“Coffee is no longer just a liquid vehicle for delivering caffeine,” explains Vincent Pedre, MD , the medical director of Pedre Integrative Health in New York City and author of Happy Gut . To enhance the already well-established perks of a cup of joe , people are mixing in powders, spices, and superfoods to “elevate the health-promoting effects of each last drop,” Dr. Pedre says. Some do it because they believe these add-ins allow them to achieve various health goals, from better skin to a slimmer waistline, he says. People share DIY health hacks on social media, and most of these haven’t been vetted by experts or have limited evidence-based research backing them up. So we asked nutrition pros to give their honest feedback about which are good ideas, which are harmless, and which you should avoid — and ranked them accordingly. Here’s how they stack up, best to worst.
Spices An alternative to preflavored coffee, spices like cinnamon and chicory root can infuse a distinctive taste and appealing aroma to your cup while providing a bonus health benefit, notes Jackie Newgent, RDN , a plant-forward chef, culinary nutrition expert, and 2025 Forbes Health advisory board member. “You can add ground spices to your coffee before or after brewing,” says Newgent. When adding spices afterward, let your freshly brewed coffee steep for five minutes to allow the spice flavors to become well-infused. Alternatively, you might find it works best to whisk spices into milk or plant-based milk before adding them to brewed coffee. Cinnamon, considered a “sweet spice,” is a great substitute for sugar, as it will sweeten up your drink without the added calories. “Along with its potential cardiometabolic and weight management benefits, a cool tidbit about cinnamon is that preliminary research suggests that bioactive compounds in cinnamon may have anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, though more research is needed to confirm these benefits,” she adds.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762994532721-3200-4f26-9e31-c3d1694142bee60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762976f31cde-d11f-4034-bec0-f4e9e9cf24af Studies have also shown that cinnamon can significantly improve learning and memory.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762960cf7a8e-31a1-486c-98cf-7ba8ea18e482e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629f1776ff4-d914-48c2-a1b8-3c095c981d35 Chicory root, a staple of New Orleans–style coffee, is available in ground form similar to coffee, so you can brew them together. Newgent says this is a great option for those who aren’t crazy about coffee’s natural bitterness, “and if you use enough of it, your usual cup of caffeinated coffee will have less caffeine since it’ll have less total coffee in that cup,” she says. “Plus, chicory root has digestion-promoting, prebiotic properties thanks in part to its inulin content.”e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762907ee3b2e-9788-45b9-8e16-bffe841dcfa1 Spices
Protein Powder No doubt you’ve seen people using their social media to promote proffee, a concoction of protein powder and coffee. Videos tout the combination as a protein-packed pick-me-up with weight loss benefits. While Pedre maintains that adding the powder to any drink is a great way to get more protein in the diet, there is one problem: Your body can only digest so much protein at a time. And unless your body digests protein properly, it can absorb only a fraction of the protein, regardless of the form that’s ingested. Research shows that adding 1.5 grams (g) of whey protein per kilogram of body weight each day to your diet helps decrease body fat, increase lean body mass, and maintain positive nitrogen balance, Pedre says.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762944c63ca0-c42d-4009-8976-5f5910c8a83d “But only about 8 to 10 g can be absorbed per hour, so with a transit time of about 90 minutes through the small intestine, the maximum amount of protein that can be absorbed is approximately 15 g,” he says.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976296cc6b1f4-e7b9-43a4-bc5c-84174d2468e0 Therefore, to reap the maximum amount of protein, you would want to spread out your proffee intake throughout the course of a day. Protein Powder
Cocoa Powder While boosting dessert-like deliciousness in coffee, cocoa powder punches up its health-related qualities, especially because of antioxidants called polyphenols, explains Newgent. “Studies suggest that when including a significant amount of cocoa in the diet, its antioxidants may offer anti-inflammatory abilities as well as potential protective effects against risk factors for some chronic diseases, like neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease, and possibly some cancers,” she says.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629abe9e209-d8b7-494a-bd12-26e42e5c047c Cocoa powder also adds fiber to your cup — 2 g per tablespoon (tbsp).e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976291e78cb8f-7b10-4406-84c0-82c02fddf8c0 Keep in mind that cocoa powder contains some caffeine — about 12 milligrams (mg) per tablespoon — “so, it’ll make that caffeinated cup of coffee a slight bit more buzzworthy, which, can be a concern for some people who need to limit caffeine intake, such as pregnant women or those with high blood pressure or taking anti-anxiety meds,” she adds.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976291e78cb8f-7b10-4406-84c0-82c02fddf8c0 Cocoa Powder
