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Could you imagine not entering the coffee shop on your morning commute to work? Coffee shops tend to be a daily routine for those living a busy lifestyle - they are convenient and help with the morning fix to start your day. 

However, whilst it can be extremely fitting to enter the coffee shop on your morning commute, there’s the risk that you could be putting on the pounds more when you consider you’re going in there everyday. We can be tempted to order that treat staring at us in the stand window or sweeten our coffee a little more with an extra dose of sugar.

To ensure you don’t follow the trap, here are 5 tips to make your coffee shop order a little healthier.

Consider doughnuts a treat rather than breakfast

Having a doughnut as a treat can be on the odd occasion, but having it as a breakfast can be extremely harmful for your health. Amongst the high sugar content and simple carbohydrates that it contains it can also have you feel droopy and in need for another energy boost shortly after. 

There’s also no nutritional benefit to having doughnuts due to the amount of fat and calories that it contains. As a healthier alternative, consider a wholemeal doughnut instead. 

Opt for milk

If you’re the type to order the specialty beverages at coffee shops, look to order the ones that contain milk such as a latte or cappuccino. You should also ask for the milk to be skimmed, giving you a good amount of calcium without the saturated fat that they normally contain. 

Choose Biscotti for a healthy alternative

Fancy a biscuit to dunk into your coffee to make it feel a little more homely? No problem! We don’t want you to completely get rid of the coffee treats that are available to you. So, opt for Biscotti as your biscuit of choice. 

They’re twice baked and offer the perfect dunking option for your coffee. Some well-known coffee shops offer the biscuits which carry just 110 calories and only 5g for fat. 

Self-serve your extras

To manage what you’re having and how much you have, order your coffee plain and add in your own extras yourself. This is because many of the speciality drinks at many coffee shops already contain plenty of calories and fats. They also have mixes in them which can contain trans fat ingredients. 

To avoid this, order a plain black coffee and add in your own skimmed milk, sugar and sugar substitutes. You can also add some flavour toppings such as cinnamon and ground chocolate.

Get your hands on a bagel

Rather than getting one of the sweeter treats that you tend to see on the bakery shelves opt for a flavoured bagel instead. Or even if you go for plain bagels, it can be a better alternative as you won’t need the added cream cheese or other spreads and toppings. 

You have a range to choose from including blueberry, cinnamon and raisin options and you can go better and order a wholemeal, multi-grain or oat-bran bagel. 

Final thoughts

Keeping on top of our nutrition and calories has been an obsession in society for many years now as individuals become conscious about their health and nutrition. Many of us may be opting for health supplements to help balance out our diets but the tips above provide an indication of how making little changes in our routines can make a big difference to our health. Incorporate these in your daily routines and see how it benefits you in the long term.

Nitro Coffee: Coffee Geek Hype or Real Benefits?

There’s been a lot of buzz about nitro coffee, and even though it’s silky and smooth like a cold draft beer, it won’t leave you feeling foggy or blurry-eyed because it’s completely free of alcohol. It’s the acceptable afternoon indulgence, with a smooth finish and frothy head just like a pint of Guinness.

Plus, nitro coffee provides the same coffee nutrition benefits as a traditional cup of joe, while supplying more caffeine and less sugar.

When Did Nitro Coffee Hit The Streets … and What Makes It Special?

Nitro coffee is cold brewed, put into a keg and then infused with nitrogen gas. It’s served straight from the tap, just like a cold beer, and it offers that frothy and bubbly, adult-beverage feeling with the carbonation and beer-like head from the nitrogen. More and more baristas are buying into the nitro trend, which made its debut at Austin’s Cuvée Coffee in August 2012.

The big bonus for consumers is that there’s no sugar, milk or alcohol in nitro coffee, and it contains about 30 percent more caffeine per ounce than your good ol’ cup of joe, and some companies claim there’s even more. And now nitro coffee is available in bottles and cans, so you can enjoy this trending coffee at home or at the office. The craze for nitro coffee has gone so wild that high ranking self proclaimed coffee geeks even have bought their own systems such as KEG STORM Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Maker to be able to brew nitro coffee at home at 75% less the cost of buying it from cafes. 

