'The #1 Change I Noticed When I Drank Black Coffee Every Day for a Week'

Leigh Weingus

January 8, 2024 at 7:25 AM·4 min read

Black coffee in a mug

I absolutely love coffee. I love the way it smells and tastes, I love how energized it makes me feel and I look forward to the ritual of taking that first bitter, slightly creamy sip in the morning.

While I'm fine skipping the half-and-half, I always have at least a splash of milk in my coffee. I know some people prefer their coffee black, but I am not one of them. However, as Parade's health editor, I'm always talking to registered dietitians who say black coffee is packed with benefits, and that adding milk to coffee is often a recipe for a blood sugar spike and crash.

So, to start the new year, I decided to try a little experiment: I would drink black coffee every day for a week. Here's what happened.

The #1 Change I Noticed When I Drank Black Coffee Every Day for a Week

I want to start by saying that I was slightly sadder during my week of drinking only black coffee, but that was mostly because I didn't look forward to it as much because I knew it wouldn't taste as good. But I did notice some really positive changes and one in particular: I was more energized throughout the whole day.

Usually, my coffee gives me a spike of energy in the morning, and then I start feeling a little sluggish again by noon. While I was drinking black coffee, I found that my energy levels were more sustained throughout the day. If I had to guess why I experienced this, I'd say it probably had to do with what I mentioned earlier about blood sugar.

Milk has sugar in it, so if you're drinking coffee with a splash of milk—particularly if you're having it without breakfast, which is typically the case for me—you're going to experience a blood sugar spike and then crash.

When you drink your coffee black, however, you're getting all the benefits of the coffee—the caffeine and antioxidants—without the sugar. To me, it makes sense that opting for black coffee would lead to more sustained energy.

Other Changes I Noticed While Drinking Black Coffee

While sustained energy was the biggest benefit of my black coffee experiment, here are other positive changes I noticed.

My workouts were stronger

For the most part, I work out in the mornings on coffee and an otherwise empty stomach. The research is mixed on whether working out on an empty stomach is a good idea, but it tends to work well for me.

Usually, my workouts start strong, and then I start to lose steam as my workout wraps up. While this is the normal trajectory of most people's workouts, while drinking my coffee black, I noticed that I was able to keep my energy up during my workout for a longer time, which, again, is probably related to the blood sugar aspect.

My brain felt sharper

Thankfully, I don't tend to experience much brain fog. But I did notice that when I ditched the milk, my brain was just slightly sharper. Studies have shown that people who drink coffee tend to have improved short-term memories, so it makes sense that when I drank it in its purest form my brain would feel sharper.

I wasn't as hungry

I noticed that while drinking black coffee, I wasn't nearly as hungry, particularly in the mornings. Usually, I have breakfast...and then second breakfast...and then third breakfast...and, well, by lunchtime I've already had a feast. But when I stuck with black coffee in the morning, I was able to hold out eating a snack until lunchtime,

As of now, I'm back on the coffee with milk because—like I said—it just makes me happy. But considering the health benefits I experienced while drinking black coffee, I can imagine trying this experiment again...and maybe for longer next time, if I can talk myself into it.

Next up: This Is What Happens to Your Body When You Drink More Than One Cup of Coffee Every Day