Coffee: What’s Healthy, What’s Not (2024)

If you’re looking for antioxidants, stick with hot-brewed coffee. It has more because it takes a certain amount of heat to extract antioxidants from the bean. But if it’s caffeine you’re after, cold brew will give you a stronger jolt. Cold brew is also lower in acid, and a better choice if you have acid reflux.

The healthiest way to take your coffee is hot-brewed and black. One cup has virtually no calories or carbs, no fat, and is low in sodium. Black coffee also has micronutrients, including potassium, magnesium, and niacin.

Coffee starts out healthy, but sugar and flavored sweeteners add fat, calories, and a higher risk of heart disease. Aim for 1 teaspoon of sugar (or less) per cup, of the 6 (women) or 9 (men) teaspoons recommended per day by the American Heart Association. At coffee shops, one pump of flavoring has about one teaspoon of sugar. At home, flavor your coffee with vanilla or almond extract.

Milky coffee drinks contain either sweetened condensed milk, heavy whipping cream, or whole milk, often with whipped cream on top. That’s a lot of fat and calories in every sip. For example, an ounce of heavy whipping cream adds more than 100 calories. Sub with whole milk (19 calories per ounce), fat-free milk (10 calories per ounce), or unsweetened almond or soy milk.

If you go big on fat and calories, opt for the small cup instead of the large. It’s OK to indulge in a flavored latte or sweetened seasonal drink once in a while, especially if you save yourself a lot of extra calories, sugar, and fat by ordering the smallest size.

Coffee beans are one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world. Many pesticides are removed through the washing or roasting process, but not all. Look for an organic certification seal on the packaging of coffee you buy in a store, and for the word “organic” on menu choices in your coffee shop.

Healthy. Turmeric has curcuminoids, or anti-inflammatory compounds that may have a positive effect on diabetes and cancer. Add it to hot black coffee, but steer clear of sugar, syrups, or heavy creamers that add fat and calories.

Hype. Also called Vietnamese or Swedish coffee, egg coffee is made by beating an egg yolk with sweetened condensed milk, then adding it to espresso or iced coffee. Sweetened condensed milk is high in sugar, and raw eggs can contain the bacteria salmonella that causes 1.35 million infections every year.

Healthy. Mushroom coffee isn’t made of mushrooms -- it’s coffee plus mushroom extract, typically from lion’s mane, chaga, cordyceps, or reishi mushrooms. It has less caffeine and doubles down on the inflammation-reducing antioxidants, so it’s good for you as long as you don’t load it down with sugar and cream. There’s not enough research to back up all the health claims yet, such as an immune system boost.

Healthy, unless you’re sensitive to stimulants. Also called smart drugs, nootropics are compounds that increase your memory, creativity, motivation, and attention. Caffeine is one, so coffee is naturally nootropic. Any nootropic coffee you order may have stimulants -- natural or manufactured -- beyond caffeine. The FDA doesn’t regulate nootropics, so it’s impossible to prove their claims or even if a product really contains them.

Hype. Adding vitamins to coffee sounds like a good idea, but coffee’s diuretic properties make you pee at a faster rate than normal. You’ll lose any water-soluble nutrients you take in before you can absorb them. Coffee also blunts absorption of minerals like zinc, calcium, and iron. Plan to take your vitamins an hour before or after you drink coffee.

Concentrated coffee is just that: A more potent form of regular coffee that you mix with water or milk. It’s often used to make large amounts of coffee, and it has a lot of caffeine, so be mindful of the serving size if you make some for yourself.