups to make a strong enough cup. i can adjust the strenght depending on home much i scoop, use and coffee, and its cheaper.

Fodao

I drink black coffee. It was difficult at first, but became easier as time went on. I can't stand anything in my coffee, now...maybe a splash of Bailey's.

Buying a good quality coffee makes a difference. However, if you are on a budget, sprinkle some cinnamon on the grounds (if you're using perked). It really improves the taste.

I agree. I didn't even like coffee until 10 years ago. I forced myself to drink it until I liked it because I was tired of paying $2 a shot for energy drinks.

If you treat your coffee as a.m. fuel, like I suspect most of us do, it shouldn't be a problem. Your taste will acclimate and you'll end up craving your big mug of black (or in my case, 1-2 tbs of half and half and a pinch of sugar) coffee every morning.

If your coffee is an a.m. dessert/sweet tooth stop, it might be a little harder.

EDIT: Also, make sure you're preparing it correctly. (I'm not trying to insult your intelligence; it's just all too common for people to assume you heap a bunch of grounds in, pour in a bunch of water, and you have coffee.) There are water-to-grounds ratios to follow for a perfect cup (they're listed on the container, or you can look it up online.) The difference between coffee made properly and coffee made improperly is like night and day. Good-quality coffee or fresh-ground beans helps a lot, too.

climbing_trees

Buying a good quality coffee makes a difference. However, if you are on a budget, sprinkle some cinnamon on the grounds (if you're using perked). It really improves the taste.

The cheap ones are gonna taste like dirt. :P

Try a light roast. Try a dark roast. Try pre-ground coffee. Get a bean grinder and grind your own. Try flavored coffee.
There are so many different kinds!

BigFootedMonster

I make simple syrup with a vanilla bean boiled into it. This seems to make it sweeter using less actual sugar. Also, when you're finished with the vanilla bean, put it in your container of sugar, and it will enhance the flavor of your regular sugar.

fpelletier

I drink coffee almost daily in the winter and just use a low/no calories sweetner and sugar free creamer. I am trying to slowly cut back on the sweetner as well.

MizCrys323

I just gave up coffee at the beginning of this month, but I had a steady 1 mug a day habit for 2+ years. I substituted fat free milk for creamer and Splenda (and later, Stevia) for sugar (for the record, Stevia really didn't sweeten it enough for my taste). But I agree with previous comments, if you are true coffee lover, buy some quality coffee-- I loved the taste and the caffeine. If you're having a hard time taking the sugar and cream out of your coffee, then it is fine to keep having it the way you like it-- the calories are yours to dispose of anyway you like; unless you are putting ALOT in your coffee, you probably aren't expending too many in your coffee. Or, maybe you aren't really a coffee drinker-- you just like it because it's hot, and sweet, and creamy, etc. Try something different, like some flavored teas. Switching taste palates may work better than changing your coffee.

Iknewyouweretrouble

Start Gradual:
Sugar free flavor shots-most shops carry them
Skim milk
Sugar in the Raw
Truvia (Splenda)
NO whip
Add your own fat free whip
Add Cinnamon or Nutmeg
White chocolate powder/mocha powder (powders are better than HFCS syrups)
DRINK WEAKER COFFEE no starbucks or strong K cups- donut shop k cup is weaker, dunkin coffee is weaker. you will need less flavoring
EDIT: there is nothing better then flavored coffee BEANS! Hazelnut, Vanilla (Brew your own)

HTH!

shazzannon

I usually use agave nectar. It has the same calorie count as can sugar, but it's supposedly sweeter so you use less. I don't know how true that claim is, but I definitely use it on waffles, as it tastes like syrup to me on its own. Can't tell in coffee, though.

Lately I've been on a maxwell house mocha latte kick. 1 1/3 tbs is 60 and I don't use any additional sweetener. It makes the coffee creamy and sweet without it.

valleydad

I use Coffee Mate liquid. It adds calories but makes the coffee delicious. I use Hazelnut. If I'm at Starbucks, I add half and half and sugar. Splenda like other sweeteners is rumored to pose health problems. But cell phones are rumored to cause brain tumors and we don't know yet. We know about cigarettes. Sure these things add calories but I need coffee to survive. I then motivate myself to exercise more. Unlike the girl in "Airplane!", I don't drink black coffee.