- With Mayo Clinic nutritionist
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
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Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor for the Food & Nutrition Center, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.
A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She is active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in pediatrics at Mayo Clinic Rochester and nutrition education related to the physiology and recommended intakes for premature infants.
Other areas of interest include breast milk and formula safety, neonatal feeding, and nutrition for breast-feeding mothers.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Question
Coffee calories: Sabotaging your weight-loss plans?
I'm trying to lose weight. Can I still drink coffee?
Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
A plain cup of brewed coffee contains zero fat and only a couple of calories. It's how you dress up your coffee that makes a difference in the fat, sugar and calorie count — and your weight-loss plans.
Consider this: One tablespoon (about 15 milliliters) of whipping cream adds more than 50 calories and 5 grams of fat to a cup of coffee, and 1 tablespoon of sugar adds nearly 50 calories. One tablespoon of fat-free milk, on the other hand, adds only 5 calories. Carefully read product labels as you consider how to flavor your coffee.
What goes into the brew you order at your local coffee bar also matters. For example, at one popular coffee franchise, a 16-ounce (473-milliliter) caffe latte espresso made with fat-free milk contains 130 calories and 0 grams of fat. The same drink made with whole milk contains 200 calories and 11 grams of fat. Before ordering, check out the nutrition information provided by the coffee bar, either in person or online.
When it comes to weight loss, remember that all calories count — even calories in liquid form.
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- USDA national nutrient database for standard reference. U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Aug. 18, 2008.
- Nutrition information comparison table. Starbucks Coffee. http://www.starbucks.com/retail/nutrition_beverages.asp. Accessed Aug. 18, 2008.
