While it may sound like the outlandish dream of some passionate espresso lover, there is actually a science to support this concept – at least to a certain extent. Perhaps you’ve heard that coffee can help you lose weight. So how does coffee fit into the picture? Obviously, coffee contains calories, but there’s more to it than that. That’s why 100 calories’ worth of broccoli is generally a healthier choice than 100 calories of chocolate digestives (we still love a good biscuit, though…). Some foods – and, therefore, some calories – deliver more nutrients along with the energy they provide.

In order to maintain consistent body weight, the calories you consume and the calories you expend each day must be equal if you must burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight, and if you take in more calories than you burn, you gain weight.īut while all calories contain the same amount of energy, not all calories are created equal. Your body turns the foods you eat into energy through a process called metabolism, and it uses the resulting energy to perform its daily functions – breathing, running, digesting, and more.Īll of these activities burn calories. Technically, it’s the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius, but it’s also used to measure the amount of energy in the food and drink you consume (when it’s known as the kilocalorie). First things first – what is a calorie?Ī calorie is a unit of energy. Ready to learn how your favorite cup of caffeinated bliss compares to the rest? Read on for a breakdown of coffee’s calorie content and what it means for your health. But once you start adding milk and sugar to the mix, those calories quickly add up – for instance, Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte delivers 300 calories for a 12-ounce serving (and that’s nowhere near the largest size on the menu!). So how many calories are in a cup of coffee?ĭepending on your coffee drink of choice, the answer might surprise you because the coffee on its own is an extremely low-calorie option, with just 2 calories per cup (according to the research of USDA – U.S. Whether you’re focused specifically on weight loss or you’re simply keen on leading a healthy lifestyle, it can be all too easy to overlook the impact of your daily coffee ritual on your diet.

Calories in skim milk and coffee