The Healthiest Way To Drink Your Morning Cup Of Coffee

Trying to maintain a healthy diet can be tricky when some of the most enjoyable food and drinks are incredibly unhealthy. You don't have to sacrifice everything, though. Coffee has powers we're only beginning to understand, and some of them lie underneath all the added creamers and sugar that many of us love so much. Two-thirds of all adults in the United States enjoy at least one cup of coffee per day, and everyone has their own idea of the perfect cup. And that might just be black coffee, which has numerous health benefits from its antioxidants and caffeine content.

Black coffee may help with everything from cancer prevention to a reduced risk of cirrhosis, and it's been known to act as a mood-booster for those who drink multiple cups in a day. However, adding cream and sugar to coffee can do more harm than good. Flavored coffee is one of the highest contributors to added sugars in adult diets, and coffee drinkers who add cream consume more saturated fats than non-coffee drinkers. Both of these additives can contribute to a higher risk of heart disease. For those who want a healthier option, but are daunted by the switch to black coffee, there are ways to spruce up your morning cup without all the cream and sugar.

If you get your coffee from a fast-food restaurant, it likely has a ridiculous amount of sugar. Making your coffee at home or finding a local coffee spot that specializes in more than just a few varieties may be beneficial to stay away from added fats and sugar. If you're making your coffee at home, you can still boost the flavor by trying out some different mixtures.  And if you think vanilla flavor is boring, it's time to reignite that relationship by adding some vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste to your coffee.

Other ingredients you can use are cinnamon and nutmeg for a spicy complimentary blend; add as little or as much as you want for your desired flavor. To boost the benefits of your morning brew, add some lion's mane for an earthy, nutty flavor. Lion's mane can be a mood booster and beneficial for the digestive and nervous systems. If it isn't so much the flavor as the acidity that turns you away from black coffee, and you use either a coffee pot, French press, or reusable pods, add a pinch of salt prior to brewing to lower the acidity and dial up the sweet flavors of your grounds. Trying out a healthy cup of black coffee may also make you appreciate the flavors of your coffee more, and lead you to try different labels that you may not have appreciated in the past.