Is Nitro Coffee Healthier Than Traditional Coffee?

You may feel like you’re drinking a craft beer, but you’re still getting the benefits of coffee with nitro brews. For those of you who can handle an extra kick of caffeine, nitro coffee may be your new favorite. But for some, the caffeine increase can lead to unwanted side effects. Here are the top pros and cons of nitro coffee.

The Pros:

1. High in Antioxidants — Did you know that coffee is the No. 1 beverage for anti-aging effects? Coffee is a top antioxidant food, or in this case, beverage, for a cup of coffee contains massive amounts of antioxidants that fight toxicity and protect the body against free radical damage. Research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests that coffee contains more free-radical fighting antioxidants than cocoa, green tea, black tea and herbal tea. (1)

Certain antioxidants found in coffee, such as cafestol and kahweol, have cholesterol-balancing effects. Coffee intake is also associated with lower risks of heart failure and stroke.

2. Improves Mental and Physical Performance — Coffee increases alertness and improves mental and physical performance. And did you know that drinking a cup of nitro coffee after a workout can increase post-exercise energy expenditure (known as the afterburn effect)?

That means that you are continuing to burn calories after exercise as our bodies use energy to recover, cool down and deal with the hormonal changes that took place during our workout. If your plain old cup of coffee can have this effect, imagine the difference when you add 30 percent more caffeine from nitro coffee. One of the best nitro cold brew coffee makers that pro coffee geeks recommend and use is the KEG STORM Nitro Cold Brew coffee maker which can be bought online if you live in USA, Canada, Australia or the UK. 

Coffee also increases blood flow to the brain, thereby supporting cognitive function. The Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University found that bioactive compounds in coffee reduce both motor and cognitive deficits in aging rats. Rats that were given coffee supplements performed better in psychomotor testing and in a working memory task. (2)

3. Doesn’t Need Sugar — Nitro coffee is served free of milk and sugar, and it doesn’t need it. The rich and creamy taste comes from the nitrogen infusion, so there’s no need to bring out those sugar packets.

In reality, nitro coffee may be saving you some calories, especially if you like your coffee light and sweet. Two tablespoons of half & half and two sugar packets is about 70 calories … and let’s say you’re having more than one cup of coffee a day — that adds up. But nitro coffee lovers claim that sweeteners aren’t needed, it’s delicious as is, and even tastes a bit like milk chocolate.

4. Lower in Acidity — Nitro coffees are commonly made with dark roasts, which are richer and fuller-bodied coffees that have lower acidity levels. Traditional hot water brewing can amplify the acid in the brewing process, while cold brewing softens the acid factor. The higher acidity in traditional coffee can cause acid reflux, heartburn or a burning discomfort.

The Cons:

1. Even More Caffeine — You’ve heard before that consuming too much caffeine can have an addictive side effects, even leading to a caffeine overdose, and it’s true. In fact, caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world. Too much caffeine can overstimulate the body and burn out your adrenal glands. After a few too many cups of coffee, you may notice a feeling of anxiety and irritability, trouble concentrating, headaches, fatigue, digestive issues, cardiac problems, insomnia and changes in appetite.

Because nitro coffee contains even more caffeine than traditional coffee, you are increasing your risks of experiencing these side effects. Everybody handles caffeine differently, so monitor your bodily responses in order to access an appropriate caffeine intake for you. (3)

2. Can Increase Anxiety Levels — Caffeine has the power to alter your mood and physiology, impacting your hormones, nerve signaling, muscles and neurotransmitters. Many people work long, tiring days and they use coffee to mask fatigue and exhaustion. What they really need is some rest and time to reboot. When we use caffeine to keep us going, even though our bodies are worn out, this can lead to feelings of anxiety and even heart problems. (4)

Is Nitro Coffee Worth the Hype?

Coffee lovers continue to promote nitro coffee because of its taste and texture. It’s still coffee, but with a new approach. When you order a nitro coffee at a coffee bar, it comes in a fancy glass from the cafes nitro coffee machine and feels like you are really indulging; plus, the extra caffeine leaves you with a quick boost of energy. 

