Many of us choose to start our day with a cup of coffee—and sometimes, we fill that coffee with ingredients that make it taste just a little better. Unfortunately, though, what we gain in taste, we typically pay for in health effects. As it turns out, the best way to drink your coffee for your health is black. In fact, health experts agree that there are certain coffee add-ins you should avoid at all costs because they lead to inflammation and a range of other issues: sugar and artificial sweeteners.
To learn more about the effect of sugar and artificial sweeteners on our health and why it’s best to leave these ingredients out of your morning joe, we spoke to Dr. Mark Iwanicki, ND with New York Center for Innovative Medicine, nutritionist Lisa Richards, creator of The Candida Diet, and Rachel Scott, Co-Founder and Medical Practitioner at National TASC. They gave us the run-down on the harmful sweet stuff—find it all below.
Refined Sugar
While adding sugar to your coffee is one of the most popular ways to offset the notoriously bitter taste, experts warn that this is one of the worst daily habits for your overall health. That's because this ingredient is highly inflammatory, putting you at risk for gut issues, weight gain, and even disease over time. Refined white sugar, in particular, can take a serious toll on your body.
Richards tells us that refined sugar, also known as sucralose sucrose, is a "type of sugar that is harmful for many reasons," warning that it's "highly inflammatory as well as a food source for bad gut bacteria."
This is because, as Scott explains, "refined sugar comes from natural sources but underwent processing to strip off other healthy ingredients and left only with the sugar part," which means you're getting absolutely no nutritional value from this highly inflammatory sweetener.
Scott goes on to explain that inflammation can lead to blood sugar spikes and slow weight loss: "The bad thing about refined sugar is that the body is able to metabolize and break them down rapidly so it causes a spike in blood sugar levels. In turn, there is an overproduction of insulin. If this continues, your body will have insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes and other heart diseases. This can also cause you to have a hard time in losing weight." Say it ain't so!
Artificial Sweeteners
Unfortunately, artificial sweeteners don't necessarily make for a healthier option than refined sugar. These ingredients, such as sucralose, aspartame, and saccharin, can be just as detrimental to your health—if not worse.
"Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin are toxic and inflammatory to the body," Dr. Iwanicki confirms. "Aspartame breaks down into methanol and formaldehyde in the body, which is toxic to all cells in the body, particularly to cells in the nervous system. Saccharin has a similar effect.”
So, what options does this leave us with? While it's best to leave the white sugar and artificial sweeteners out of your mug, you don't necessarily have to take your coffee without an add-ins. Try a natural alternative instead! "When you swap an artificial sweetener for a more natural alternative like stevia or monk fruit, you can avoid these toxic, inflammatory side effects while getting the benefits of adding a sugar-free alternative in your coffee," Dr. Iwanicki concludes. Got it!