Grass-Fed Butter Dave Asprey popularized adding grass-fed butter to coffee when he launched Bulletproof Coffee in 2011. “It may not be for everyone, but grass-fed butter — not regular butter — in coffee can actually have some real health benefits,” says Pedre. Grass-fed butter is high in CLA (conjugated linolenic acid), which some research indicates may help with weight loss.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976299cee7a77-98d6-4780-840b-6c1491dcfdff “Whereas animal research has been more promising, studies in humans have only yielded modest weight loss,” Pedre points out. In addition, a review of 20 clinical trials showed that although CLA plus exercise reduced body fat, it didn’t decrease total body weight.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976292c13dfa0-7ef6-4e88-bb9a-3d6d3eb7a0d8 “What we do know is that putting butter in coffee can suppress the appetite and help a person who is incorporating intermittent fasting to use it as a bridge to support the fasted state in the morning hours,” he explains. “By doing this, it can certainly help promote fat and weight loss over time.” Since butter is high in saturated fat, which can raise your cholesterol and increase your chance of heart disease, you should add butter to coffee only on occasion.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629e509aae4-aa88-4c8f-93a0-9af96c0dcb11 Grass-Fed Butter
Lemon Lemon water and lemon-infused tea have been go-to wellness cocktails for decades, and more recently there’s been a trend across social media touting the benefits of adding the citrus juice to coffee. The premise suggests combining the caffeinated stimulant with the fruit works as a weight loss aid. Newgent maintains that lemons have a number of scientifically backed health benefits. “Observational research finds that higher citrus fruit consumption may be associated with lower the risk of lung cancer. And preliminary research suggests that lemon may also offer potential neurological benefits due to compounds called citrus flavonoids,” she says.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629dac02323-0559-4859-bea1-a4129e3aff55e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976297f9cda84-b2bf-412c-a7b1-8b94d6261e28 Squeezing lemon into your coffee isn’t going to help you melt away fat, prevent headaches or treat diarrhea , however.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976292c70992f-aae7-4b52-8717-3833f2b3abd7 Pedre uses lemon water “to help get the digestive motors in motion,” he explains.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976292c70992f-aae7-4b52-8717-3833f2b3abd7 One very small study of 10 people found that lemon juice increased gastric acid production. So for anyone adding lemon to coffee, think of it as a digestive aid, and don’t do it on an empty stomach, advises Pedre.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629a0573149-bb77-406f-b295-1aaf0ff479c0 He suggests consuming it before a meal, “or as they do in Europe, an espresso with a lemon rind twist added to it after a meal.” Lemon
Collagen Powder Jennifer Aniston, the chief creative officer for the supplement brand Vital Proteins, recently told Vogue that her morning pick-me-up includes a scoop of herVital Proteins peptides.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762952c7eff6-ee3b-483e-bad1-26ef2b0065ca “ Collagen is a fibrous protein found in body tissues, like bone, skin, muscles, and tendons. It makes up about one-third of total body protein, and it’s what gives these tissues their strength and elasticity,” explains Pedre. “As we age, less collagen is produced. One area that can be impacted by this is the skin — with less elasticity that means more wrinkles.” As this happens, a person may be more predisposed to joint pains due to arthritis.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976295b07e919-3610-4bb6-99cf-0bc6085df8ff Collagen supplements come in many different forms, with powder being the easiest to add to drinks like coffee. A review and analysis of 19 studies found that those who used collagen supplements saw an improvement in the firmness, suppleness, and moisture content of the skin, with wrinkles appearing less noticeable. But it’s unclear if these skin improvements were actually due to collagen. Most of the trials used commercially available supplements that contained ingredients other than collagen, such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, coenzyme Q10, and hyaluronic acid.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629d0bdb800-44a0-461c-8248-c3c3f7dd22b0 Collagen Powder
Baking Soda People began adding this kitchen staple, aka sodium bicarbonate, to coffee in hopes of neutralizing its acidic effects, since baking soda is alkaline . In theory, cutting highly acidic (usually cheap) coffee with baking soda will neutralize the naturally occurring acids in the coffee and make it easier on the stomach. In practice, however, it’s probably not such a great idea. Too much baking soda can put you at risk for metabolic alkalosis, which means the pH of your blood is too high (alkaline).e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976294176c91f-53da-469a-8b85-025f69ccb12e Plus, as its chemical name indicates, baking soda is high in sodium, with more than 1,200 mg in 1 teaspoon, according to an analysis by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629971119ac-24fe-4390-b356-7951edb4defd So it probably won’t taste great either. If coffee bothers your stomach, you can always look for a low-acid variety (dark roasts and espresso tend to have less) or drink cold brew, which is lower in acids than traditional coffee.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762970e81c61-759a-422b-90a5-e341d146ee97 Baking Soda
The Takeaway Coffee drinkers have begun adding powders, spices, and other ingredients to their brews to attain additional health benefits. Many of these DIY hacks are trends shared across social media, and most have not been vetted by experts and have limited evidence-based research to back them up. Studies have shown cinnamon to have potential cardiometabolic and weight management benefits. While many coffee add-ins are harmless, too much baking soda can lead to metabolic acidosis, a potentially serious and dangerous health condition.
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