The taste of nitro coffee is dependent on a few factors: the type and roast of the bean, how the beans are ground and the temperature and purity of the water used in the brewing process. Every company does nitro coffee a little differently — using different beans, gas mixtures, pressures and dilutions, so the taste and texture won’t always be the same.

Cold brew coffee is the base used for nitro coffee, which requires a 16 hour period to brew versus the few minutes it takes for hot coffee. This typically makes the coffee more potent, which explains why nitro coffee drinkers get that coffee buzz faster than after a cup of hot coffee. It also goes down easily because it’s cold, creamy and sweet.

Just because it’s nitrogen-infused, doesn’t mean it’s automatically delicious. Plus, you are paying a hefty price for nitro coffee — it’s going for around 5 dollars for a 12 ounce serving. For those on a nitro coffee craze with a budget opt to buy their own nitro cold brew coffee machine instead which enables them to have the facility of brewing nitro cold brew coffee at home for less than a $1 for 12 ounce serving. But coffee lovers still insist that the rich and creamy taste is unmatchable, so you will have to be the judge.

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world and, thanks to the high levels of natural antioxidants and nutrients, it is actually quite a healthy drink. In the UK, it is estimated that 2.1 billion cups of coffee are drank outside of the home and the good news is that our huge caffeine intake does come with some health benefits. 

According to recent research, if you drink 2 cups of coffee a day, then you can potentially cut the risk of developing liver cancer by a third. As with any food and drink item, moderation is key, but the landscape for coffee drinkers certainly isn’t as gloomy as it once was. 

It May Reduce Your Risk Of Parkinson’s

In a recent study, researchers found that by drinking four to five cups of coffee a day has the potential to cut the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease in half. Parkinson’s is the second most common neurodegenerative conditions, behind Alzheimer’s, and is caused by dopamine-generating neurons in your brain dying. 

As with Alzheimer’s, there is no known cure, which makes it even more important to focus on finding a prevention. For those who already suffer from Parkinson’s, a study suggested that regular caffeine intake can help common symptoms, such as coordination problems. 

Protect Your Liver

Your liver truly is an amazing organ and it carries out hundreds of important functions every day. There are several diseases which primarily affect the liver, such as hepatitis and fatty liver disease. Many of these liver diseases can then lead cirrhosis, where your liver is mostly replaced by scar tissue. 

Coffee may protect against the damage of cirrhosis and those who drink 4 or more cups of coffee per day can have up to 80% less risk. Coffee is widely believed to have a huge host of positive health benefits on your liver health and the latest findings suggest that it could also have a significant effect on the risk of developing liver cancer. 

Essential Nutrients

Coffee actually contains several important nutrients, such as magnesium, niacin, riboflavin and manganese. Surprisingly, many of the nutrients which are found in coffee do make it into the final brew. 

On average, each cup of coffee contains:

• 6% of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin B5
• 11% of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin B2
• 2% of your recommended daily allowance of B3 and B1
• And 3% of your recommended daily allowance for potassium and manganese. 

Whilst this may not seem like much, if you are drinking a few cups of coffee per day, then the numbers start to add up. Coffee also contains a high amount of antioxidants and is actually one of the biggest sources of antioxidants within the western diet, outranking even fruit and vegetables. However, if you think your diet is lacking in any vitamins or minerals, be sure to take the relevant supplements rather than drinking more coffee, such as magnesium tablets, multivitamins and digestive aids. 

Can Improve Physical Performance

Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system and signals your fat cells to break down fat in the body and by making this fatty acids free, they are then used as fuel for your body. A recent study found that athletes burned around 15% more calories for three hours following exercise after drinking a cup of coffee than those who were given a placebo. 

Another study also found that drinking two to three cups of caffeine in the hour before a workout also noted a reduction in muscle pain following their workout. Caffeine also increases epinephrine, or adrenaline, levels in your blood - this is the fight or flight hormone that prepares your body for intense physical exertion. 

Given these effects of caffeine on physical performance, it isn’t surprising that caffeine can improve physical performance by around 11-12%, so it may make sense to drink a cup of coffee around half an hour before any planned exercise.