Billion Facts, Mysteries & Curiosities

There is considerable confusion over the caloric content of coffee. Not all coffee drinks are high in calories. Coffee – without additives – is almost a zero-calorie drink. Here is a complete guide to understanding coffee calories. Coffee is almost Zero Calorie.

According to the USDA nutrient database – an 8 ounce cup of coffee (brewed from grounds) has just 2 (yes two) Calories. The calories come from a tiny amount of protein and some mono-unsaturated oils. The coffee bean has oils in it (which is why a barista often needs to clean their espresso machine to prevent an oily build up). Sometimes a really bad coffee can be due to the oils in it becoming rancid (this often occurs from dark roasts, which cause a subsequent release of oils – if the beans are stored for a long time the oils may go slightly rancid). So: coffee beans + water = virtually calorie-free.

It’s about Milk and Sugar about a coffee high in calories and about the additives put in it. Caffeine is a bitter chemical and products containing caffeine are bitter – so to sweeten them up – with milk, sugar, or syrups. The larger the drink volume – the more milk will be getting. With espresso-based drinks (latte, cappuccino) – the amount of water in the drink is minimal (typically 45mls / 1.5 fl. ounces per espresso shot). The math: a 16 ounces Grande Latte from Starbucks will have two espresso shots (~ 3 oz) — that leaves around 13 ounces of milk (depending on how much foam tops the drink) – so there’s 198 Calories already (if the milk is 2% reduced fat). Add in cream, a pump of flavored syrup, and some sugar – and it’s a very calorie-dense drink – more like sweetened milk than coffee.

Calories in Common Coffee Drinks – Beverage Volume (oz) Calories

Instant coffee 1 rounded tsp dry powder 4
Instant coffee 8 4
Espresso Coffee 1 1
Brewed Coffee 8 2
McDonald’s Cappuccino 16 130
McDonald’s Latte 16 180
McDonald’s Mocha 16 330
McDonald’s Brewed Coffee (Large) 16 0
Dunkin Donuts Latte 10 120
Dunkin Donuts Cappuccino 10 80
Dunkin Donuts Mocha Swirl Latte 10 230
Dunkin Donuts Brewed Coffee 10 15
Starbucks Brewed Coffee 16 5
Starbucks Caffè Americano 16 15
Starbucks Caffè Latte 16 220
Starbucks Caffè Mocha (no whip) 16 290
Starbucks Caffè Mocha (whip) 16 360
Starbucks Cappucino 16 140
Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha (whip) 16 560
Starbucks Caffe Vanilla Frappucino Blended Coffee (whip) 16 430
Starbucks Hot Chocolate (no whip) 16 330

Coffee Extras

Many people use non-dairy creamers in their coffee. However, as the chart below shows – these still contain Calories. Extras Calories (per Tablespoon)

Cream 52
Half-and-half 20
Whole milk 9
Fat-free milk 5
Sugar 48
McDonald’s Coffee Cream (liquid) 20
Plain nondairy creamer (powder) 33
Plain, light nondairy creamer (powder) 25
Flavored nondairy creamer (powder) 45
Flavored, reduced-fat nondairy creamer (powder) 40
Plain nondairy creamer (liquid) 20
Plain, light nondairy creamer (liquid) 10
Flavored nondairy creamer (liquid) 35
Flavored, reduced-fat nondairy creamer (liquid) 20

Crystals of Aspirin

Crystals of aspirin, that common drug used to relieve minor aches and pains, look more like psychedelic visuals caused by a totally different kind of drug.

Mechanical Heart

McConkey imagines the heart as an elaborate machine, connected to the pipes and valves of brass musical instruments. The valves in this image were created from photographs of brass intruments and collaged together digitally, while the heart was converted from a pencil drawing using a computer and placed into the image.

Bird of paradise seed

Villi in the small intestine

This is an image of a mouse’s small intestine, showing villi. Villi are small finger like projection that cover the internal surface of the small intestine to increase the surface area and assist in digestion. The tips of the villi have been cropped away to show the internal morphology. The protein F-actin, stained red, covers the surface of each villus. The nucleus of each cell is labeled blue.

Skin cells from burn

Your bones are tough stuff — but even tough stuff can break. Like a wooden pencil, bones will bend under strain. But if the pressure is too much, or too sudden, bones can snap. You can break a bone by falling off a skateboard or crashing down from the monkey bars.

When a bone breaks it is called a fracture (say: frak-chur). There’s more than one way to break or fracture a bone. A break can be anything from a hairline fracture (a thin break in the bone) to the bone that’s snapped in two pieces like a broken tree branch.

Doctors describe fractures in the following ways:

A complete fracture is when the bone has broken into two pieces.

A greenstick fracture is when the bone cracks on one side only, not all the way through.

A single fracture is when the bone is broken in one place.

A comminuted (say: kah-muh-noot-ed) fracture is when the bone is broken into more than two pieces or crushed

A bowing fracture, which only happens in kids, is when the bone bends but doesn’t break.

An open fracture is when the bone is sticking through the skin.

What Happens When You Break a Bone?
It hurts to break a bone! It’s different for everyone, but the pain is often like the deep ache you get from a super bad stomachache or headache. Some people may experience sharper pain — especially with an open fracture. And if the fracture is small, a kid may not feel much pain at all. Sometimes, kids won’t even be able to tell that they broke a bone!

Breaking a bone is a big shock to your whole body. It’s normal for you to receive strong messages from parts of your body that aren’t anywhere close to the fracture. You may feel dizzy, woozy, or chilly from the shock. A lot of people cry for a while. Some people pass out until their bodies have time to adjust to all the signals they’re getting. And other people don’t feel any pain right away because of the shock of the injury (say: in-juh-ree). If you think you or someone else has broken a bone, the most important things to do are to:

Stay calm

Make sure the person who is hurt is as comfortable as possible

Tell an adult

The worst thing for a broken bone is to move it. This will hurt the person and it can make the injury worse! In the case of a broken arm or leg, a grown-up may be able to cushion or support the surrounding area with towels or pillows.

One super-important tip:If you’re not sure what bone is broken or you think the neck or back is broken, do not try to move the injured person. Wait until a trained medical professional has arrived.

What Does the Doctor Do?

To treat the broken bone, the doctor needs to know which kind of fracture it is. That’s where X-rays come in handy. X-rays give doctors a map of fractures so that they can set the bones back in their normal position. With breaks in larger bones or when a bone breaks in more than two pieces, the doctor may need to put in a metal pin — or pins — to help set it. For this operation, you’ll get some medicine so you’ll be asleep and unable to feel any pain. When your bone has healed, the doctor will remove the pin or pins. After your bone has been set, the next step is usually putting on a cast, the special bandage that will keep the bone in place for the 1 to 2 months it will take for the break to mend. Casts are made of bandages soaked in plaster, which harden to a tough shell (that’s why they last so long!). Sometimes casts are made of fiberglass or plastic — and some are even waterproof, which means you can still go swimming and get them wet! And sometimes they come in cool colors or patterns that you can choose