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.

When the health inspector visits your café, you may understandably feel overwhelmed with stress. The inspector’s findings can play a major role in your ability to maintain a solid reputation in the community and to turn a profit. After all, local residents will avoid your venue if low ratings are published. If conditions are very poor, the inspector could even force your venue to close for a period of time.

With so much at stake, it is imperative that you take all proper steps to make your venue as clean and as safe as possible. These are some of the top steps that you can take to ensure that your café passes a health inspection with flying colors.

Focus on Property Condition

When you think about a health inspection, you may be focused on the cleanliness of your kitchen and food prep area. However, the entire property condition can play a role in inspection findings. For example, if your commercial roof is leaking, mold growth can develop. A roof issue could also allow pests and rodents to enter your structure. Remember that the roof is only one of many aspects of your property condition that must be properly maintained by professionals such as Sunvek in order to ensure the cleanliness of your café.

Check Your Appliances

Your appliances are used to keep your perishable foods and ingredients safe, but the temperature settings for these appliances must be maintained at specific levels. For all of your appliances, regularly review temperature settings to ensure that an employee has not made an adjustment. Furthermore, clean these appliances regularly. Scheduling an annual appliance inspection is also a smart idea.

Review Food Storage Spaces

While the environment that your food products is stored in is essential for food quality, how the food is stored is also important. For example, chicken must be thoroughly cooked to a specific temperature before it is safe to eat. Beef, on the other hand, can be served rare or medium rare based on customers’ preferences. When your chicken is stored above your beef, there is a chance that chicken blood could drip onto the beef. Because the beef does not need to be heated as much chicken, there is a chance that you could unwittingly be serving your customers unhealthy food.

Getting high marks on a health inspection is a top priority, but there are many factors that could result in poor or even failing marks. Focus your attention on these points, and learn about other requirements for restaurants in your area to prepare for an inspection.

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. 

Top 5 Health Benefits For Regular Coffee Drinkers

A cup of coffee can do a lot more than just wake you up. In fact, coffee is one of the healthiest beverages you can drink. Below are some of the health benefits of drinking coffee:

Improves Your Oral Health

Many people avoid coffee because they do not want to stain their teeth. While coffee can cause tooth stains, it can help improve your oral health. Studies have shown that coffee can help kill bacteria that leads to tooth decay. Coffee has also been shown to have a protective effect against gum disease.

Protects The Eyes

A daily cup of coffee can help protect your eyes. Studies have shown that coffee can help protect the retina from damage. Coffee has chlorogenic acid, which has been shown to protect the eyes. There has also been evidence to suggest that coffee can help protect against macular degeneration.

Helps You Fight Depression

Coffee can help protect against depression. It can stimulate the production of dopamine and serotonin. Those chemicals help boost mood and fight depression. One study showed that people who drank four or more cups of coffee per day decreased their risk of depression by 20 percent.

Great Source Of Antioxidants

When many people think about antioxidants, they think about fruits and vegetables. However, coffee is a great source of antioxidants. In fact, many people get more antioxidants from coffee than they do fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants can help boost the immune system and fight disease. Even if you use different types of flavored coffee syrups, such as those from companies like Monin, you are still providing yourself with antioxidants.

May Help Protect Against Certain Forms Of Cancer

Because coffee is a great source of antioxidants, it can help protect against certain forms of cancer. Antioxidants help prevent the uncontrolled growth of cells, which is what leads to cancer. Coffee has been shown to lower the risk of colon cancer and liver cancer.

Coffee can also help protect against melanoma, which is the deadliest form of skin cancer. There are many factors that affect cancer risk. However, drinking coffee is perhaps one of the simplest things you can do in order to reduce cancer risk.

A daily cup of coffee can benefit your health in many ways. It can help lower your risk of cancer and protect your vision. It can also fight depression and improve your oral health. Additionally, coffee is a great source of antioxidants, which help fight fatigue.